Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran (Israel)

Masada

We started today at King Herod's fortress of Masada. Our tour guide began with the story of Herod bringing his wife Miriam and her mother to Masada. Then, the King went to Rome. Parthians (from Persia) sieged Masada while Herod was away. When the King returned, he saved the city. Then, he made cisterns and storerooms to last a siege for seven years. King Herod didn't live forever. And, after his passing, a group of Israelis revolting against Roman rule moved into the fortress. Rome laid siege to Masada. Just as the Romans were about the enter, the Israelis decided to commit mass suicide instead of submit to Roman rule.

Floor mosaic inside Masada

It's a gripping history and archaeological site that was only excavated in the 1960s. Our guide recommended reading the lead archaeologist Yigael Yadin's book "Masada" to learn more about the history and excavations. Today, the site is still an active archaeological dig. The parts that have been excavated are neatly signed in English; and, there are many places to sit in the shade around the site. There are still a few murals preserved on walls. And, there are baths in the Roman style. In the ruins of the old synagogue, we entered the genizah, the place where old Torahs and other religious books are stored. Inside, a rabbi was copying the Torah by hand.

Ein Gedi spring

Our next stop was Ein Gedi. This area is mentioned in the Bible, most famously as the place where David hides from a homicidal Saul (1 Samuel 24:1-2). It's a rocky area that is now a National Park. Inside, we saw a small rodent like animal called a hyrax. Think possum ornery but cuter looking. We walked in to see the Ein Gedi spring flowing down the rocks. On our way back out to the bus, we saw ibex in the parking lot.

Looking up at the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

Our final destination today was Qumran. Around 100 BC, a sect of Jews thought that the current priests/rabbis were too liberal. Therefore, they moved to Qumran to live a holier life apart. As devout Jews, they spent time copying the scriptures. But, no one thought any of those ancient scrolls were still around until the 1940s, when Bedouins found scrolls in pottery jars in a cave near Qumran. So far the caves around Qumran have contained pieces of every book of the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) except Esther! (To see digital captured images of the scrolls, click here.)  These are the famous Dead Sea Scrolls.

Beit-She'an, Jordan River, Dead Sea (Israel)

Small portion of Beit-She'an

 Beit-She'an is an amazing archaeological site. The majority tour the old Roman city that was constructed in the 60s BCE. We walked over mosaic floors beside ornate columns. We saw the old Roman style toilets as well as oohed and aahed at the Roman theater. The site is an ongoing archaeological dig. At least the archaeologists get to sit under a tarp (albeit black) in the scorching sun and heat. Even though Beit-She'an is truly an amazing site that will never be fully excavated (much of the current town sits atop ruins), the most interesting ruins for me were atop the hill or "Tel" above Beit-She'an. On the Tel are ruins from 5000 BCE! Ruins from Kings David & Solomon, Egyptians, and Romans. It's quite the amalgamation of civilizations.

Supposed location where John baptized Jesus

Our next stop was a ride to the supposed place in the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. We started out naively optimistically enough. But soon we were told, we couldn't take photos, even from the shuttle, as this was a military zone. We passed a check-point, a church and another checkpoint. Finally, we had arrived. There were some bleachers and an awning set-up on our side of the Jordan. We watched as the more pious walked into the green river to be baptized. Some of our co-tourists couldn't resist getting a photo with the two young guards and their Uzis. From across the narrow Jordan, we could see the faithful visiting while heavily armed guards lounged under shaded awnings. There's no crossing between Israel and Jordan at this location.

Dead Sea

In the late afternoon, we arrived at the healing waters of the Dead Sea. Unlike the Salt Lake in Utah, it has no overwhelming salt smell. In its placid waters stretched salt dunes. Even walking down the beach, the sand gave way to all salt! After all the warnings we had received about the Dead Sea, it was actually quite innocuous. It felt a bit slimy. But, the buoyancy prevented me from dunking my head if I had wanted to. After a few minutes in the oily liquid, we hoped we had absorbed all it's healing properties.

