ISRAELI   Vacation

The matriarch and Edna's mother (Mamanina)

One day while being taxied from Rishon le Zion and Tel Aviv, we passed (at high speed) a delivery truck
that had been "wrapped" with Three Olives (vodka) advertising. Joan wanted to have our driver slow down (right, like THAT'S ever gonna happen.)
so she could get a picture of it to pass along to the Three Olives rep in St Louis. But, alas, the truck was long gone.
We never did see the truck again, but we DID go into a liquor store and spied these (even in the "new" bottles):
NIS-119 = US$33.61

Joan had been tasked to see if she could find a wooden crèche for her sister.
Fortunately, there was a gift shop right outside the hotel's front door. They had lots!

Arab bakery inside the souq (market). The honey balls on the left are fantastic! Very light. Very sweet!
The same delicious honey balls can be found in the Chrisitan Quarters bakeries AND the Jewish Quarters bakeries.

The Via Dolorosa. ("Way of Sorrow")
This is the route currently celebrated as that taken by Jesus from condemnation to burial.

not sure - could very well be misplaced

The reason I like the following picture so much is because it shows that:
1) We came from the Damascus Gate, and are now headed towards
2) The Temple Mount (think Solomon's Temple, the Ark of the Covenant, Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque)
3) The Western Wall (think Wailing Wall)
4) The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (think Calvary Hill, Golgotha, burial cave and the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea
The three holiest sites in Jerusalem, of the three largest western religions, each a stones-throw from the other.
I find that amazing!

Almost since its 4th century construction by Helena (mother of Emperor Constintine),
the Edicule inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been in need of repairs.
It has been being held together by steel I-beams and shims of wood blocking since the 1940's.
The needed repairs were identified over 200 years but disputes among religious orders prevented them from being made.
'Till now. After 9-months (and US$3-million) renovations have been completed. It's never looked better.

I could use a little help, if you know what this is. I think it's from the Jewish Quarters. Then again, maybe not.

Here we go again. I think this is looking at Mt Scopus and the HUC in the background. But, I'm not sure.

These I KNOW! We got back to our hotel with no plans for dinner and there's NOTHING around the hotel (remember?).
We asked at the front desk and after hearing of all the wonderful falaful places, we got them to understand that we needed something a bit nicer.
So, they suggested the Wine & Cheese Bar (and restaurant) on top of the Notra Dame Hotel... across from the Old City's New Gate.
It was just what we needed. Wonderful dinner. Not great service. Incredible view of the Old City (breathtaking for sure).

There are two ways to get to the top of Masada. We chose NOT to walk and took the gondola instead.

It was so hot already, they stopped allowing people to walk UP the snake path. They were, however, "permitted" to walk DOWN.

Once on top, it was difficult to miss all the little rectangles below surrounding Masada.
These turned out to be excavations of Roman camps from the 72-73CE
siege of Masada that was one of the final events in the First Jewish–Roman War.

From the top of the mesa of Masada, looking north and east shows how rugged the terrain is.
To the north is desert. But unlike what we usually think of a desert, there are no sand dunes. This is all hard, solid rock!
To the east is the Dead Sea and the mountains of Jordan past that. [more on the Dead Sea later]

Here we see a section of the 4300' double-wall that runs all along the perimeter of the mesa.
In the background-right, we can see people walking to an area that would mark about half-way to the southern point of the mesa.

The next two pictures show mosaic floors from two different periods: Herodian and Byzantine.

Well, it's a bathtub. There's actually two of them. Maybe ritual baths (mikvahs)
NOTE about that Black Line: Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As such, it must indicate
to the public, that which was found during excavations and that which was added for stability or aesthetics.
The painted Black Line indicates the border between the two: below=found in place, above=added.

This is King Herod's Receiving Room in his Administration Building (model in foreground left). Again, with the Black Line.
We didn't realize that when walking through ancient ruins, sometimes what you see is NOT what the inhabitants saw.
In a modern building, we don't see the studs and joists since they are (usually) covered by plaster or drywall.
So too back then. Here you can see the interior plaster "panels" which in other rooms still have the colorful fresco artwork visible.

Coming out of the hills above are two streams that flow year round. These "used" to flow into the Dead Sea... a few miles to the east.
But no water still gets that far as it is all now diverted for other purposes.
Within feet of the stream grows lush green vegitation. Any farther away than that and there is nothing but rock and desert.

I'm told, in case of winter flood. I think it's in case the hill comes down on us.

While taking a breather, Rick watched this little guy continuously call out to his friends until he got himself caught up.

This little guy looks like a guinea pig but is actually a Rock Hyrax. In biblical days (Leviticus) it was thought they chewed their cud.
This deemed them "clean" and permitted Jews to eat them. However, they don't... and Jews now can't.

These two caves are designated #4a and #4b and account for up to 75% of all scrolls found in the Qumran area.
Entry into any of the local caves is strictly forbidden.

This is what's left of the Lido Restaurant. It is rather semi-circular facing the sea. It had some showers and dressing rooms out back.
Remnants of the fire pits and stage area remain. It looks like the military has provided some additional ventilation.
In 1973, a local Israeli artist (Kohavi) painted a mural from one end of its interior to the other.
It's a replica of a Crusader map showing the Jordan River Basin from the Golan Heights to the Red Sea with depictions of cities (current and ancient) in that area.
Of course, graffiti has been added. I'd love it if somebody would document this amazing artwork before it's lost to the elements (and spray paint cans).

But, things change! I am standing almost exactly where I was sitting on the rail (next to the sign) in the above picture
The beach is now miles away... and, one would now have to be fit to attempt a hike there.
Today, it is much too dangerous to venture across the sand flats because in the past decade sinkholes have started to swallow up those who try.
Besides, military patrols watch this border with Jordan very closely. Across the sea, the almost visible hills are in Jordan.
So, the sign is gone, the restaurant is longer open, the sea has receded, sinkholes spontaneously appear and this is now a patrolled military zone.
See anything else that's changed?