Tikvah Israel Trip — Day 3!

An update from Howard Blas, Tikvah Director, on day 3 of our Tikvah trip to Israel!

Day 3 December 25, 2013

We started today with breakfast then headed out toward Masada and the Dead Sea.  As soon as we got out of the tunnel heading south out of Jerusalem, we were in the desert!  It was warm, and we saw sheep, camels and donkeys.  We arrived to Masada in about 90 minutes and boarded the three minute cable car to the top.

We went right to a special spot for davening.  Today, we had to face north to pray in the direction of Jerusalem!

On top of Masada, we walked to the northern palace and even had a special visitor—King Herod himself!

We came across lots of tour groups including several Birthright groups.  No spoilers—but many enjoyed their brief stay in Masada’s awesome gift shop!

From Masada, we drove 15 minutes to the Dead Sea. Following a yummy lunch, we changed into our bathing suits and took a tractor-driven people transporter down to the water.

Some preferred to enjoy the Dead Sea from the sidelines — others braved the waves, salt, and cool air to go in!

We were happy to take our first shower at the Dead Sea—and a 2nd shower at the hotel.  Finally, a few people met family and friends for dinner, while the rest of us had to make a difficult choice between Café Hillel and Burgers Bar. .

Most chose to go back to relax and prepare for bed; a few brave souls continued with me for a half hour stroll on Ben Yehudah; the rest will go back Saturday night or dinner and souvenir shopping.

We hope you are all well and look forward to soon sharing more about our trip!