Welcome to Israel - the Eternal Land
THE DEAD SEA
Dont' miss this when you visit Israel. It's a nice drive from the heights of Jerusalem winding down through the Judean Hills and along the western edge of the Sea. Our first visit was a challenge for the driver (me), and for the passenger (my sister), as I was so enamored with the vistas that I totally forgot my usual driving habits and for the first time ever was passed by a bus!
We wondered if the captives of hired drivers, tossed and turned around the curves, were enjoying the view or just hanging on to their seats.
As you reach the junction of Highway 1 and Highway 90, you are greeted with the sight of wide expanse of date palm plantations against the backdrop of the mountains of Moav.
The drip irrigation process, invented in Israel by Simcha Blass and his son, Yeshayahu, is truly turning the tiny country into a garden spot of the world.
"Dates generally grow in Israel along the rift valley from Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) to the Dead Sea and then to the Red Sea, with harvest time beginning in August in the Dead Sea area and concluding at the onset of November in the Jordan Valley, Glasner said. There are a total of about 4,500 hectares (11,120 acres) worth of date palm trees, generating in 2012 about 31,000 tons of dates and 21,000 specifically of the Medjool variety."
The medjool is the prize variety due to its size and texture.
HERE IS A REFRESHING AND SWEET PARTY DESSERT FOR ANY SEASON -
I leave it to the reader to title to taste.
2 eggs 1 Cup sugar 1 T. butter
4 T. flour 1 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt
Beat eggs well, add remaining ingredients dry ingredients. This will give a thin batter which serves to hold the dates and nuts together. Now add and mix thoroughly:
1 1/2 Cup chopped dates (use whole packaged dates)
1 Cup walnuts (halves work well)
Spread in greased pan (8 inch round cake pan), and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Do not overbake.
This is the base for your creation. When cool, break into pieces and spread on a platter. Add your favorite fresh fruits, especially oranges which are excellent with dates. Cool the entire platter in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Finally, top with whipped cream and your guests will keep coming back for more!
SPA CLUB HOTEL IN EIN BOKEK
EVERY ROOM HAS A VIEW!
Winter?? No Problem.
So, I have to admit that splashing around in the Dead Sea in December is not for me. Not to worry. After enjoying the sunrise and exploring the shops along the beach, we warmed up in the indoor salt pool (heated!)
We had an enjoyable stay at the Spa Club Hotel in Ein Bokek before driving further south along Highway 90 to get a closer look at the salt formations and a few caves.
Click on the Prima Spa Club link to see a picture of the awesome spa room
THE DEAD SEA AT DAWN -
CHILLY WATERS AND GENTLE BREEZES
Visiting the Dead Sea region during an Israel winter can be fun. The chilly, salty water will certainly soothe your feet if you've been doing a lot of walking tours. We got up before dawn, dressed warm and crossed the main street in Ein Bokek and walked on the beach to the water's edge. .
While the sun was still hidden behind the mountains of Moav, the surface of the sea was like glass, and below the surface you could see the various crystal formations in the shallows. Taking her good old time, the sun crested the ridge of the mountains and true to form began to heat up the atmosphere to trouble the waters.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAND?"
ASKS MARK TWAIN
JUDAH RETURNS, ISRAEL REVIVES
Mark Twain who visited Israel in 1867 described it in
~Innocents Abroad~
"We traversed some miles of desolate country whose soil is rich enough but is given wholly to weeds - a silent, mournful expanse. A desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action. We reached Tabor safely. We never saw a human being on the whole route. We pressed on toward the goal of our crusade, renowned Jerusalem. The further we went the hotter the sun got and the more rocky and bare, repulsive and dreary the landscape became. There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country. No landscape exists that is more tiresome to the eye than that which bounds the approaches to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mournful, dreary and lifeless. I would not desire to live here. It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land. Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes."
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A sad and dreary commentary on this region renamed by the Romans to Syria Palaestina. During the numerous wars and conquests, it deteriorated into a wasteland with no king, no currency, and no sovereign government.
As prophesied, the land was desolate - of life and of Jews. Others tried and failed miserably to revive it. But as prophesied, the desert bloomed when the Jews returned.
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Read about Rabbi Akiva and his students viewing the desolation of the temple mount.
"As long as Uriah's prophecy had not been fulfilled, I feared that Zechariah's prophecy may not be fulfilled either. But now that Uriah's prophecy has been fulfilled, it is certain that Zechariah's prophecy will be fulfilled."
How I learned to be an early riser..
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Amazingly, being in Israel will do that for you. There's so much
to see and so many colors to enjoy. I couldn't sleep in and miss
the magnificent sunrises or any of the other sights.
WATCH YOUR STEP!
Sinkholes Ahead (and behind) Sinkholes? Yes, lots of them.
The Judean Hills, (or mountains, if you prefer), are located in Eastern Israel. Jerusalem, the shining city on the hill, sits about 3,000 feet above sea level on this range of hills which stretches from Jerusalem to Bet-Lehem, Hevron, Ramallah, and to the east they fall precipitously to the shore of the Dead Sea.
History note: Ramallah, which is located near the site of biblical
Bet-El (House of G-d), is an Arab city which didn't exist prior to the 1500s. At that time, it was a Christian town until recent Arab immigration and Christian emigration abandoned it to the Arabs.
It is now the seat of the Palestinian Authority after Yasser Arafat created the Palestine Liberation Organization, (PLO) in the 1970s, and coined the term 'palestinian' . Prior to the 1948 War of Independence, the United Nations had allocated everything west
of the Jordan River to the re-established State of Israel, following
the mandate of the Balfour Declaration. Up until the time PLO was created, the only peoples referred to as Palestinians were the Jews.
The Judean Hills consist of limestone with covering a terra rossa (red clay) soil which has good drainage capability making it ideal for vineyards. Limestone is a relatively soft rock, which is easily tunneled by underground water sources running from west to east and ending in springs which outlet into or under the Dead Sea. Archaeologists have found tunnel systems under the Old City of Jerusalem including the man-made Hezekiah's Tunnel, and there are beautiful limestone caves throughout the country.
The Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, are examples of water's work over the millennia on the limestone hills. Driving Highway 90 along the edge of Dead Sea, one has to look up quite a distance to see where the caves are located. The geological evidence can be seen below in the wadis (valleys) where water carved the hills away to reach the sea. Rainwater, but primarily underground rivers, serve to bring about conditions that contribute to the formation of the sinkholes.
MORE PICTURES!
Enjoy the slideshow below:
 Shades of Blue |
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 Hmmm |
 Sunrise |
 More Fantastic Colors |
 Sunrise over the mountains of Moav |
 The Judean Hills |
 Chilly... Not me. |
 Sinkholes |
 Picture of Tourists Taking Pictures |
 Back to Jerusalem |