I'm on the plane now, flying back home but wanted to finish up my journal with the last day or so of the trip.
The Havdalah service was nice - we lit a candle and sang while watching the sun set and the lights come on over Jerusalem. Paul and I went with his family to dinner at an Italian restaurant. The food was pretty good, but Aaron wasn't feeling well and after only a few bites of his spaghetti, threw up. We finished our meal as best we could and Paul and I brought him back to the hotel while Karen, Matt, and Ilona finished their food and paid the bill.
We went to bed early, knowing we had a big day on Sunday. We woke up at 6a and got ready before getting on the bus to go to Masada, a huge mountain in the middle of the desert where King Herod build a palace. We had to take a tram up to the top. It was really high and extremely hot, with relatively few places for shade. One of the cool parts about this place is that there was a last stand of the Jews against the Romans here. Instead of letting themselves be taken, the Jews chose to kill their families and drew lots to see which one would be responsible for killing the remaining men and ultimately killing himself. Fascinating stuff.
After Masada we drove to the Dead Sea to take a dip, or a float as the case may be! I was surprised that the water was hot - like a bath, hot - I wasn't expecting that at all. And you truly float! Once I waded in deep enough, I leaned back and lifted my legs and immediately bobbed up. It was the coolest thing ever! And even more amazing - we swan out past where we could stand and put our feet down so that we were floating VERTICALLY! That was awesome.
We washed the salt off in outside showers and then had lunch at the hotel by the Sea. It was yummy but I was starting to get sick of all the buffets and copious quantities of food. Plus my stomach wasn't feeling all that great either - it seems like that made the rounds in our group.
Next we took a short but scorching hike to "Nahal David," a freshwater spring at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Along the way we saw Ibex (wild goats). It was so hot, but the water at the spring was so cool and refreshing. It felt great. There was a waterfall there too that you could stand under - it felt like a really powerful shower. Amazing.
By the time we got back to the bus from the spring, I was mostly dry! Aaron didn't join us, which was smart. Right before we left the Reserve, he threw up again. Poor kid - I felt so bad for him.
We drove back to Jerusalem for our last night. Paul and I walked back to Ben Yehuda Street to do some last minute souvenir shopping. By this point, my feet were killing me. Early in the day, Karen had kindly offered to switch shoes with me and that worked OK despite the fact that she wears a size 8 and I wear a size 10.
We limped back to the hotel after Ben Yehuda Street to meet everyone for our final dinner. That was really nice - everyone was in fine form and I really enjoyed chatting with the people we sat with at dinner: Sheila, Larry, and Cari. People made some really moving speeches thanking the rabbi and our guide Mike. Seems like everyone wanted a chance to put in their 2 cents - the theme of this trip!
Paul and I went back early and packed. This morning was another early start. We checked out and grabbed some breakfast before getting on the bus. We had one last stop before the airport - to plant a cypress tree. That was really nice. We said a little prayer and then got back on the bus to head to the airport.
It took FOREVER to go through security and to get our tickets. Then we had to wait in line to get reimbursed the VAT (national tax) for my painting. I couldn't find the receipt and was convinced that I had thrown it out until Paul persuaded me to look through his papers and I found it! Good thing too because it was worth $50!
We putzed around the airport trying to spend our last shekels, then went to the gate and boarded the plane.
That puts up up to right about now. I enjoyed the trip, but don't think I'll go on a tour again. It was too structured for my tastes. I prefer exploring and discovering on my own. And I felt lectured to a lot, which I got tired of. But I learned a lot - much more than I would have if I had gone on my own. And honestly, I probably wouldn't have some to Israel on my own so this tour was a good thing because it got me here. Plus, I really enjoyed the time with Paul and his family. That was great - I felt like we got to know each other better and had fun together.
So back to work on Wednesday. I'm so glad I took Tuesday off. I'm hoping to get in a bike ride before jet lag hits.
Thanks for reading. Until next time...
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