Sorry I have been out of touch for so long. We have been very busy here in Israel with all the work activities and also fun activities! We just spent two days traveling to the Dead Sea and to Jerusalem and are now back in Tel Aviv for another day of work tomorrow. The Dead Sea is amazing! It’s the lowest point on earth and is 35 times more salty than the ocean! The water is warm and feels very very oily because of the salt content but you float immediately, without even trying! We spent half a day at the Crowne Plaza resort on the Dead Sea swimming, getting massages and then having a mud festival where we slathered mud all over our bodies. The mud is supposed to be really good for your skin! I got some salt in my eyes and OMG, it hurts!!! You have to run out and splash normal water on it to stop stinging!
Today we went to Jerusalem. It is a spectacular place so full of history! I have a better understanding of why there is such conflict in this part of the world – Jerusalem is THE HOLIEST of places for Christians, Jews and Muslims and they are all fighting for their holy land! We saw the road where the Good Samaritan rescued a stranger, where Mary is supposed to be buried, the room of the Last Supper, the stations of the cross and the supposed site of where Jesus was crucified and rose again! Isn’t it INSANE how all these things can be seen??? It is really an amazing place so rich in history! It makes the places in Paris seem so strange because all of the artists who painted pictures of God were all painting about the things that happened in this place!! We also went to the Western Wall and stuck prayer notes in the cracks. So many stories to tell you about the history of this area!
Our hosts have been INCREDIBLE – the Israeli’s are such amazing and nice people. On Friday we will tour more of Tel Aviv and the holy land of the Bahai faith and then we will see the Sea of Galilea! On Sunday, I’m off to Jordan to see Petra!
