Triumph in Ashkelon, Israel

Tuesday, 12 June 2007

We're in a good marina with electricity and water, restaurants and showers. We had our usual welcome cocktail party (with dinner, actually, if you could wait until their dinner hour of 10:00 PM). The next morning Frank, Gail and I were on the all-day bus tour to Masada and the Dead Sea. Dick stayed onboard to recuperate from his cold.

Masada, (World Heritage Site, 2001) was the mountaintop fortress and palace of King Herod, where the Jews made a desperate last stand against the Romans in 72 AD. They held out for two years, then most of them slew their families and themselves rather than submit to slavery. Another very impressive site. Our guide holds a degree in Peace Studies, and provided fascinating insight into the history of the Middle East, especially modern history. We all felt we understood the situation a little better
after the tour. Most of us took a dip in the Dead Sea, where the salt concentration is so high that you float easily. We took many pictures of the "swimmers" sitting on the water and reading the newspaper.

Today was a much needed day of rest. We leave for Port Said, Egypt at 5:00 AM tomorrow. The Suez Canal will be temporarily closed to commercial traffic as our 50+ boat flotilla sails through single file just after dawn on June 14. We are all excited at the prospect.