After yesterday, I am tired and emotionally drained. I continue to wish there was some way to magically make everyone happy and end the conflict. I want to know more about the history of the conflict and the positions of the different governments and leaders. The group continues to talk about how we, as Christians, can work for peace in the Holy Land. We haven’t solved the problem yet, but maybe by the end of the two weeks here.
We began our morning by heading to the top of the Mount of Olives. From this point, we were able to see the entire Old City of Jerusalem. Merchants were selling panoramic views of the city for cheap, so I bought one that will look much better than any attempt of mine to capture the city. We had a word of history and spent time looking at this holy city. It continues to amaze me that this one piece of land is so holy to the 3 dominant religions of the world. The mixing of religions is incredible.
Today was the day of ancient ruins. The first destination was Qumran, located in the desert south of Jerusalem. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the hills behind the village. The belief is that the scrolls were written in the city of Qumran and hidden in the hills when the Romans attacked the village. We ate together for the last time as a whole group in the visitor center. Today marks the last day for half the group, while the rest of us will continue on to Galilee and Petra.
The drive to Masada was all along the Dead Sea. The scenic drives we’ve had would be much more enjoyable if I didn’t get carsick every time. I have become infamous for my ability to fall asleep during any drive that is longer than 10 minutes. Since the drive from Qumran to Masada was 40 minutes, you know I was asleep within the first 15. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on much since we had driven the route when we first entered Israel. Masada is located high on the plateau, so we had to take cable cars up to reach the ruins. Herod used Masada as a vacation palace during the time of Christ, and in later years the Sicarii lived there. Josephus recorded the history of Masada and wrote about the Jewish uprising against the Romans. The Romans came after the Sicarii in Masada and instead of being taken captive, the Sicarii committed collective suicide at the top of the mountain. It is a very dramatic story and similar to the story of the Alamo in the US.
As the sun was setting, we made out way down the mountain. We had a final hour together before going our separate ways. The group that was heading home was getting excited and anxious to travel and see their families. We dropped them off at a rest stop before continuing on to Galilee. I had been in need of an ATM since leaving the Old City the day before, but now the hunt began in earnest. I had tried the ATM at the rest stop, but I got a message in Hebrew that I believe is similar to “I don’t like you and I don’t want to give you any money”. The next ATM told me that it was unable to process my request at that time. I was beginning to feel doomed in my quest for money. Maybe the gods were sending me a sign that I had already spent enough money on this trip.
Our hotel was on the coast of the Sea of Galilee and was a popular Israeli vacation spot. We ate a late dinner and were in bed by 8:30. These early mornings and long site-seeing days are catching up with me. Tomorrow is our tour of Galilee and then travel through Jordan to get to Petra.
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