Day Eight

Day eight of #Bus522 Birthright trip continued the streak of early wake ups and long, tiring, yet highly rewarding days. After a few snoozes of our 3:30 AM alarms, we hit the trail towards the top of Masada at 4:30 AM. By 5:20 AM, we had reached the peak, taking in a glorious sunrise over the Dead Sea.

The highlight reel day continued with a trip to the Dead Sea, characterized by lots of floating, mudding, and burning of various body parts that we won't discuss in this blog. It was an excellent experience, with breathtaking views of the coast of Jordan on one side and the cliffs of Israel on the other.

After getting nice and salty at the DS, we headed to J Town, taking in lunch and shopping at Machane Yehuda, an authentic Jerusalem marketplace. The rugelach at Marzipan was a particularly succulent highlight.

The day wrapped up with a few hours of R&R, dinner, and some ice cold Maccabis at the Caesar Hotel bar. We're all looking forward to the last full day of the trip tomorrow, yet sad that it will all have to come to an end. Many thanks to our beautiful tour educator Karen and our informative group leaders Josh and Ilana for making the first eight days a great time.

Photos by Josh Cohen and Maddy Coss