Maren’s Travel Blog: Heat, Humidity and Hiking
The heat in Israel reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit and plus the humidity it was just ridiculous. Practices were cancelled but we still continued on our tour of the country.
Sunday, July 2: A two-hour bus ride to Ein Gedi was on the agenda to lead off Sunday’s itinerary. There, we arrived at a resort on the Dead Sea and floated for a few minutes. The water felt like a hot tub, not very refreshing for such a hot day. From there we traveled to my favorite place in Israel, Masada.
Masada was a fortress built by King Herod around the year 30 B.C.(E.). It sits atop a plateau overlooking the Dead Sea and across from the Moab Mountains. A Jewish revolt conquered the site in 68 A.D. (C.E.) and it became the Jews’ last stronghold. Rather than converting or falling to the Romans, the 960 Jews committed suicide.
We took the cable car up to the top and watched the sun set while touring the archeological site. The view was breathtaking. After the hike down, we headed to dinner at a Bedouin Tent. I always remembered the food at the tent being my favorite and it did not disappoint. There was beef and chicken kabobs, rice, vegetables, lavash, hummus, and so much more. Our table barely made a dent.
Monday, July 3: Any time a tour has scheduled Mount Herzl, the national cemetery and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, you know it’s going to be a somber day. A day that will tug at your emotions and make you think about the life you live and how you are able to live it.
Mt. Herzl is home to the who’s who of Israel. There are Prime Ministers, Presidents, Speakers of the Knesset and other political figures buried there along with the military. The military section of the cemetery is comparable to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. All of the people buried there had a vision for the State of Israel and have kept the hope alive.
Yad Vashem is an experience unlike any other. Take the Holocaust Museum in D.C. and multiply it by infinity. In the triangular-shaped building winds through the Nazi Regime’s rise to power and what life was like in Europe during the 1930’s. Then you cross a train track from the Warsaw Ghetto and Nazi Europe becomes a reality. Seeing luggage, clothes and letters from camps and reading about the people who lost their lives for being different, for being Jewish.
The emotional day ended on a high note with a B’nai Mitzvah ceremony. I had my first Bat Mitzvah 13 years ago so I decided to have another one while in Israel.
I came into this trip wondering what was missing from life. I have a loving family, a roof over my head, food on the table and the best job in the world. Something just seemed to be missing and I found it that day. The connection I made that day within myself, Israel and my faith is something that can’t be put into words. It’s something that I love and just needed a reminder of why I love it.
