Jerusalem-ish Weekend

Friday, July 19th (cont'd)

After the workday ended, everyone (myself, plus Sarah, Hanna, Myr and Morgan) going on the trip showered, packed and met together at the main meeting area. We shoved our bags into the trunk of our rental car, shoved ourselves into the car and off we went. The highways themselves were easy enough to navigate, but once we go to Jerusalem itself, it became a lot harder to get around. Add to the fact that we had two people as navigators (Hanna and Morgan), which is typically not recommended, and we were driving during Shabbat and Ramadan when some streets are closed off, we got a little bit turned around. We were always able to find our way back to the right road, and eventually ended up at our hostel without too many issues.
We didn't do much that night, except for finding a restaurant that was open on Shabbat and having a nice meal together. We returned to our hostel and went to bed very early, because we were planning an early day on Saturday.



Saturday, July 20th

The plan: Wake at 3:30-ish, meet at 4:00, leave for Masada and arrive in time to see the sunrise on the mountain.
The reality: Wake at 3:30-ish, meet Hanna and Sarah at 4:00, wait some number of minutes before wondering if Myr and Morgan were just running late or something more aws awry. I know where Myr's room is, but not Morgan and am able to procure the information at the front desk. I stop at Myr's room first, and knock on the door a few times but receive no response. Hm. I will return. I go to Morgan's room and knock on the door, and she answers. She says she woke in time to meet us at the right hour, but planned to take a shower and had forgotten that, in this hostel, you have to set a timer for 20 minutes before you want to enter it and receive hot water, so that pushed us back a bit. She is otherwise packed and ready to go. Okay. I go back to Myr's room and she answers - her alarm clock did not go off and she was woken only by my knocks.
The upshot, we didn't leave until 4:40, and we're certain we won't make the sunrise hike. Alas. But we go there anyway, because at least we'll beat the rush. We do see the sunrise when we're just a few minutes away from Masada, and it's still nice. For a pre-breakfast, I've brought along chocolate croissants, which will give us a nice little energy boost to start the morning.

Finally, we arrive. I have visited Masada once before, on Birthright; we climbed the Roman path and came back down the Snake Path. This time, we will ascend by the Snake Path (which is horrible to walk down in full heat, so I imagine it's still pretty bad to walk up in lesser early morning heat). Sections of it are quite difficult, when some of the steps are a bit taller than the average human step, and I managed a couple of shortcuts across the path's curves when they were available. Of the group, I am the first one to the top, which speaks poorly for the others because I am not in shape, and it means they are far worse off!
At the top, I wait for the others. When they arrive, we begin our exploration. I am happy to be able to take my time and look around a bit more. I was especially delighted to see the columns and bright frescoes of the lower part of the Northern Palace, which I missed last time around. Various other buildings, I never got to see at all, were also explored. It is a beautiful view on Masada, with a large expanse of the Dead Sea nearby. When we decide we are done, I opt to take the cable car down along with Morgan and Sarah - Hanna and Myr will walk back down - I descended the Snake Path once already and didn't fancy do it again. We waited in the gift shop/restaurant for the other two to arrive.
We had packed fruit, bread, peanut butter, and chocolate spread for a light breakfast. There are picnic tables near the parking lot, so we sat there for a quick meal.

The next stop is Ein Gedi. It is a nature reserve with natural waterfalls, pools and streams that people can wade in. Sarah and Morgan decide not to walk too much and pick one of the earlier waterfalls, whereas I go up a bit further with Hanna and Myr. The first two pools were either too shallow or too crowded. The last one's a bit deeper and has fewer people. For a while, it has no splashing children - a nice bonus. We can sit chest-deep in the water, which is so refreshing after a hot day on Masada. I don't think anyone was expecting to like it there so much, but it was really just a perfect pause in the day.

Then we're off to Qumran, which we know will be a small site and therefore a quick stop. Qumran is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. You are not allowed to actually go into the caves where they were found, but there are maps onsite that point them out. There's also a small reconstructed area of buildings where the sect - who wrote the scrolls - lived and prayed. They were ascetics, so they practiced a lifestyle of extreme spiritual discipline. The site had multiple mikvaot (ritual cleansing baths) so they were serious about moral cleanliness.

Our last stop on the tour is the Dead Sea. It's a public beach, so it's closing at 5:25, and we arrive at 5:00. We have just enough time to enjoy a good float. I was careful about not getting the water into my eyes, mouth or hair, though I did become very aware of this tiny cut I had on my finger.

The return to Jerusalem is again made difficult by horrendous traffic and blocked roads. Our route begins in a very tight road, with a couple of ambivalent drivers. We also encounter a group of angry Orthodox people who overturned a garbage bin, and children who were throwing empty water bottles at passing cars. They didn't get to throw anything at us, because Sarah sped right through. We also got turned around a couple of times on this trip, and Sarah was convinced multiple people were out to get us. By the time we pulled into the hostel's parking lot, she was shaking. Poor thing, having to drive through all that.
Myr and Hanna continue their own adventure at the Kotel in the Old City, but Morgan, Sarah and I decide to have dinner at this Italian restaurant. We had ordered a beet appetizer but the waitress said they were unable to make it, so we told her to surprise us with a different appetizer. So she brought us this hot plate of seasoned cauliflower and it was amazing. The whole dinner was very nice, and we all got cocktails to congratulate ourselves on fitting in so much sightseeing (which would not have been possible without the rental car and the freedom to our own timetable).



Sunday, July 21st

We check out of our hostel and store our luggage in the car. We mainly split up into different groups but agree to meet back at the hostel at 4:00. Sarah and I stick together for the day. We begin by browsing the Machane Yehuda, which is an outdoor market full of stalls that offer various spices, foods, jewellery, clothing, whathave you, and is always teeming with people (except for when it shuts down on Shabbat). Then Sarah accompanies me on my long-planned trip to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum.
This museum is a place I visited on Birthright, but I felt very rushed - there were so many things I wanted to look at and see but because we were on a guided tour that lasted just over an hour, I missed out on a lot of it. I intended to go back and do it properly, and that's exactly what we did today. We took it slow and steady, though I think we both rushed through some of the video segments because they were too poignant. The whole visit was very intense, reading over some of the stories, and personal diaries of those who died in the War. Certain sections were absolutely sickening, like one where a man has received packages of parchment that already have writing on it, but he is assured the writing will come off and the papers can be resold. At the end of the paragraph, you learn that the parchment is really a Torah scrolls. I'm not a very religious person, but I understand the idea of this sanctified object that the human hand is not permitted to touch and it's being repurposed for ordinary means.
When I meet Sarah at the end, we've just spent two-and-a-half hours wandering the museum and we're absolutely drained. We spend a little more time on the grounds, looking at the Children's Memorial, which I tell Sarah she must see. It's incredibly sad but really beautiful. We also take a small stroll along the avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations, which is lined with trees planted in the name of those non-Jews who risked their lives to help Jews during the Holocaust. When we're finally ready to leave, we're so full of the pain and grief of those who perished or lost their families, but also the overwhelming strength of the survivors who overcame so much hatred and escaped death.
At 4:00, we return to meet the others and prepare for our departure. We find an easier way out for Sarah and have a nice drive back to the Kfar. It was a great weekend, and we were able to see a good many things. We're also properly sleepy enough to retire for our usual early bedtimes and get ready for the week ahead.