Traveling across history and culture

Tuesday started off on a more solemn note, with Bus 149 touring Yad Vashem--the museum and memorial located in Jerusalem dedicated to the Holocaust. The group passed through the vast number of exhibits with the aid of a knowledgeable museum guide, learning about the history and immense significance of the Holocaust, all the while observing extensive footage, testimonies, and photographs. To be sure, each part of Yad Vashem was hugely moving in its own way. After winding through the mountainous museum, Bus 149 resumed its trek through the awesome country which our docent explained was created "despite--not because of--the Holocaust." But the dark, troubling contents of Yad Vashem could not cast a shadow on the rest of our trip; Bus 149 raced off into the sunset towards the Negev desert in the south of Israel. We intimately encountered the distinct desert nature of Israel, concluding the day's hike by planting oak trees and even grinding our own ezov. As night fell on the Negev, Bus 149 arrived at a Bedouin encampment to learn about the indigenous culture, sample its cuisine, and stay the night in rustic tents before exploring the desert. Overall, today took us not only all the way from Jerusalem to the Negev, but across history and culture in an amazing way.