Some perspective on the proximity of Israel to other places in the Middle East…. Jerusalem to: Gaza City-45 miles, Amman, Jordan-45 miles, Syrian border-65 miles, Saudi Arabian border-100 miles, Damascus, Syria-130 miles, Beirut, Lebanon-145 miles, Iraq border-225 miles, Bagdad, Iraq-550 miles, Tehran, Iran-975 miles. Since the Rotterdam was calling at 2 Israeli ports in a row our shore excursion included an overnight stay in Jerusalem allowing us meet up with the ship again the next day. Israel is actually a part of the Eastern Mediterranean physically but that influence fades quickly as you head inland and almost disappears completely unless you are close to the coast. We traveled through this small country first through the agricultural coastal plain which quickly transitioned into the dry, hilly Negev Desert. We then followed the winding highway down through the Negev toward the lowest (and one of the driest) spots on Earth, the Dead Sea, which mostly separates Israel from Jordan. Just as our guide was telling us that it hadn’t rained in the Negev for months it started raining. It was obvious from a quick view of the landscape that the entire area was sculpted by water and we soon started seeing flash flood warning signs. Fortunately, it was very early in the rainy season and we just had a few drops. Our destination was the mountaintop fortress ruins of Masada which is most famous as the last stand of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans where the holdouts killed each other with the last one committing suicide rather than submitting to Roman slavery. Surrounded on 3 sides by shear, 1500’ rock walls, the mountain site was nearly impregnable but the Romans were able to build a huge earthen siege ramp, using captured Jews so the rebels wouldn’t attack them, and eventually breached the walls finding the defenders dead except for 2 women and a few children. The site has impressive views of the Dead Sea, the Judaean Desert and Jordan. Access to the top is gained via the Snake Trail, a twisting stroll up the face of the mountain, or by cable car, so my choice was to risk dehydration & heart attack on the trail or just a heart attack in the cable car (the cable car won & I survived). Masada is one of the top visitor attractions in Israel and is well worth the trip. Next up was lunch at a hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea with time for a dip (if you want to call it that) in the ultra-salty and mineral rich “water” (maybe 7x saltier than the Great Salt Lake in Utah). After promising not take any pictures I was able to get Char to join me to test the waters. Walking into the water produced no noticeable sensation other than to note that the feel of the water was somewhat different than we had previously experienced. In “normal” water one kind of has to work to keep afloat while in the Dead Sea floating is automatic and you expend effort keeping your feet under you. It’s almost as if the water is trying to expel you, a uniquely odd experience not unlike a cork bobbing in the water, which also left us with softer skin afterward. We then traveled toward Jerusalem north through the Judaean Desert and the West Bank. We checked into our hotel, had dinner and then were out again for an evening trip to the Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall). The Religious and Political divisions of Jerusalem are about as complicated as they can possibly be and defy brief explanation, so I won’t attempt it unless necessary. Suffice it to say that some parts of the area are in Muslim hands and parts controlled by Israel. The Wailing wall is under Israeli control while the Dome of the Rock is under Muslim Control and the whole thing is a major point of contention in the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. The Western Wall is frequently very crowded with tourists, Pilgrims and prayerful individuals of various religions but on our night visit there were only a very few Ultra-Orthodox Jews who are distinguished by their unique style of dress. The Wall is a place where people pray and slip written prayers into crevices in the wall. To the right of the Wall, the oldest part of which is believed to have been built by Herod The Great in the 19th Century BCE, is a covered ramp leading to the top for Israeli riot police to respond when the Muslims on the other side of the wall decide to stone those on the Jewish side. Most Israelis (the country is about 75% Jewish), we were told, are not particularly religious in this place that is at the crossroads of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, there is also, however, a group of ultra orthodox Jews who oppose the existence of the State of Israel on religious grounds. The whole place is rife with conflict and nearly incomprehensible to to all but the most dedicated and interested individuals. On Day 2 of our stay we hit all the Holy hot spots and had lunch in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem was notable and interesting as it is located outside Israeli control in what is called the Palestinian Authority. Israel is in the process of building a wall around the places where the Palestinians live in an effort to cut down on exploding Arabs wandering through Israel in their quest to meet up with Allah in Paradise and we had to pass through the wall as we approached Bethlehem. The wall, while controversial, has dramatically cut down on terrorism by exploding Palestinians. Israeli tour guides are not allowed to work in the Palestinian Authority and we were handed off to a very nice Palestinian man for the duration. The contrast between Israel & the Palestinian ares was striking in that the latter looked, for the most part, much rougher around the edges than the former. At the various stops along the Holy trail of Jesus’ birth & death we ran into hoards of Russian tourists (most of whom hadn’t seen a bar of soap for quite some time) which, our guide informed us, came on day-trips from the resort areas of the Sinai Peninsula 8 hours each way. The Russians practically run through all the places of interest and, while the local guides will cooperate with each other waiting until one is through in a place before the other begins, the Russian guides just pack in like sardines. Whether one is religious or not Jerusalem and Israel is a fascinating place to visit. Tomorrow, Egypt. Craig & Char
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:36:10 +0000
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