Masada Sunrise

There was a trip heading to Masada for the sunrise the following morning, and Rozanne had been strongly recommended it, so we were up and on the bus at 3:00am. We had our favourite bus driver Alon, who we'd spent a bit of time with over the last week or so. He was an ex-Orthodox Jew, and was currently writing a book about life after religion, called Dangerous Curves but I'll come back to him later.

Masada is an ancient fortification built by Herod the Great on the top of an isolated rock plateau. The story goes that during the Roman rule of Jerusalem a group of Jewish rebels called the Sicarii slaughtered a Roman garrison and fled to and settled the mountaintop of Masada. The Romans pursued them, and laid siege via a huge siege ramp (~114m) that they built in 2-3 months, and brought down the walls with a battering ram. What they found when they broke down the walls inside was all 960 inhabitants dead. They had committed mass suicide.

Masada from a drone, image courtesy of Google. That track up the side is called the snake track and we walked it.

Anyway, the walk up was challenging, especially in the dark. I had my trusty flashlight with velcro pouch on my hip, so I looked extra cool. The walk took about 40 minutes to get to the top, you start at a couple of hundred meters below sea level, and the top is right at 0m. The view from the top though, as the sun came up was spectacular.

The view from the top of Masada

Iphone camera is either too light or too dark but this was a good photo of Rozanne & I

The ancient crumbling structures as the sun was coming up

On the way back to Jerusalem we stopped off at the Dead Sea for another swim. Now Rozanne hadn't really read much about the area, so luckily I had a tourist brochure with me, and she was able to catch up during her swim.

She fell for the same revitalizing water trick I got Dad with, and dunked her head under the water too. This photo was taken before that happened, as she was blinded by the salt and I had to lead her out of the water.

Just a bit of light reading

Schnitzel & chips in the sun with Annabelle & Rozanne

The Northern Coast and a very special event

Our first stop on our way up the coast was Mt Precipice, also known as “The Leaping Mountain”. This is where Jesus jumped from the mountain when the haters were chasing him. It is quite a steep drop, but I assume he was all good afterwards, or he just healed himself. From here we were able to get amazing panoramic views of the Galilee.

Panoramic views from "The Leaping Mountain", Mt Precipice across the Galilee

Giving the leaping a go (this was actually a close call)

Next stop was the Rish Lakish Olive Press, which makes kosher olive oil, so you know it's good. We were explained the process of extracting the oil, and then we were able to taste it. The property was completely eco-friendly with everything recycled as well as solar power and green building constructions. It was just a really cool place, you could just chill out and have teas & yarns.

The old school olive press

Dad getting stuck into the olive oil

The backyard of the Rish Lakish olive press

Just chilling in the shade of an olive tree

Haifa was next on our list, which is the third largest city in Israel and the Northern port city. It is also home to the Baha’i Gardens or the Hanging Gardens of Haifa on the side of Mount Carmel. The gardens are kept immaculate, not a leaf is out of place. Dad mentioned multiple times to people that they actually resemble his gardens at home, which is an absolute yarn, which anyone who has been to our house can attest to.

The Shrine of Bab, the second holiest place for the Baha'i people

The view from the top of Mt Carmel down the Baha'i Gardens across the city of Haifa

From Haifa we went to Acre (or Akko) which was in crusader times a strategic coastal link from the Mediterranean to the Levant. There are crusader ruins just about everywhere including tunnels that run under the city.

The clear water around the ancient port city of Acre

Just looking out to sea with Rozanne

Me giving directions to Dad & Melody

Me gazing longingly out to sea

Papparazzi aye

There's a reason they put pads on the tunnels, and I'm it

Our final stop was Rosh HaNikra and the grottos, which is on the border with Lebanon. You have to take the steepest cable car in the world to get there, and it is where New Zealand, Australian & South African engineers during World War 2 built the railway tunnels through the rocks for the Cairo-Istanbul line.