Mount Arbel, Mount of Beautitudes, Capernaum (Israel)

Trail marker on Mount Arbel
Orange dot means this is where Jesus walked.

We started today with a hike up Mount Arbel. This was the first place where we saw the stones marked where Jesus had walked. In Israel, trails are marked with painted colored stripes. The trail where Jesus walked is noted with either an orange stripe or an orange dot. Once we reached the top, we had beautiful panoramic views of the Sea of Galilee. Our view encompassed Migdal, home of Mary Magdalene (Magdalene means from Migdal) and the Sea of Galilee.

2000 year old boat excavated from Sea of Galilee

Our next stop was at the Ginosar Kibbutz. A kibbutz is a collective community. When someone joins, all their possessions become part of the community; and, they all share everything. The draw of the Ginosar Kibbutz is a 2000 year old boat found in the Sea of Galilee. It was exhumed in 1986 and carefully preserved. The museum shows a video (in English) and displays the boat. To top it all off, we took a boat ride in the Sea of Galilee, although in a modern boat.

The disciple Peter's house in Capernaum

We continued around the Sea of Galilee to our next stop, Capernaum, home of the apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John. Even today, one can view the ruins of the apostle Peter's home! Although, it is a bit shadowy under the modernistic steel frame church built above it. Capernaum also has the ruins of an old synagogue. The upper ruins are more recent. Yet, the lower ruins of the synagogue were around when Jesus and his disciples were in Capernaum.

Looking down the Mount of the Beautitudes 

At our final stop, our tour guide gave us time for reflection. We were atop the Mount of the Beatitudes. It was so beautiful and lush -- we could have been on a tropical island! Interestingly, although we often think of Jesus standing atop of this mount and preaching down at people, in fact, it's the opposite. Jesus stood at the bottom of the Mount; and, the people sat above him. The Mount is a natural amphitheater.

Another part of trail Jesus walked

Korazim, Tel Dan, Caesarea Phillipi, Beth-saida (Israel)

Synagogue of Korazim

Our second full day in Israel started with a visit to the former city of Korazim. Our tour guide pointed out some key features of Jewish communities that we would start to learn to recognize at other archaeological sites: the synagogue, built in the shape of a rectangle and the ritual purification baths, which people dipped in before entering the synagogue.

Site where the king would sit to listen to his subject's requests at Tel Dan

Canaanite arched gate at Tel Dan

Then, we stopped at Tel Dan Nature Reserve. It has Canaanite ruins from the 18th century BCE (one of the oldest ever arches) as well as ruins of an Israelite gate and High Place from the 10th century BCE. It's so calming to walk through the lush vegetation of this park. Then, you walk from the High Place to former bunkers overlooking an abandoned tank. Quite a dichotomy.

Niches and shrines for Pan at Caesarea Phillip

 Our next stop was Caesarea Phillipi. If it sounds like we were racing from site to site, it really felt that way, too! Caesarea Phillipi is also known as "Banias", had a temple for the god Pan.

Beth-saida
On right is site where king would sit outside gate to hear his subject's issues.

Our final stop was the town of Beth-saida, home of the disciples Peter, Andrew and Philip. There are ruins from the 10th-8th centuries BCE here.

Ceasarea Maritima, Megiddo and Nazareth (Israel)

Ceasarea Maritima

During our first full day in Israel, we left the hotel early to drive to Herod's city of Ceasarea Maritima. Herod was a demanding architect who had a large harbor built here. There is a theater and hippodrome remaining, which are both still in use today for events. Throughout the park, there are a variety of artifacts, including statue remnants and sarcophagi. One of the most interesting items excavated at Ceasarea Maritima was a stone with an inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate!

