Camel Riding and Mountain Climbing

Today we got up at 4:30 in the morning to prepare for the hike up Masada, the site of the Jewish rebellion against the Roman army.  We rose out of our Bedoian shelters cold but eager to start the day.  We all hopped onto the bus for a twenty minute ride and soon started our hike.  After about fifteen minutes or so, we reached the top of Masada.  The scenery was beautiful: we were taken aback by the golden sunlight slowly rising from behind the mountains in the distance.  After taking in the sunrise, we toured the ancient ruins of Masada, learning about King Herod’s reign and the ancient synagogue that once stood there.  We soon descended from Masada, and began our short journey to the Dead Sea.  We all covered ourselves in the dark mud of the sea and floated in the salty water (don’t drink it!) as we took in the view of the cliffs nearby.  From the Dead Sea we made our way back to Jerusalem, where we checked in at the comfy Caesar Hotel (for your Hangover fans out there, no, Caesar never lived there).  We took a few hours to relax and have dinner, and then proceeded to our discussion of the day: the issues surrounding the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.  It was interesting to see that while nearly all of the Israeli soldiers on our trip expressed support for the prisoner exchange, opinion amongst the Americans on our group seemed more mixed.  We all grew tired as the day came to a close, and we soon went to sleep, eager for our last twenty four hours in Israel.  Just another amazing day for Swaglit Winter 2012.

Dan Frey A14