This morning was an early morning (especially for a Saturday!). We woke up around 7:30 and got ready to go on a biking trip with my husband’s uncle and a bunch of his friends. By eight o’clock we were out the door and on our way to Bet She’an, a small town in northeastern Israel (just southeast of Afula), where we met up with a few friends of my husband’s uncle in a parking area, had a quick breakfast, got on our bikes, and started our ride.
Apparently, Bet She’an is one of the warmest places in Israel with temperatures in the summer reaching well over 110 degrees. So while I would not have wanted to do this ride in the summer, the late December weather provided an ideal temperature for today’s outing. After all was said and done, we rode about 45 kilometers. It was great to ride with so many people and in such a beautiful location. Unfortunately, we did not bring our camera for fear that the trail would be as muddy as last week’s and we could easily ruin the camera. Although we did have to bike through a few puddles and cross a medium-sized stream, it was not anything compared to the mud of last week, so I suppose we could have actually brought the camera, but better safe than sorry! So, I’ll make it up to you readers by posting a few pictures from the other places that we visited between today and my previous post.
In between our two bike trips, my mom, my husband, and I rented a car and drove, first down south to Matzada and the Dead Sea (Yam Hamelech) and then over to Jerusalem. The views from the drive were gorgeous! Here’s one of the Dead Sea evaporation pools where they cultivate all the minerals and treatments that the Dead Sea is famous for producing: 
Here is a picture of some of the desert mountains that we drove by: 
Here’s a picture of the moon rising over Jordan: 
Taking a breather during the climb up the snake path at Matzada: 
Here we go again! 
The views were simply breathtaking: 
Matzada from the ground (pretty imposing!): 
After a full morning walking up to and around the top of Matzada, we headed over to the Dead Sea for some first rate floating. It was certainly not nearly as hot as it was the list time I was there (that could have to do with the fact that the last time I was there it was the middle of the summer!) but it was still quite enjoyable. Getting myself into the water was a bit of a challenge (it is incredibly rocky and not only that, but the rocks are coated with dried, crystalized salt so sharp that one mis-step and you are left with a lovely, bloody souvenir by which you can remember your visit to the Dead Sea. Fortunately, I was smart enough to wear my sandals in the water and therefore managed to leave the Dead Sea with only a small scrape on the back of my heel. My mom and my husband, however, were not that fortunate and ended up leaving the Dead Sea with some battle wounds of their very own. Despite the few minor injuries, the Dead Sea was awesome. It’s really interesting, because of all the salt and other minerals floating around in that place, the water doesn’t actually feel wet. It feels more oily, slippery, and slimy. Needless to say, it was very cool!
Two bathers just floating around!: 
Next, we showered up and headed over to Jerusalem where we had two very packed days. Here are just a few pictures to give you an idea of the things we saw.
View of the old city of Jerusalem from the Mount of the Olives: 
The inside of one of the beautiful Four Sephardic synagogues: 
Even now they are still digging to try and uncover the ruins of ancient civilizations that lived in the region. It is absolutely amazing to consider how far back these findings will date. There is just so much ancient history in this area of the world, it’s incredible. 
Part of a model of the old city of Jerusalem before the second Temple was destroyed. This model was so well-constructed and so detailed that it felt as though the old city of Jerusalem was alive and bustling right in front of me, unbelievable. This model is at the Israel Museum which is also the home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I highly recommend a visit to this museum! Well, that’s enough for now!