Chariot city of Tel Megiddo

Later, we drove to Tel Megiddo National Park. There are ruins on this site from the 3000 BCE! It has passed to many hands, including the Egyptian pharaohs, the kings of Judah and the Assyrians. Most of the excavations that we saw were from King Solomon's time when Megiddo was a chariot city. Some of the features included the three gate entrance and the throne at the entrance of the city so that the king could listen to and make decisions on issues presented by his subjects. Since it is a chariot city, there are also ruins of old stables. At the edge of the Tel, we walked down 184 stairs to a cistern that was formerly filled with a spring. Our tour guide said that Tel Megiddo was abandoned when the spring water dried up and the residents no longer had easy access to water.

Looking over Megiddo Valley

The Megiddo Valley stretches below the Tel. This is the valley where many wars have been fought. Some of the historically established wars include a 15th century BC war between the Pharoahs and the Canaanites as well as a battle between the Pharoahs and King Josiah.  It is also the root of the word "Armageddon".

Weaver spinning wool.
Plastic water bottle left by tourists.

Our final stop today was a park that is set up on part of the former town of Nazareth. At Nazareth Village, staff dress in costumes of 2000 year old style and demonstrate different aspects of 1st century life. An old, excavated wine press is still in use to make wine each year. It is a large rock with different depressions carved out. An olive press has been built to specifications from the 1st century AD. The olives grown on the terraced trees are harvested and pressed each year using the press. We visited a shepherd, weaver and carpenter. The carpenter even let us try out some of his tools.

Jordan

View from the plane when landing in Amman

 Outside the window, the heat haze glimmered in sunset. We landed at dusk. Inside the airport, the call to prayer rose and fell in haunting melancholy. The sacred music gave a different atmosphere to the banality of getting dinars from the ATM, purchasing a visa and getting through passport control. In the waiting area, a line of drivers waited for travelers. One man held a sign for "Mr. Erin Blake". He was quite surprised to discover that "Mr. Blake" was a female!

Roman Theater

Since I had arrived a day earlier than my tour group, I explored Amman on my own the next day. The hotel staff were very helpful in providing a map, writing in Arabic where I wanted to go to show the bus driver, getting me on the appropriate bus and giving me the correct change to pay for the bus. On the bus, the young man that I sat next to finally asked where I was trying to go. Then, he rang the "stop" button for me when we arrived at the Roman Theater. It is a large theater left over from the 2nd century AD. 

Citadel -- these are fragments of a colossal statue

Just up the hill from the theater, I visited the Citadel. [The hotel concierge said that it was easy to walk up the hill from the Theater to the Citadel. However, for solo female travelers, I would recommend a taxi instead of attempting to find the way up. I drew a bit of uncomfortable attention both going up and coming back down from the Citadel.] The Citadel was my favorite site that I visited in Amman. The site has been in use since 5500 BC! It was originally called "Rabbath-Ammon" (of the Ammonites). It was subsequently ruled by the Persians, Greeks, Nabateans (of Petra), Romans, Byzantines, and various Islamic dynasties, the last being the Ottomans. There are archaeological remains from the Romans, Byzantines and the Umayyads at the Citadel. It really is a great way to see how cities are used and reused. Entrance to the Citadel (only 2 dinars) includes entrance to the Jordan Archaeological Museum within the Citadel site. It was such a treat to see all the artifacts from the different periods and read up on the history. The entire site and museum have descriptions in English. While guides will try to sell their services at the entrance, you can learn just as much by doing a self tour and reading all the information. A great feature throughout the site is maps of the Amman skyline with information on significant buildings. Well worth the visit!

