The Holy Land

Due to the student strike, our team was able to visit Jerusalem for a few days and try to knock out all of the sites on our TODO list:

Beautiful view of Tel Aviv!

Old city of Jaffa

The Old City - We took a long tour of the old city of Jerusalem, which was an incredible sight. It was so cool to hear about the different stories and importances of each location. I did not realize how interconnected Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are. How is it that each religion believes Jerusalem is their Holy Land? That says something to me.

Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount

Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem

Church of the Holy Sepulchre - This is the supposed place that many Christians (with the exception of Protestants) believe is where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

Platform/Rock where Jesus was supposedly laid on before he was buried

Garden Tomb - This is where Protestants believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. We got to see the supposed burial site and walk inside. Who knows if this was really the place, but it all fits in the descriptions in the Bible!

Inside the tomb where Jesus was supposedly buried!!

Masada - We woke up at 3:30 am to hike Masada, a plateau with ruins at the top built by King Herod, to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful and definitely worth waking up early for.

Sunrise

The sun finally came up!

Ein Geidi - Although much of this oasis was closed due to flash flood warnings, we saw a baby waterfall and some deer looking animals.

Dead Sea - the lowest place on Earth! Here, we swam/floated in the incredibly salty water, cried when it splashed in our eyes, and gave ourselves mud baths. It was lots of fun and many people thought we were crazy for getting into the cold water.

Free mud baths in the Dead Sea (lowest place on Earth)

Mount of Olives/Garden of Gethsemane - Supposedly where Jesus ascended into Heaven and prayed and weeped over the nation of Israel

View of Jerusalem from Mount Olives

View from Holocaust Museum

Bethlehem - We were a little nervous at first once we arrived in Bethlehem, but our cab driver was really nice and gave us a pretty good deal where we visited the important sites of Bethlehem on a quasi private tour. This is where Jesus was born!!!!

All in all, we had a great weekend with lots of falafel, good company, and amazing sights. I can't wait to come back one day!

Yummy bourekas (savory pastries) in Jerusalem!