"Squeeze the World"
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
shopping and the dead sea
On Friday, we walked along the fortress walls that divide the city. Then we walked below the Temple Mount where the cleansing rituals took place and got a general layout of the temple. We also went to Caiaphas's house, where Jesus was questioned the night before his crucification. The stairs and cellar are well preserved, and you can see the courtyard in which Peter denied Jesus three times.
The rest of the day was for shopping the in the shuk. This was a lot of fun, and it was so funny talking to the shopkeepers. They all speak English, but they have strange ideas when it comes to persuading customers. I tried explaining to one that "who wants to spend money?" did not appeal to me, but it only confused him more. One of the best I heard was "I love you. I love you more if you buy more."
The next day, we left Jerusalem and drove south to the Dead Sea. Our first stop was Qumran- the site of the Hayad sect, the Jewish priests who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. It's also possible that John the Baptist came through there, but that's only speculation. The next stop was one that I had been anticipating for a while: Masada. This huge fortress is in the middle of absolute nowhere and is so hot. It took so much work to build this thing, especially since it was Herod's and he required an abundance of baths and pools, and columns for his palace. The remains of the Roman camps still surround the fortress where they camped out for two years.
Then we went to the falls of Ein Gedi, where David hid from Saul. It was beautiful, and the hike to the top falls was well worth it. We saw ibex everywhere and several caves, any of which may have been David's hiding place. Just down the road was a swimming area where we floated in the sea. Definitely one of the strangest sensations. I got a tiny drop in my eye when I tried to roll over, and it stung for a good five minutes. We didn't find mud anywhere, except on the rock where someone laid out a package. I grabbed a small glob, and it felt all silky and slimy. After getting the salt off us, we drove up to Nazareth.
The rest of the day was for shopping the in the shuk. This was a lot of fun, and it was so funny talking to the shopkeepers. They all speak English, but they have strange ideas when it comes to persuading customers. I tried explaining to one that "who wants to spend money?" did not appeal to me, but it only confused him more. One of the best I heard was "I love you. I love you more if you buy more."
The next day, we left Jerusalem and drove south to the Dead Sea. Our first stop was Qumran- the site of the Hayad sect, the Jewish priests who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. It's also possible that John the Baptist came through there, but that's only speculation. The next stop was one that I had been anticipating for a while: Masada. This huge fortress is in the middle of absolute nowhere and is so hot. It took so much work to build this thing, especially since it was Herod's and he required an abundance of baths and pools, and columns for his palace. The remains of the Roman camps still surround the fortress where they camped out for two years.
Then we went to the falls of Ein Gedi, where David hid from Saul. It was beautiful, and the hike to the top falls was well worth it. We saw ibex everywhere and several caves, any of which may have been David's hiding place. Just down the road was a swimming area where we floated in the sea. Definitely one of the strangest sensations. I got a tiny drop in my eye when I tried to roll over, and it stung for a good five minutes. We didn't find mud anywhere, except on the rock where someone laid out a package. I grabbed a small glob, and it felt all silky and slimy. After getting the salt off us, we drove up to Nazareth.
A, 10:54 PM