The Treasury at Petra

The next day, our tour guide picked us up for the main attraction, Petra! According to UNESCO, the Nabatean's built Petra in the 6th century BC. Our guide told us that the Nabateans came from Yemen on the Frankincense Road. There was even a vendor selling frankincense and myrrh. The Nabateans left a variety of tombs cut into the rock at Petra. We passed many tombs before walking through the Siq, or the main passageway into Petra. It is a natural gorge through soaring rock walls. On some of the walls are carved statues. The most impressive were the remains of a man leading a camel, all life size. Near the end of the Siq, we had our first glimpse of the famous Treasury. It is carved completely in the Greek style during the 1st century AD. There were many rumors about the Treasury, including that a pharaoh buried his treasure inside (hence the name). Yet, this was simply a very ornate tomb. We couldn't go inside; but, the outside was spectacular. Past the Treasury, we walked on to the stairway up to the High Place. It was quite a hike up the never ending stairs. But, we were accompanied by men on donkeys offering "taxi, taxi". Spaced along the stairs, vendors offered us food, drink and souvenirs. Finally, we made it to the top and the beautiful views of the valley on the other side, as well as overlooking Petra. 

Looking over the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo

 The next morning, we had only a few hours to visit a few more sites in Jordan. Our first stop was a Byzantine church in Madaba. In the floor of the church, there is a map of the Holy Land dating from the 6th century AD! It's not completely preserved but impressive, none the less. Then, we drove up to Mount Nebo, where Moses looked into the Promised Land. It was so amazing to be standing on the mountain that Moses stood on! Although, the Promised Land didn't look quite as impressive as I had pictured it. On Mount Nebo, more mosaics have been uncovered from the 6th century AD from the Byzantines.

Split (Croatia)

View of one of the beaches from Marjan Park

Split has a long history of being a beach town, beginning with the Roman emperor Diocletian and his palace. Diocletian was actually born along the Dalmatian coast. Dalmatia was everything facing Italy across the Adriatic Sea. Perhaps a better question is how a Dalmatian became a Roman emperor. Diocletian rose up the ranks through the military (Dalmatia was a province of Rome). When the emperor died, Diocletian took over as emperor. Yet, he still wanted to return to his home province of Dalmatia. Therefore, he built his palace in Split as a place to retire. For a palace completed in 305 AD, it has many engineering feats. The emperor's quarters are built over the sea. Diocletian didn't want to have to go up and down steps to get to and from the water. Therefore, a "basement" of arches was built on the seaside in order to put all of the ground floor of the palace on the same level.

Facade from Diocletian's Palace.
This was originally built over the water.

Only the emperor's quarters faced the ocean. There were multiple windows that allowed in the fresh sea breeze as well as the sound of the waves. Diocletian entertained guests here. He even had a fountain that gurgled continually with wine. Diocletian's servants and guards each had a respective quarter in the section of the palace furthest from the sea. Some of the artifacts that Diocletian imported for his palace included sphinxes from Egypt.

Diocletian & the changing of the guards

Today, the sphinxes remain, as well as Diocletian's mausoleum. In fact, the entire palace complex is still in use today. And, not just for the daily noon changing of the Roman guards and visit of the emperor and empress. The "basement" section now houses a variety of vendor stalls for any kind of souvenir. There are restaurants scattered throughout the ground level. There's even a hotel inside the palace; but, it'll set you back 1000 Euros/night.

View from Vidilica Cafe overlooking Split

Outside of Diocletian's palace, Split has much to offer for the summer tourists. The rocky beaches are full of sunbathers and the clear water is full of swimmers. But, my favorite part outside of the palace is Marjan Park. It is a peninsula of Split just west of Diocletian's Palace. Follow the clearly marked signs to climb up the steps to the park. Stop for a refreshment at a Vidilica cafe next to the Old Jewish Cemetery for amazing views. Marjan Park itself is home to small chapels and hermitages from the 13th century through the Renaissance. Some of these are dug out of the side of the rock walls.

Hermitage in Marjan Park

But, just before spending an entire afternoon hiking around Marjan Park in the hot sun, I stopped at the farmers' market for refreshments There were fruits, vegetables, meats, flowers, food vendors. I picked up some fresh figs and had cevapi. Delicious street food at most reasonable prices.

Farmers' market

Hvar (Croatia)

Clear water and rocky beaches of Hvar

 When I looked up Hvar in my Lonely Planet, I was a bit worried. It is a decidedly beach island off the coast of Croatia. Plus it's frequented by the rich and famous. Expensive beach boredom is not quite my idea of a fun tourist destination. Yet, we had a lot of fun!

