May 21: Jerusalem to Baltimore

Saturday is the last day of our fantastic gathering and journey. We headed southeast to the Dead Sea Basin. The Dead Sea is 500 feet below sea level. Our first stop was Masada, which has a vertical elevation of 500 meters. Masada was King Herod’s mountain palace and the site of the Jewish zealots’ last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. There are two ways to get to Masada. You can either take the cable car up the mountain or hike the snake path. Seven of us decided to hike the path, while the others (“wise ones”) took the cable car. The views from Masada were spectacular. Hiking allowed us to take in the views as we ascended.  After finishing the hike and tour(Yes, I finished the hike!), we headed to the Hod Dead Sea Resort to both float in the Dead Sea and take a mud bath. What a relaxing experience. We were such a hit at the Spa that strangers (“people not known to us”) were taking pictures of the team lathered in dark mud. What a relaxing and rejuvenating experience to end our week! After lunch, we got on the coach and napped on the ride back to Jerusalem. After a few hours of free time, we gathered for a farewell dinner and headed to Ben Gurion for our flight home.