An Incredible Trip

We are writing this as we wait in the long El Al check in line to head back home but by the time you read this we have already landed in Boston!

Today we went to Masada and the Dead Sea. We woke up so early! We took the cable car up to the top for efficiency and learned about the interesting history of Masada from Bar. The king was a no-show, but we saw some great views, it was so fantastic we even cried a little bit. Next, we went to the Dead Sea. We were all surprised by how blue the water looked and were even more surprised when we took a dip in and floated! It was definitely a unique experience. We had a great time going in and out of the water. The water was very salty, and we had to keep rinsing our eyes out. After swimming we got back on the bus. Bar told us the fun fact that even if the water was 34% sugar instead of salt, that we could still float in it because of the density! We then headed to Ein Gedi Kibbutz for a lunch buffet. The food was really great and all of us enjoyed it. We were super hungry since most of us skipped breakfast because we had to leave so early to go to Masada. After lunch, we voted on whether to do a nature walk or go back to the hotel early because our flight was leaving in a few hours. We decided to go back to the hotel instead of doing the nature walk. Some of us took a quick walk around the kibbutz to look at the beautiful views. Every single person on the bus slept on the hour and a half bus ride back to the hotel. While at the hotel, everyone packed up and made sure they had everything. We showered and some of us napped because the night before we did not get much sleep - we went to bed way too late because we didn’t want our last night to be over! We then enjoyed our last dinner together at the Burger Room. The burgers were very good and they were definitely worth the (long) wait. We loved our fries, we loved our burgers, it was all fantastic. Concluding our dinner, we went back to the hotel to load the bus to the airport. We shed some tears and wondered what the next trip will be... Barcelona? Iceland? On the bus we reflected on how we all enjoyed our time together, discussed the highlights of the past week and a half, and before we knew it we arrived at the airport. Now we are currently waiting in the longest line in existence. We know it took the Jews 40 years to get to the promised land - we are so glad that they didn't also have to wait in this very long line at the Tel Aviv airport! We also learned that Matt needs a new suitcase. We had an incredible trip and can’t wait to tell you all about it! #fun #sun #BestDayOfMyLife

- Julian Blaustein, Bryan Baumer, Matt Welch