Sunset from the fortress

The first day that we arrived, we attempted to take the city tour. We missed it by 5-10 minutes. Therefore, we used the tourist map to do our own walking tour. It culminated in a walk up the city fortress for a beautiful view of sunset.

Remains of a 3rd-6th century Roman villa

The next day, we boarded a boat with other tourists for an excursion to the Paklinski Islands. At the first stop, our ship anchored just off shore; and, we jumped in the sea. The water was refreshing and clear. At the second stop, we were dropped at the rocky beach for a couple hours. During this long stop, I hiked to the ruins of a 3rd-6th century AD Roman villa. It was underwhelming after hiking for 3.5 km (1 hour) on a rocky, overgrown path. Afterward, the ship's crew made us a delicious mackerel lunch accompanied with tomato and cabbage salad. When we finished our plates, we dumped the leftovers over board and watched the fish fight over the food. At the third stop, the ship again anchored off shore. Since the water was so clear, we could see the bottom. It was deeper than it looked. Some people even jumped into the water off the top of the boat! Another girl and I swam across the little bay and back. It was a perfect day of fun in the sun.

Dubrovnik (Croatia)

Dubrovnik is much like Venice -- a former city/state with a highly successful port and trade. It's surrounded by the beautiful Adriatic Sea and rocky beaches. I dipped my feet in the clear, lightly refreshing water. But, the sun is too fierce to go swimming. Instead, I purchased the one day Dubrovnik card for 150 kuna ($30). Ridiculously expensive for this tiny town; but, everything is expensive here. We were spoiled by food prices in Montenegro and Sarajevo. But here, even each bus ride is 12 kuna ($2.40). A 24 hour pass is a deal at 30 kuna ($6). [The Dubrovnik card included a 24 hour bus pass.]

Part of the city walls around old Dubrovnik

The thing to see was the city walls (included in the Dubrovnik card), which are otherwise 100 kuna. Get there as early as possible (opens at 8 am) in order to get photos unobstructed by tourists. There are seven other sites included in the card. I stopped at all of them. All were tiny.

Here's my ranking of the Dubrovnik card sites from best to worst:

Part of the city walls around old Dubrovnik

1. City Walls -- beautiful, unobstructed photo views @ 8 am. The best site in Dubrovnik!

1743 document award to Dubrovnik captain for bringing pilgrims to Jerusalem.

2. Maritime museum -- very interesting. Two floors. History of Dubrovnik's port and trade back to the 9th century.

Leatherback sea turtle stuffed in 1894 by Baldo Kosic

3. Natural History Museum -- exhibits of Suez canal and accompanying fish migration and effects, variety of stuffed animals, including a sea turtle preserved by Dubrovnik naturalist Baldo Kosic around 1900.

Bronze jacks that originally rang the bell in the bell tower

4. Rector's Palace -- wide variety of interesting objects, including royal palanquins, jars from the city's Franciscan pharmacy, an exhibition of photos while Dubrovnik was shelled, the bronze "jacks" that rang the bell in the bell tower, old lock boxes and a prison. No photos allowed.

Map from Ethnographic museum. Black dot is Dubrovnik.
Black routes were former trading routes.

5. Ethnographic Museum -- floor of folklore; two floors of objects from daily life. No photos allowed.

"The three tenors" by Damir Fabijanic.
Do you recognize these three leaders?

6. Art Gallery Dubrovnik -- two floors of special exhibitions. One floor of Croatian artists and sculptors

7. Dulcic-Masle-Pulitika -- two small rooms of paintings. Skip it.

8. Marin Drzic House -- unless you know who this playwright is (and read Croatian), skip it.

Kotor (Montenegro)

Bay of Kotor

Beautiful blue water surrounded by rugged green mountains. An emerald paradise along the coast of the country of Montenegro. So, why have we never heard of this Eastern European country? Possibly because it was part of the former Yugoslavia and then part of Serbia. Montenegro most recently been an independent country since 2006. For those who like Croatia's beaches, Montenegro's are much the same -- clear blue water and rocky beaches. The Bay of Kotor stretches from the Adriatic Sea. We stayed inside the city walls of the old town of Kotor, on the far inland of the Bay of Kotor.

