Israel 2009 Pilgrimage
Southern Israel
Rather than simply take pictures of the sites we visited and describe the scenes, the photos here indicate the places we visited, in approximate chronological order. If you want more details, you can look up the sites on-line! There is simply too much to present here, but you can see from the photos what our tour was like; the weather, the crowds, and the people. Only a few photos are shown that really give any details of the religious or archaeological importance of the sites.
This sycamore tree in Jericho is over 2000 years old. We also visited a large souvenir shop that sold "Hebron" glass. Since I was born in Hebron (Nebraska), it made a nice purchase.
The plaster in this ritual bath in Qumran, used by the Essene community just before the time of Christ, is the original material.
One of the caves (Number 4) near the Essene excavation is where some of the Dead Sea Scroll fragments were found.
A local vendor tried to convince Erika to buy a keffiyeh, after demonstrating how to properly wrap it.
A stream and waterfall in the desert supplies the Ein Gedi nature preserve, also the location where David hid from Saul.
Many of the walls on the summit of Masada are originals, with minor reconstructions.
Don and Carol on Masada, with the Dead Sea in the background.
Our hotel on the Dead Sea is shown in the distance. Our last night in Israel was short; we had a midnight wakeup call, so we could take a 1 am bus to the airport in Tel Aviv.
Bohdan's reaction to the cold water in the Dead Sea - it was actually slightly warmer than the Pacific Ocean in San Diego in the middle of summer.
The heavy concentration of salt in the water makes it feel slippery, and floating really was an interesting experience!
Pete, Tim, Karen, Kent, Denis, Pam, Linda, Erika, and Don having fun in the Dead Sea.