Urrrgghhhh. Today was not a good day. We did see some pretty cool stuff, but lots of stresses too :(
To start with I slept like crap. It was just too hot in the room (and Israel, like Europe, doesn't believe in layers (sheets). It's all or nothing with a blanket). There might have been air conditioning but I didn't feel like fussing about with it in the middle of the night. Woke up at 5:30 to go the toilet and the parents took this as their cue to turn the lights on >:( I think I might have gotten a little bit more sleep.
Then I got rejected at breakfast. Most of the tables only sat four people so I couldn't easily join people. In the end I went and sat by myself on a bigger table, and felt like a nigel, and only got joined near the end.
Went for a little walk after breakfast to photograph the beach and the hotel.
Daniel Dead Sea Hotel
View of the pool area from someone else's room (we got crappy rooms pretty much the entire trip)
Checked out, then headed north back up the shores of the Dead Sea, this time with the light on the canyons.
Our first stop was Masada, which is this super cool fortress built by Herod atop a rocky mountain, and accessed by cable car. It finally fell to the Romans after a lengthy seige. It was another case of hurry up and wait and not enough time to really explore the place. So that was a bit frustrating, but I think we saw the majority of it.
View towards Masada
Photo by Dad
Water cistern at Masada
Water collection channel carved into the hillside
View from Masada
View east from Masada
Fresco on the wall of the Commandant's Headquarters. The black line was the height of the wall when they found it. They then rebuilt the walls on top
Photo by Dad
View over the storeroom complex
Tristram's starlings at Masada
View from Masada
Looking down to the lower levels of the Northern Palace
View towards the Roman seige camp west of Masada
Columns in Herod's Northern Palace at Masada
Herod's Northern Palace at Masada
Herod's Northern Palace at Masada
Water cistern at Masada
Photo by Dad
This man was writing out the Torah. He wrote a blessing for Bruce
Columbarium tower (pigeon house)
Ramp used by the Romans to breach Masada
View across Masada towards the Dead Sea
Continued north, back into Palestinian territory to Qumran (unless it was Masada in Palestinian territory, can't remember) where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. I didn't realise there was an ancient town excavated there as well. But can you guess what happened? That's right, rushed from one point to another with little time to take it in. Fortunately after lunch they gave everyone an hour to go shopping, so Dad and I went back in. This was sooo much better just wandering around at my own pace and exploring stuff.
View towards Ein Gedi oasis
View towards the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found
View towards the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found
Looking back towards Qumran from west of the site
Yeah so lunch at Qumran. Worst experience of the trip so far. Had to battle your way through the shop then hundreds of people all jostling each other to get to the food and the tables. When we found a free table we got told to move. Then as I was trying to take a seat and dump my crap people kept telling me to move up and down the table to let people come or go as they changed their minds and then a heap of others were all trying to push past. I basically lost it. I *hate* crowds like that :(:(:( And the food was pretty average, probably the worst of the trip so far as well. Maybe just because I was too stressed/depressed, although someone else commented as well.
So left there and headed for Jerusalem. And we were there in like half an hour. Bizarre. Especially since everywhere east of Jerusalem is completely arid, but Jerusalem itself is relatively green.
Headed up to the Mount of Olives first up for a nice view of the old city.
View across the cemetery to the Temple Mount
The Dome of the Rock
The Golden Gate on the eastern wall of Jerusalem
Then started walking down the hill.
Graves in the cemetery (rocks on top are from relatives paying their respects)
Cemetery on the Mount of Olives
First stopping in at Dominus Flevit, or the Jesus wept church.
Dominus Flevit Church
Inside the Dominus Flevit Church
Then at the bottom of the hill in the Garden of Gethsemane to the basilica there.
Olive grove in the Garden of Gethsemane
Photo by Dad
Façade on the Church of All Nations
Roof of the Church of All Nations
Inside the Church of All Nations
Garden of Gethsemane east of the old city of Jerusalem
Then we got taken in the coach up to the old temple walls.
View east to the Mount of Olives
View east to the cemetery on the Mount of Olives
South west corner of the Temple Mount showing the remnants of Robinson's Arch
Went in and through the security check (and apparently there was a bit of a scene because some of the girls went through the men's line).
And there was the Wailing Wall. Went and touched it. And probably got dirty looks from the Jews who apparently resent us gentiles being there.
Western Wall aka Wailing Wall
Photo by Dad
Prayers in the Wailing Wall
Photo by Dad
Then we got to go underneath the walls through a bunch of tunnels which was way cool.
Western Wall tunnels
Herodian ashlar stones forming the base of the Temple Mount wall
Photo by Mum
Western Wall tunnels
Struthion Pool in the Western Wall tunnels
And then to the hotel. Have I ever mentioned how much I *hate* fancy hotels? Internet: $15/day. Laundry facilities: non-existent (except for a massive fee). Sink plug: none. Power points: none spare, had to disconnect lamps and kettles stuck behind a cabinet. Table to work on laptop: none really, but can use one on the side of the room with no electricity nearby. We have a wonderful view .. of the lobby. No elevator to our floor. I'm sleeping on a cot taking up most of the free space in the room. The waiting staff at dinner were pretty useless. I don't know about the food, I was too depressed to even feel like eating much. And I forgot to even document my food, that's how bad a day I was having.
Mount Zion Hotel (where we stayed)
My bed at the Mount Zion Hotel
So now I have the aircon trying to cool the room down so I can sleep tonight, and then the parents come in and complain it's freezing.
Can I go home now?
Distance covered on the GPS: 128.1km
Steps walked: 17373
Photos on the Canon: 512
Photos on the Sony: 31
Videos: 17
NIS spent: 2