Bromide with your air?

Ein Gedi Nature Reserve was our first stop today – a morning hike.  It is beautiful and full of wildlife.  There are several falls.  This place is referenced in 1 Samuel 24:1-3 as King David used it to hide from King Saul.  As you can see there are many caves to hide in, and the springs would have provided water for him.  Those springs today are where Ein Gedi get’s its drinking water.

The Ein Gedi Synagogue is at the base of the mountain between the nature reserve and the Dead Sea.  This is the only synagogue they’ve found listing 13 church fathers beginning with Adam.  Most only list the church fathers as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Another point that made it unique is that it has the zodiac signs written in lines instead of circles. 

(There was a friendly group doing more excavations today!)

Masada was Herod’s palace, and later it became a Zealot Fortress.  After the fall of Jerusalem, it became a crucial stronghold against the Romans, who eventually defeated the Zealots.  This place is huge!  It covers a mountaintop.  Herod definitely made sure he had a gorgeous view in his homes.

Pictured above:  Cable for cable car that takes folks up to Masada

The body of water you're seeing is the Dead Sea from Masada.

Masada was our last stop today and it was peppered with young Israeli student groups.  We had lunch in the cafeteria there before having the rest of the day to spa, catch up on laundry, or prepare to pack/move on to a new place tomorrow.


All day today we have been in or near Ein Gedi.  What you might not know is that bromide is in the air in this area and that it can make one very sleepy.  Whether I was physically influenced or just psychologically influenced, I'll never know.  What I do know is that it was with heavy eyelids that I saw today's sites.


While most in the group used our 2pm and on to themselves to pack, clean, or spa, I slept.  Two hours I slept.  And now, hours since my nap, I am about to sleep again. 

A word about our Group

We are a group of 28.  Eight are clergy.  Eleven are seminary students.  The rest are random strays like myself, except not so random because several are spouses or family members of the non-strays.  They are a friendly and very chill group.  I think for the most part, we represent the USA well.  We don’t have any loud or obnoxious pilgrims among us (writer excluded).  Most are Lutheran, however, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist denominations are represented in our bunch.  The ages are incredibly varied from 20s to 70s.  It’s been fun.  I can’t believe I’ll be home in a week.  I need to savor all of this before it disappears before my eyes.

Our final destination tomorrow will be Tiberias, and our journey there should be very memorable.  I will look forward to blogging about it all.

Love to all!

PS  I am very happy about leaving my present bathroom.  The floor needs to be regraded.  It dictates that I get wet no matter what I do in the bathroom.  Just want to look in the mirror?  Get a towel!

Yes, this point will not be missed.


PPS  After much encouragement, I have enabled comments. Please don't be mean.  I am a novice.  :)