Reading the newspaper in the Dead Sea (the water is way over my head but you cannot sink even if you try)
Me and the view we ate supper to (imagine it a little darker with the lights to houses and shops glowing)
On the roof at Dormition Abbey, notice my monster verticle (I realize Leither is higher but he's an All-American)
Dead Sea with Jordan in the background
Dawn at the Dead Sea looking at Jordan
Me atop Ein Gedi mts
Looking below at our trail in Ein Gedi
Waterfall in Ein Gedi (Ein Gedi boasts springs from which a lot of Israel's drinking water comes from...with treatment)
Bakery in Davidka Square (Jewish market in Jerusalem)
Fish stand in Davidka Square
A look down Davidka Square
Hiking in Ein Gedi
Looking up at the mountains at Ein GediThis Friday Thomas, Leither, and I had planned to meet up with Martin and Johannes in Jerusalem. Martin and Johannes were there to participate in a seminar led by their volunteer organization. Friday morning Thomas, Leither, and I hurried and multi-tasked our way through a lot of chores and “busy work” in order to also pack and catch the bus at 12:45pm to Jerusalem. This is Israel, everything has a schedule of its own and not knowing when the bus would arrive we hurried to the bus stop (10 minute walk) while Ayla followed us. Thinking she would turn around when we got far from the monastery and because we had no time to take her back we let her tag along.
As we crossed a very busy highway 100s of feet in front of Ayla, she did not watch for cars, I looked back to her and yelled but she was clipped by a small car (that hit the brakes but was still going at least 50mph). I cannot describe the terror in my mind; a nursing mother and already underweight 45lb dog being hit by a solid metal half-ton car. She folded, rolled, and skidded across the pavement and as she regained a distinguishable form I waited in anticipation for the compound fracture that should accompany a hit like that. She limped to the shoulder of the highway and thankfully only had minimal visible scratches. One of us had to accompany her to the vet (and since I am her "caretaker" I immediately said I would so the others would not feel any guilt of leaving me and going to Jerusalem) so I gave my travel book and map of Israel to Thomas and Br. Franciscos came and the two of us drove 40 minutes with Ayla to the vet. This was a pointless trip. As we got to the veterinarian’s house: his wife (he was out on calls) took one look at Ayla, said she would be fine, and proceeded to clean her scrapes with hydrogen peroxide. As a biology major and accident-prone individual I’ve done worse cosmetic damage to myself and could have made the same diagnosis and treatment. I concluded the next morning she would be okay and made plans to get to Jerusalem.
I hitched a ride with an Austrian Benedictine Sister passing through on her way to Jerusalem to pick up her own zivis. We drove the Jordan River Valley which is sandwiched between the east shore of the Sea of Galilee and western border of Jordan. Great drive of conversation (learned she works/lives in the West Best among other things) and landscape. You will get sick of me saying this; the views are remarkable. The best part to this is when we got to Jerusalem she asked me if I knew my way around and being there only once before for 2 days I of course said…”Yes I do”. She dropped me off about one mile from my destination and I walked it because I had 2 hours until I had to meet up with the other guys. I look like that typical “trying to find him/herself in the world” adventurer you see on the side of the road or in a huge city with the giant backpack, backwards hat, and rugged looks (my hair is getting longer and I’ve begun a sorry excuse for a beard- I love this look). This is the first time I have ever felt that “on your own” feeling. Who would know where to find me if I just happened to “lose myself”? (Don’t worry Br. Paul I write this post from my room back in Tabgha). By the previous question I mean that I had the realization that I want and am eager for the responsibility to be on my own (I just do not have the financial capability yet). I took this walk as a chance to do some people watching and see if I could make my way to Dormition Abbey without the travel book and map. I made it with zero errors. That night we bought fresh falafel from a Moslem stand. It is Ramadan (Moslem calendar month commemorating the Quran to Mohammed) so all practicing Moslems are forbidden from eating, drinking, smoking, sex, etc. from dusk till dawn. This means they are easily agitated (try eating and drinking nothing in blistering heat 5am-6:30pm everyday for a month straight) and as we were walking back to the monastery I heard a huge BOOM and people started yelling and shouting which scared me. I thought “oh no, what happened this time?” (there was an incident a week ago in Jerusalem when a Palestinian boy drove into a crowd of Israeli military and was shot dead). Richard, the zivi at Dormition, told us all that it was just the cannon signaling the end of the day for the Moslems and allowing the guilty pleasures to begin. We ate supper of warm falafel, fresh bread, and cold hummus while sitting on top of Dormition overlooking the city at sunset. It is a 45 minute walk to the central bus station and we had to pick up 7-8 German zivis along the way but we caught the 10pm bus to the Dead Sea where we spent the night sleeping under the stars on the beach at Ein Gedi.
The next morning we were up early and reading the newspaper in the Dead Sea. It is so salty you float on your own (see picture) and is dangerous to swallow water. The water is thicker than normal water (obvious with the salt) and feels like a very fine oil on the skin. After you get out you must shower off but even with a good rinse-off you still feel bits of salt on your skin. It hurts when water gets in any crevice (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, straying south…).
We then hiked the Ein Gedi mountains. All the Germans thought it looked like Arizona and the Grand Canyon area. All I can say is that the mountains of Jordan and the Dead Sea looked like they were computer graphic from my view atop the mountains. My pictures do not do justice. The crevices and ridges in the mountains were so smooth and majestic and the water so many colors of blue and shimmering. They seemed not made from natural materials, like something you would dream of.
We took the bus back to Jerusalem (1 hour ride non-stop) walked around for a bit (visited a Jewish market: Davidka) and then got some pizza before we caught the bus back to Tabgha. We entered the pizzeria that was no bigger than my bedroom back in the US and were ordering when about 12 or so young military men came in and started talking to the one young male worker behind the counter (in Hebrew). Our pizzas were halted and theirs were made, I will eagerly step aside for someone who is in service to their country but these 18, 19, and 20s year-olds left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, they were loud, rude, and intimidating. The weapons strapped to their shoulders made it easy to brush this episode off, pizza was sub-par. Made it back to Tabgha to find all the animals in great condition.
Jerusalem and the Dead Sea are very beautiful places in completely different ways. One is filled with so much tension because of some many different people but feels so busy and important with its history and commotion while the other is secluded and quiet with lots of chances to just take it all in with only silence.
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