Dear Sea, Masada, Western Wall

Friday July 17 Leon felt he needed to rest his ankles, which were swelling badly, so he stayed behind at the hotel while we went to Qumran. We saw the ruins of the living quarters of the people who had lived there and some dams on the mountainside to catch the rainwater which was stored in their large cisterns. We saw cave #4, where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It is the only cave visible from the visitor’s center. It is very desolate country and honeycombed with caves.
We kept driving south and saw the Dead Sea. It was a beautiful acqua color and I could just imagine the disappointment of travelers, after crossing the desolate land and having this beautiful water be salty instead of fresh. This is the only place where I felt the heat, the hottest I was on the whole trip. We sat under huge awnings so we weren’t in the sun but it was terribly hot! It was probably humid because of being by the water. Some of my fellow travelers tried to swim in the water but you can only float. Some got covered with the black mud , said to be a beauty agent. They looked awful.
Our next stop was Masada, another place I particularly wanted to visit. This is where the Zealots stood off the Romans and finally committed suicide when the Romans breached the wall. We rode a cable car up and still had about 80 steps to climb. Herod built this as a stronghold and resort for himself and his family. He had food for 100 years stored, also water in the huge cisterns for 40 years. The Zealots who hid out there used these supplies. We saw Roman baths and visited Herold’s Western Palace. I couldn’t understand why anyone would use that place as a resort until I visited the palace. Inside, with shade and the sides open to cool breezes, it was a very pleasant place to be. From the top of the mountain one can look down and see the remains of several Roman forts which besieged the Zealots. Also, the ramp which was built up to the top can be seen. The Romans built a wall all around the mountain to contain the rebels. I was surprised that there were other mountains close to this one. I had imagined it sticking up all alone.
That evening we visited the Western Wall. The Sabbath would begin at 7:10 p.m. according to our guide Amos, who consulted his calendar. We would be allowed to take pictures until about 7 p.m. There is a fence back a ways from the wall and people can go beyond it but men have to wear skull caps to approach the wall. There is another fence separating the men’s section from the women’s. Worshippers wore their Sunday best. There was not a variety in the dress of the women but quite a variety in the men’s. Some wore big black fuzzy hats, other broad-brimmed hats, most skull caps. Some had their long prayer locks, others regular haircuts. Many sway while praying which is supposed to help one concentrate. I could have gone down into the women’s section but would have felt out-of-place in my pants. I also thought it would have been irreverent. I even felt uncomfortable taking pictures at the allowed time as it was a very sacred time and place for the Jews.