Masada, Qumran and Paradise

Several times I've noted that Israel had never been on my bucket list.  But IF I'd wanted to visit that country, one of the places that would be a "must-see" was Masada, the fortress at the edge of the Dead Sea where the Jews resolved to defend themselves to the death against the Romans. 

In fact, one of the only disappointments I had with the first Road Scholar tour I booked, the hiking program, was that it didn't include Masada. Score 1 for me when the hiking program cancelled. The replacement included Masada and a whole bunch of other places I didn't know I wanted to see but am glad I did (Bet She'an, Jerash, Petra and more).

The Dead Sea from Masada

The cliffs of Masada, giving a perspective of the elevation of
the fortress

A portion of the ruins of Masada. The view is forever from up there.

The plateau of Masada can be reached in basically three ways. 

1.  Climb the Snake Path from the visitor center. This involves a number of stone steps and an elevation gain of just under 1,000 feet. 

2.  Climb the Roman path on the west end of the site. It's a little less steep than the Snake Path.

3. Ride the cable car from the visitor center up to the plateau.

Although a number of us had hoped to climb the Snake Path, ultimately we were unable to do so. The temperature was over 100 degrees, and the Snake Path was therefore closed to all climbers.

Herod the Great constructed two palaces at Masada, and also found were caldariums ("hot tubs"), storehouses for edibles, cisterns and the remains of a Bysantine church. This construction was a huge undertaking.

Fresco in one of Masada's chambers

A portion of the Bysantine Church constructed at Masada

Arched window in Masada's Bysantine Church

After descending Masada's plateau via cable car, we lunched in the dining room of the visitor center. We then boarded the bus to travel a half hour or so to the fabled site of Qumran.

Qumran gained fame when shepherds unearthed part of the Dead Sea Scrolls in caves near the ascetic community of the Essenes, who are believed to be the authors. 

Part of the remains of the Essene community at Qumran

On the hillsides you can see caves where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

Close-up of Cave No. 4, where the first scrolls were found

I can't begin to describe how it felt to be in the presence of a place of such historical significance. It still gives me goosebumps to think of it.

Our next destination:  Paradise.

The other name of Paradise was Kibbutz Ein Gev. Located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, I felt as though I was coming home. Ein Gev is only about a 20-minute drive from Kibbutz Massada, where I spent my first days in Israel. 

The grounds of the holiday resort at Ein Gev are really lovely and welcoming. What awaited us was breathtaking.

This was the view from the back door of my hotel room:

On the shores of the Sea of Galilee at Ein Gev

Sunset on the Sea of Galilee

Tiberias by night from Ein Gev

As much as I would have loved to sit and contemplate the immense scene before me, I had a much more important engagement that night. A very special event indeed.