Thursday morning we all got up early and made our way over to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. The spread was incredible with just about anything you could possibly want to eat. Shakshuka is the breakfast food of my dreams. I have to learn how to make it. The chef was making the rounds and struck up a conversation with the girls. It turns out that he is originally from Montreal, but now splits his time between Ein Gedi and Jerusalem and was very playful with Millie and Aviva for our entire stay. Here’s a photo of the room, complete with patio out front.
We took the hotel shuttle to their affiliate spa with access to the Dead Sea. After changing into our swimsuits in the bathroom and a short tractor ride, we were ready to take the plunge.
Here are a few pictures of us in the water, and one of the official lifeguard station.
The girls were irritated by the Dead Sea water, and so we didn’t stay very long. The water was bathtub warm and you really can’t sink (lifeguard did not seem worried). Millie and I floated for a bit, but the bottom is really uneven and covered by cool looking salt/mineral deposits. After a short bus ride back to the hotel, Adena went to work and the girls and I went back to the pool. Dinner was at the hotel restaurant and there was a kosher meat spread with fun desserts. I discovered knishes with spicy ground beef filling. Here’s a shot of us on the walking path back to our room.
After showers, the girls watched Space Chimps in Hebrew and we all went to bed a little early.
On Friday we got up early. After breakfast, Adena settled in to work and I took the girls on the bus to Nahal David, which is located in the Ein Gedi nature reserve. This spring-fed stream has water all year and is believed to be the place where David hid from King Saul in biblical times. Talk about going off the grid! There are waterfalls, pools deep enough for swimming, and great views of the Dead Sea.
The girls were real troopers, but unfortunately we only had about an hour to spend. We would love to go back sometime. But with a car. My only gripe about Ein Gedi is that the activities (mud baths, rock climbing, an Essene archaeological site) are spread out and accessing them without a car is a hassle. A nice lady from Atlanta snapped this picture of the three of us at the second waterfall.
We were able to get the bus back to the hotel on time, despite stopping to frolic once more in the first waterfall on the way out.
We did not have time to see much of the wildlife at Ein Gedi, but there were lots of ibexes (like this one) alongside the trail. We also saw a few hyraxes near the upper waterfall.
The plants at Ein Gedi were also interesting. I’m not sure what kind of tree this is, but Millie and I really liked it’s flowers.
This was a fun side trip. Hopefully we will get to take a few more over the coming months.
On Sunday we pick up our rental car and Millie starts day camp here Jerusalem. I’m not sure which is more daunting: driving here or finding a parking space. More adventures ahead, no doubt.
Keeping It Israel 