We finally did it. We have been talking about if for the past year but we finally made it to Israel. It was a short trip. We left on Saturday, got there Sunday and then left at midnight on Tuesday. The flights were great, we slept for most of the 11 hour plane ride, of course it helps when you are flying first class (don't be too jealous i had to deal with a lot of angry travelers to get those seats!).
We landed mid afternoon on sunday and then took a shared taxi straight to our hotel. I found a nice bed and breakfast place that was $60 a night right by the bus station. After getting settled in we went straight to the old city to do some sight seeing.
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| The Old City |
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| Inside the walls of Jerusalem - King Davids Tower |
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| The Western Wall of the Temple (very sacred place for jews) |
On our second day we went to Masada and the Dead Sea.
Masada is this ancient city built up on a hill that is the site of where a bunch of Jews held off the Romans and ended up committing suicide rather than being taken captive. Really cool area, pretty dang hot, well worth the trip, especially if you can borrow some hats from your guesthouse to shield the sun.
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| Masada overlooking the dead sea |
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| Coolest hat ever |
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| Cave dwelling of Masada residents |
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| Ancient bird houses in Masada |
Later that day we caught a bus to the dead sea, it was really cool, the lowest point on earth. Swimming in it was awesome, you seriously can't sink if you wanted too. The water was less refreshing than we had hoped because it was warm and the salt burns but to be able to get one of those pictures while reading, I would take just about anything.
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| Why doesn't he slick his hair back all the time? |
Our last day we went back to the Garden of Gethsemane and that area of Jerusalem. It was a little tricky to get into a few of the areas because of some religious holidays but we were still able to see a lot. It was amazing to see how the city is viewed as such an important area for three major religions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It never felt unsafe even with the clash of cultures and the history of the region.
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| Olive tree at Garden of Gethsemane |
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| Orson Hyde park at the Mount of Olives |
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| View of the Dome of the Rock |
This is a great country to visit and we could have spent much more time if we were to explore other areas like Galilee and that region. The bus system is great, except for some reason the concept of a line hasn't made it's way to Israel yet, everyone is pushy and cuts in front of you. We loved the trip and it was a great way to celebrate out last 5 months without kids tagging along!
Hotel for 2 nights
$120 + Masada entrance fee
$12 + Bus from airport
$20 each + having a falafel everyday
$5 each + buying stuff at the market
$who knows = about
$400
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