ISRAEL & PALESTINE __ Land of Contradictions Masada / The Dead Sea

Desert and the Dead Sea view from Masada

Fortress city of King Herod at Masada

Pigeon holes

A large cistern

Waiting for the bus

It was obvious that our initial itinerary had to be modified. The length of our stay was in no way sufficient to cover all the things to see in Israel, so we decided to leave the northern and southern parts for another trip but decided that we must at least see Masada and Dead Sea, and spared a day for those two. We arrived in Masada after an hour and a half bus ride through a desert covered in all shades of yellow and no vegetation except for a few palm plantations here and there. Masada, which was a fortress set up by King Herod on top of a mountain, also holds a special place in Jewish history as the site where 1000 Jewish residents committed a mass-suicide instead of surrendering to the Roman soldiers. Rather than its archaeological finds it was an impressive site with its views of the desert and the Dead Sea. Even though the weather was a little cloudy and chilly, we decided that it would be a mistake going back without taking a dip in the Dead Sea, so went over to Ein Gedi beach. In addition to being earth’s lowest elevation on land, it also is one of the saltiest bodies of water with salinity over 34%. Because of its high salinity it’s impossible to sink in it, and is possible to float without any effort, but you have to be careful not to get any water in your eyes or mouth (I tested both for you my precious readers, the taste is super-bitter and burns the hell out of the eye). We got out of the water after a couple of minutes as it was not very suitable for swimming. To be honest, it wasn’t all that interesting. We got on our way back to Jerusalem with our bodies at least a little relaxed by the salt water. Our choice of restaurant for dinner that evening, Roza, turned out to be the best restaurant choice not only for that day but the whole journey. Our serotonin levels reached an all time high with the food (mezes prepared with sweet and sour sauces and coriander, focaccias with roast beef and duck breast) and wine (Gamla- Cabernet-Merlot) we had at this smart but not expensive restaurant.