Boka Night boat festival

 When I say Kotor is small, I mean really small. The town has a total of about 5000 people. But the streets were full the night that we arrived due to Boka Night, an annual boat festival. We missed the parade for Boka Night, due to a delicious dinner of mussels. Yet, we were in time to see the boat floats circle around the Bay in front of Kotor. Some were quite simple (crude looking paper-maiche characters) while others were a bit more elaborate (a surfer paddling rapidly in front of a shark). The entire time, loud music blared from speakers set up along the water. At the end of the night, fireworks shot off from the other side of the inlet.

Up the city walls we go

But, before we saw the fireworks, we parted ways with the boat float crowd and checked to see if we really could walk the old city walls at night for free. My guidebook had mentioned that they were free after 8 pm. They are free to climb after dark; however, bring a flashlight. We carefully picked our way up from look out to look out. Along the way, we met a group of college students from all over Europe. They were part of an organization that meets up in different cities throughout the year. We were pretty unprepared (flats and flip flops and attempting to use our cell phones as flashlights); but, we still successfully reached the summit! Along the way, the fireworks show began. We had an unobstructed view of the beautiful Bay and the fireworks. A perfect spot for such an unplanned outing!

Down the city walls we come

 After we made it back down the walls, the group of college students graciously invited us to join them for some rakija. It's an alcoholic fruit drink. The serving size is a shot; but, it's very good for sipping. The most common flavor is plum. Our new acquaintances parted ways; and, we started walking back to our hotel. Along the way, we heard an amazing live band. They were playing Marc Antony's "Vivir Mi Vida"! They also played Celia Cruz's "La vida es un carnaval". The band was spot on. And, people were dancing to the music, just not dancing salsa. When they seemed to switch permanently to reggaeton, we called it a night.

Bay of Kotor

The following day, we took out kayaks on the Bay of Kotor. We kayaked over to the house of the three sisters. Our kayak guide said that three sisters fell in love with the same sailor. All their windows looked over the Bay. As each sister passed away waiting for the sailor to return, each window was closed. It was definitely a good back and shoulder workout. Our kayak guide said that we'd only gone a few kilometers; but, it felt much longer. We stopped at a rocky beach and took a dip to cool off.

Dog show

When we got back, we were just in time to see awards for a dog show going on. The winners were from Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia, Russia, even Italy. Kotor is apparently quite a happening little town. 

View from the city walls

That night, several of our tour group members decided that they'd like to check out the view from the city walls at night. We were much more prepared this time. We brought water and snacks and picnicked at the top. It was another beautiful night (and much quieter).

Looking up the Ladder of Cattaro switchbacks

Kotor has several well marked hiking trails leading to various locations. The following day, our last day in Kotor, I made a solo trek up the Ladder of Cattaro. It's an old mule trail that used to be the only way to get supplies up and over the mountains inland. There was actually a mule carrying supplies following me up! It appeared that an elderly farmer that lived along the trail still receives his supplies via mule. The views were breathtaking. It took me a couple hours to go up all the switchbacks; but, it was completely worth it. I rested and enjoyed the beautiful view from the top. 

Goat along the trail

On the way down, I encountered a flock of goats. They were standing up in the thorny shrub trees and eating the leaves. We cautiously eyed each other. Thankfully, they were more afraid of me and scrambled out of my way. Their shepherd eyed us all from his perch on a rock higher up the trail. The final obstacle on the trail was a black and white cow resting across the trail. She seemed quite unconcerned about my presence. Quite a fun adventure!

Cow along the trail