The view down the coast from Rosh HaNikra

The cable car down to the grottos

The outside of the grottos at Rosh HaNikra

The crystal clear waters down in the grottos

Hitting the bars in Nazareth with the squad

The following day on our way back to Jerusalem we headed back to the Jordan River, but this time to the Israel side and for a very special occasion, the baptism of our now very good friend, Rozanne. Melody who is actually a preacher, had performed a couple of baptisms before, but jumped at the opportunity to baptize Rozanne in the Jordan river. It was a pretty special experience just to witness it, and I'm sure none of us will forget it.

Dad getting his eyebrows trimmed for the baptism

Sunbathing by the baptism pools in the Jordan River, Israel, waiting for the girls

Melody, Rozanne & Annabelle pre dunk (That was my AS colour top that I donated for holy purposes)

If you just saw this photo, you'd think we were at a public drowning

Don't worry, they let her up again. They were ecstatic after that. So great!

The girls even got abused by the staff because they weren't wearing regulation baptism gears, but they were on such a buzz afterwards they didn't care. 

The whole crew celebrating Rozanne's baptism.

That night the whole squad went out for a final dinner to celebrate Rozanne's baptism. Now, the four guys you don't recognize above are the Polish Catholic priests. Four of the funniest people I've ever met, genuinely. They all live in Canada, in the Arctic in a place called Nunavut and live with the Inuit (Eskimoes) people. They had the most amazing stories of ice fishing, polar bears and life in the serious cold.

Next stop, Masada, Dad experiences the synagogue, we visit the West Bank and we finish with Tel Aviv.

In Jesus' Hood

We didn't really have a plan for Israel, we just wanted to see as much as we could. We'd had such a fun day with Rozanne & Melody we decided to copy their plan and head up north for a northern tour. Travelling with us all along the way were an Aussie, four Polish Catholic priests, an American, a Canadian, a Philippino couple and a few other people joined us along the way.

Our first stop was Caesarea, this was an ancient Roman city built by King Herod the Great, right on the Mediterranean. It was unfortunately quite arctic temperatures, but you could really imagine having a beer in the ancient city, while watching the chariots race in the hippodrome with the waves crashing in the background.

The semi-restored theatre at Caesarea where they used to do standard plays but also nautical shows

Panoramic of the whole coast in Caesarea

Making our way downtown, Caesarea. Rozanne, me, Annabelle & Melody

The stadium for the Hippodrome, Caesarea

Our next stop and where we'd be basing ourselves was Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. In a way we were following in Jesus' giant footprints on our way up north. 

The city of Nazareth

The fruit & vege markets in the old city of Nazareth

Our next stops were Capernaum next to the Sea of Galilee and the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.

Beautiful setting in Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee

This church is where the Sermon on the Mount took place

The view of the Sea of Galilee from the Mount of Beatitudes

A non-religious nature walk was next in order to whet our appetites for more later. We headed up to the Banias Nature Reserve in the Golan Heights near the border with Syria & Lebanon. The walk was short but beautiful, and you saw a very green side of Israel. Within this reserve was also an ancient Temple of Pan and its associated ruins.

The Banias reserve, a very green part of Israel.

Lovely waterfall

A late photo attempt of us jumping out of one of the Temples of Pan

We had lunch in the snow in Mas'ada before making our way to the Odem Winery. Turning water into wine would be a pretty popular party trick but unfortunately it was something they didn't teach. The wine there is made miracle-less and kosher, but it is still pretty tasty. I drank for Dad too so I doubly enjoyed it.

Our view at lunch in Mas'ada

People always seem to throw snow at me

The Odem Winery where we had our wine tasting

Rozanne & I trying some wine

The view from Mt Bental into Syria in the far distance

We then went to the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves & Fishes. The hint of what happened here is in the name. This church is right on the beach of the sea of Galilee. This is where I mastered the water walk.

The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves & Fishes

Selfie time

Rock skipping competition

Giving walking on water another try

Next stop the coast!

Nick + Tony