Soothing healing waters. Floating without effort. These are the images that come to mind when thinking about the Dead Sea. On my fifth day vacationing in Israel, that is where my journey led me. The morning began with a chocolate croissant pastry for my breakfast that I had purchased during the prior evening at the vegan Anastasia’s Restaurant (Anastasia’s Restaurant) in Tel Aviv. The flaky pastry with it’s chocolate-y filling tasted fabulous!
The tour bus arrived promptly at 7am for my day’s tour of Masada and the Dead Sea. We drove past mile after mile of the expansive Judaean Desert. Though the modern highway cuts through the desert making it easy for transportation vehicles, the ancient hills of sand still stand, as they did in biblical times.
Along the desert road, we spot a local mammal called an “ibex” strolling in groups along rock ledges or greenery. It is common to see them here, munching on desert brush.
Local fruit trees such as pomegranate or fig are found as well.
Moving along towards our destination, we begin to catch a glimpse of the stunning Dead Sea through the tour van windows.
Our guide points out the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found between the years 1946 and 1956. Some of the manuscripts are biblical, while others are non-biblical writings. The religious scrolls play a major significance for both Christians and Jews. They are dated between the mid Second Temple Period (3rd century bce) and before the destruction of the Second Temple(70ce). Mainly made of papyrus, the scrolls were written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and some Greek.
A closeup of the caves exhibits an opening where archaeologists entered to explore the findings.
Onward we drove, as we finally began to catch views of Masada from our van.
We are indeed in the Dead Sea region, as the signage clearly indicates that this is “the lowest place on earth” (elevation-wise that is).
When we arrived at Masada, our group proceeded to embark onto the gondola ride to the top. Masada is a fortress atop a rock cliff, located at the western edge of the Judean Desert. From within the gondola, I was able to get an upclose look of the peak.
A panoramic view of the walkway and steps to the fort entrance came into view, as well.
We were even able to sight the spectacular Dead Sea.
When our group arrived at the top of the hill, we disembarked from the cable car and proceeded to stroll about the fortress. We steadily climbed up the steps that led to the ancient fortress site. Jospehus Flavius wrote the only account about the Jewish people rising up against the invading Romans. Built by King Herod around 37AD, it was originally a refuge for himself, complete with a palace, storerooms, and water cisterns. He was made King of Judea by the Roman rulers. Around the year 66CE, the Jewish people overthrew the Romans and captured Masada for themselves. During the year 74, the Romans succeeded in breaching the fortress walls. Rather than submitting to the Romans once again, the Jewish people decided to commit suicide instead. Two women went into hiding and thus told their story later to Flavius.
Original paint still displays its brilliant colors and hues on the fortress walls.
Walled passageways led us to the fortress storerooms. Two aisles of lengthy halls join to a central corridor in the storeroom complex. A number of jars that had once contained oil, wine, grains, and food have been excavated.
We next encounter the ancient steps that led up to the isolated palace.
A glorious view of the Dead Sea we behold from there!
A few outlines in the earth are spotted overlooking the palace foundation. These markings represent the outline of the Roman base camp.
I pose for the camera atop the fortress overlooking the stunning sea!
King Herod’s exquisite palace is found isolated atop the massive hilltop fortress grounds. Several pillars still stand along the perimeter of what was a large room. Elegant terraces for living quarters and entertainment venues comprised the property.
His circular balcony is mainly intact.
Local birds enjoyed perching on the fortress walls.
The palace rooms contained tiled flooring in beautiful multi-color patterns.
A large bathhouse showcases various baths and a hotroom.
The bathhouse contains colorful mosaic floors and frescoed walls.
Lunch time had arrived and we were famished! The Herodian palace and fortress behind us, we made our way towards the cafe restaurant at the base of Masada visitor center. My meal from the buffet consisted of couscous, mixed veggies (zucchini, squash, onions, celery), rice, carrots, and salad. Pita bread accompanied my entree. The cafeteria lunch was quite good.
As we drove through the region on our way to the spa center, we caught additional glimpses of the magnificent Dead Sea.
We arrived at the Dead Sea resort in the heat of the afternoon. The warm waters contain minerals and mud that are very calming and therapeutic to the skin. Due to the high concentration of salt, visitors easily float. I enjoyed my time in the salt rich water, soaking in a mud bath of the world’s most abundant source of natural salts. The gift shop onsite offers a vast array of Dead Sea products, such as soaps, moisturizers, and much more. I purchased Dead Sea bath salts and a mud mask.
Our day tour had thus concluded and we returned back to our starting point in Tel Aviv. My evening began with a visit to Alegria specialty food shop (Alegria). This vegetarian and vegan shops sells vegan cheeses, sauces, cookies and cakes, and other food items such as veggie lasagna. The manager showed me various favors of vegan cheeses to sample, such as gouda and blue cheese. The variety of vegan cheeses was truly impressive! Each one was phenomenal in taste! I highly recommend that vegan travelers to this region make it a point to visit this superb shop.
Homemade sauces are showcased in refrigerated cases and on shelves.
Raw cheesecakes made with vegan cheeses are for purchase.
Raw snacks and sweets are available as well. I purchased a raw goji berry treat for the following day.
Next on my night’s agenda was a visit to Vaniglia Ice Cream shop (Vaniglia Ice Cream Shop). Several unique and colorful vegan flavors displayed in the glass case.
I purchased a combo chocolate and mango ice cream in a sugar cone. It was superb!
For my dinner meal, I dined at Buddha Burgers (Buddha Burgers), a popular vegan burger restaurant in Tel Aviv. I selected the baked cauliflower appetizer mixed with cheesy garlic sauce, the chia burger main entree with sprouted lentils, mung beans, buckwheat, brown rice, and chia on whole wheat bun, with lettuce, tomatoes, and vegan cheese spread with thousand island dressing. My burger was delicious.
I washed down the meal with a wonderful juice of mango, pineapple, and carrot with parsley.
Before heading back to my accommodations, I needed to purchase a breakfast food for the following day. I stopped by Caffe Yaffo (Caffe Yaffo) for a take-away option. My purchase was a “Crunchy Chocolate Finger” in a vegan caramel sauce.
Just as I have been experiencing the entire week, Israel continues to please on the vegan food scene! My day’s tour of Masada and the Dead Sea was superb! Walking back to my hostel for the night, I looked forward to the following day’s tour of Nazareth and the Galilee region.