The day at the Dead Sea was a relatively subdued affair compared to the last few days. The morning was given over to a visit to Masada where the remnant Jewish forces endeavoured  to hold the Fortress Herod the Great had built against the Romans. In the end the they effectively drew lots and killed themselves rather than surrender or be conquered by the Romans and enslaved. The ascent of Masada is by way of a cable car, although there is a twisting path up the mountain. Now Leanne and a few others in our party are not greatly enamoured by these sort of trips so it was great relief all round when we reached the top for our look around the site. Our guide David explained the historical background to the Masada event and the impact it has on Jewish thinking to this day. It is a symbol for never surrendering in the face of today’s enemies. Peter O’ Toole stared in a movie based on the Masada story and apparently there is a 4 part mini-series on the way sometime.

Leanne having gone up in the cable car and got across the ledge pathway to the top of Masada, somewhat relieved

On this edge of Masada Herod the Great built his palace, never to occupy it. Later the remnants of Jewish forces took their own lives rather than surrender to the Romans. A Peter O’Toole movie………….

    Back at the Dead Sea for the afternoon a numbered of us went for a  ‘swim’ at a nearby beach. Well this was a bit of an experience bobbing up and down like corks in a lake.

All at sea in the Dead Sea

All afloat in the Dead Sea

We leave tommorrow for Jerusalem and I am still catching up on this blog.