From lowest point on Earth

On Monday we visited Masada and the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth.


On Tuesday we traveled to the highest point in Jerusalem, a park with a fantastic view. Breath-taking is the only way to describe it.





























Of course we took the ritual family (touristy) shot with the Dome of the Rock in the "old city" behind us.


Next it was on the the walled "old city"... the original Jerusalem. We entered though the Jaffa Gate... one of many entrances to the walled city.

A visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was not to be missed, Christian or not. It is a spectacular construction. For those unfamiliar, here is a photo of the church from back in 1885.


Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Other than some restoration work, its appearance has essentially not changed since 1854. The same small ladder below the top-right window is also visible in recent photographs; this has remained in the same position since 1854 over a disagreement to move it. (credit - Wikipedia)




While you may not see the ladder referred to regarding the b/w photo of the church, see our photo where the ladder still stands...interesting...no?




We didn't ...(well Dan did since he had been here before, but we, Rachel, Jed and I did not) realize the splendor we were about to see "inside" the church. Artwork in the form of mosaics, architecture the size and design that is wondrous for it's time of creation. The attention to detail and the marvelous craftsmanship is outstanding. Pictured here we see a huge mosaic depicting Christ brought down from the cross, cleaned and prepared for burial and finally being laid to rest. see the detail picture to realize it's beauty. Most of the mosaic pieces are no more then 1/4" to 1/2" squares. I have detailed a section of the mosaic, (red square)to show the intricacy of the work.














In addition, we saw what is referred to as the "Stone of Anointment". This was where Christs body was prepared for burial. Many people visiting the the church kneel by the stone and touch it to feel the presence of Christ and to pray.

Onto the rotunda with it's huge dome. The Suns light shines in through an opening in the very top.







On the rotunda floor under the dome, is Christs Tomb. Many years ago, the rocky cave area where Christ was originally buried and the rose was cut from it's setting and brought to the Church. It it housed in a tall wooden building within the church and people stand in line for hours on end to get a chance to view the inside of the building and see the rock. (this is what I was told, not sure if I have it totally right)



Here is another picture of the tomb I found on line on the internet.



In all we were in awe of the design,craftsmanship and overall enormity of the church.


We saw a lot, but probably not all there was to see. More about our trip later. Thanks for stopping by.... Larry

onto The Dead Sea

For those that did not know... The name 'Dead Sea' is actually a nicer translation from the Hebrew name 'Yam ha Maved', which means, 'Killer Sea'. The surface of the Dead Sea is over 1,300 feet below sea level. The very bottom of the sea, in the deepest part, is over 2,300 feet below sea level. The Dead Sea has some of the most saline water on earth; as much as 35% of the water is dissolved salts! That's almost six times as salty as the ocean! The Dead Sea is completely landlocked and it gets saltier with increasing depth. The surface, fed by the River Jordan, is the least saline. This means humans can float in the water without really trying...just look at Larry here...








and Jed too!





While the Dead Sea is supposed to have "medicinal healing abilities"...aside from stinging the eyes and mouth, all it let's you do is float. Before drying off after coming out of the water... you must shower (and it's cold) to remove most of the salt...


After the shower... we went up to the hot springs to bathe... like a huge hot tub with the water from the dead sea...heated to I don't know how many degrees... but it was hot! more to come....

onto Masada

After our camel experience, we continued south to Masada... the scenery enroute was also amazing... a brief explanation about Masada appears below...

Masada (Hebrew מצדה, from מצודה, metzuda or "fortress") is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel on top of an isolated rock plateau, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. After the First Jewish-Roman War a siege of the fortress by troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels. Due to the remoteness from human habitation and its arid environment, the site has remained largely untouched by humans or nature for the past two thousand years.

Rather than climb, we took the cable car to the summit. A lot easier...










We took lots of pictures and walked and walked. It is a tremendous place. Remnants of palaces, bath houses, living quarters and such were scattered throughout the fortress.












We saw some amazing things at Masada... in one room was a still, mostly intact, mosaic floor... outstanding craftsmanship when you consider how old it is...and how long it's been there...



If these ruins could talk... rooms and rooms of all sizes and shapes...living quarters for women and children, for the warriors and workers...took years to build.

























Jed and Rachel with the Dead Sea in the background. What an adventure!

I want to Ride a Camel...

So we're on our way to Masada and almost there we are going to stop for gas and restroom visits... before getting there I tell everyone ..."I want to ride a camel while we're in Israel..." lo and behold, right at the exit of the gas station is a camel and his handler waiting to fulfill my wish... So we all got the "sit" on the camel for pictures.

We Arrive in Tel-Aviv @ Ben Gurion Airport.

Note: Rachel nor I changed the time stamp on the cameras... so time may be off from actual time taken...lol

We arrived in Israel at about 2:45PM (local Israel time). Dan met us on arrival, we got our rental car and drove to the apartment we rented for a week. Driving in Tel-Aviv is  an experience all to itself... Dan tells me "they drive like crazy people here... you must do the same..." So I drive...

Unfortunately, a lot of the maps available here do not show the direction of the street (one way streets) in all instances... so we did a lot of u-turns and wrong turns getting to the apartment but finally got there... in one piece...

Over the course of this blog, I will post pictures of some of the things we saw and did. This is just the beginning.

AMSTER FAMILY VISITS ISRAEL 2011

In January 2011, Rachel, Jed and I visited my son Dan in Israel. I'll try to chronicle our visit, the sites we saw, the things we did. It was on unforgettable experience.