Dead Sea and Masada!!

Hello to all and Shabbat Shalom!
I am sitting in my friend Stefanie's dorm room at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where I am so graciously being hosted for the night, and I want to tell you all about the great day I just had! I stayed at Hebrew University last night with Miriam, and woke up sooo early to meet an Egged bus at 8:45, which would take me, Debby, and her boyfriend Eric on an organized tour through the area of Masada and the Dead Sea.
Our first stop was to the mountain range of Masada, where the remnants of King Herod's castle still stand today. We took a cable car ride up the side of the mountain (hiking usually takes a little over an hour), before getting a tour of the historical site, which was beautiful in the forefront to the sunny blue skies.
After Masada, we made a crucial stop at the AHAVA outlet, where everyone enjoyed some time to shop for the famous hand creams, body washes, massage oils, and the like. We then hopped on the bus again, this time to head to the Ein Gedi Spa, where we had some lunch before changing into our bathing suits for our much-anticipated arrival to the Dead Sea!
Although I had been before, the experience was so amazing! The beach behind the resort was a short trolley ride away, and made up completely of salt, not sand. We found some chairs by the shore, and then Debby and I went on a hunt for some genuine Dead Sea mud. We found some and put it all over our arms and legs, which most people do for its exfoliating and soothing minerals. The mud dried pretty quickly in the sun, and made it a little difficult to walk, but also made our skin feel like silk once the salty water cleansed it off.
Immediately after I walked into the water and felt the sharp poking of its salty bottom, I remembered why I had worn water shoes during my last visit! We eased our way out to where we could float, and spent almost a half an hour relaxing in the sun-heated water. Eric had never seen the Dead Sea before this, and was in awe of how easy it was to stay afloat. Even though Debby and I had been to the site before, we still had a great time in the water, soaking in the view, the sun, and the joy of being in Israel!
After our dip in the Dead Sea, we all showered off and got some ice cream before heading on the road with our group back to Jerusalem, where I met up with Stefanie at Hebrew University, where I will be staying for tonight before heading back to Haifa sometime tomorrow!
Pictures to come soon, I promise...
Lots of love!!
Elyse