Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 13

A view of part of Masada featuring Professor Rosentraub.

In a word (or two), Day 13 was low key. The agenda called for climbing Masada in the morning, but, as expected, the heat kept us from attempting to do so. Instead we spent about a half hour at the Masada Museum in Memory of Yigael Yadin — an Israeli archaeologist whose many finds are on display, such as ancient water/wine jugs and some exceedingly-vintage coinage. 

Following the brief pit stop at the museum, our bus headed for the largest city in Israel: Jerusalem. A place with an enormous amount of history and religious significance for Christians, Jews, and Muslims, the (internationally unrecognized) capital of Israel is home to the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Dome of the Rock, among other sites. We will be getting to places like that in due time.

For today, I was content to nap, read the final bits of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island on my phone, and take in Captain America: Civil War at a movie theater about a fifteen minute walk from the hotel. It was refreshing to have a more "chill" day in face of how busy we have been on the daily here in the Middle East.

Tomorrow ramps back up with a visit to Jerusalem's Old City, where a good deal of the aforementioned religious sites can be found. Should be a grand time.

-LTH