Another change in plans. It seems that this is not a good time of year for tendering ashore. Although the weather--sunshine every day--has been perfect, sometimes the near-shore seas get a little pesky and the captan decides it is not safe to land passengers. So we will be having a sea day today and arrive in Malta a day early and spend the night in port before the scheduled full day there.
So my blog can return to the second day in Haifa and at least move toward catching up on Cyprus and Rhodes before we leave Malta (I hope).
Haifa, Israel, Day 2
Monday, 13 November 2017
We leave the ship even earlier than yesterday for the even longer drive to Masada and the Dead Sea. We take an entirely different route, first heading eastward, almost to the Jordanian border and then heading south, passing Jerusalem in the distance to our left (westward). We drive through the fertile Jezreel Vally, one of the first sections of modern Israel to be reclaimed from swamps. As we turn south, the landscape becomes more mountainous and desert-like (if I see any cactus I will think I am home in Arizona, but I don't). On our left is the Jordan River Valley leading to the Dead Sea and on our right the forbidding limestone cliffs which were the home of many criminals and political refuges during Biblical and Roman times.
From the distance we can see the fortress-palace of Masada on a high butte, surrounded by desert and Dead Sea. Masada was built as a fortress for refugees and a palace for Herod and his generals. It is almost, but not quite impregnable. I will not repeat the stories and legends about Masada here, but will leave it the film starring Peter O'Toole. There is still much controversy about the accuracy of the legend of mass suicide by the Hebrews, with men killing their families and themselves when capture by the Romans was inevitable. This spot is considered a high point of post-Biblical Hebrew history and still visited by members of the armed forces before they get their first military assignments.
So my blog can return to the second day in Haifa and at least move toward catching up on Cyprus and Rhodes before we leave Malta (I hope).
Haifa, Israel, Day 2
Monday, 13 November 2017
We leave the ship even earlier than yesterday for the even longer drive to Masada and the Dead Sea. We take an entirely different route, first heading eastward, almost to the Jordanian border and then heading south, passing Jerusalem in the distance to our left (westward). We drive through the fertile Jezreel Vally, one of the first sections of modern Israel to be reclaimed from swamps. As we turn south, the landscape becomes more mountainous and desert-like (if I see any cactus I will think I am home in Arizona, but I don't). On our left is the Jordan River Valley leading to the Dead Sea and on our right the forbidding limestone cliffs which were the home of many criminals and political refuges during Biblical and Roman times.
From the distance we can see the fortress-palace of Masada on a high butte, surrounded by desert and Dead Sea. Masada was built as a fortress for refugees and a palace for Herod and his generals. It is almost, but not quite impregnable. I will not repeat the stories and legends about Masada here, but will leave it the film starring Peter O'Toole. There is still much controversy about the accuracy of the legend of mass suicide by the Hebrews, with men killing their families and themselves when capture by the Romans was inevitable. This spot is considered a high point of post-Biblical Hebrew history and still visited by members of the armed forces before they get their first military assignments.
Arriving at Masada
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| Our excellent native-Itraeli tour guide, Sharon |
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| Cable Cars Our President Refused to Ride (insisted on his private helicopter) |
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| View from Cable Car |
Inside the Ruins
View of the Desert
Dead Sea Resort Hotel
Buffet lunch is served at the Hod Resort Hotel and tourists who brought their own swimsuits azre tgiven towels and locerks to enjoy the healthful benefits of the lowest and deadest places on earth. Nothing survives in the Dead Sea, but the mud is supposed to be marvelous for health.
We start the trip back to Haifa at 4pm and arrive on time at 7:30. The Marina sails at 8:00.
Will and I opt for room service hamburgers for dinner--quite good, actually.
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