Dead Sea Region,
Israel
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Two days ago we were still in Jerusalem. Visited the western (wailing wall) again to see the tunnels under the wall. The part you can see is only about ten percent of the wall. The wall is a retaining wall and not a wall of the temple. The golden dome on the Temple Mount is a moslem mosque and jews are not permitted there. The Mount is a flat area about 5-10 acres on the highest point of the Old City. (Israelis carry a national identity card.) The western wall is so important to the jews because it is the closest spot they can access to where their second temple was before the muslims took over the Mount. We also visited the Vad Yashem holocaust museum with its excellent collection of film and other materials related to anti-semitism and world war 2. Traveled a few miles south of Jerusalem into the west bank and Bethehem. Crossed an armed checkpoint with the 15 foot high smooth concrete Israeli security wall. Bethlehem is an arab town in sad shape with graffiti everywhere. Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity were much nicer and we were able to see the cave and manger by going in the exit passage rather than the two hour wait through the normal entrance. Another advantage of being a very small group. I thought we would not encounter tourist crowds in late November but forgot that it is sunny and warm here but cold and snowy in much of Europe. (CNN, BBC world news , and AlJazerra are our news sources)
On to the Dead Sea area stopping at Qumrun where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in a cave. Dead Sea is about 1200 feet below sea level (Death Valley is about 200)--the lowest place on earth. You really can't sink in the water which is about 35% salt, ten times ocean salinity. It was hard to even get up because your legs keep floating up. The hotel has a heated pool with dead sea water to repeat the experience. All for now/ We go back to Tel Aviv on Thursday and I leave on Friday. Bob is at and was in the Dead Sea.
