Today we had a very long day but really good.  We went to Masada where a group of Jewish people fled when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70 AD.  It is on top of a high flat top hill.  King Herod used it first as a Summer Palace.  Rome finally conquered it and the Jews committed suicide rather than become Roman slaves.  The went to the Dead Sea and most of the group floated in it.  Because of the high salt level, it is very strange to float.  You can start floating in about 5 inches of water.  Then we went to what is called "David's Stream" in Ein Gedi. King David used this hideaway.  It is in the middle of the desert but there are perpetual springs that have enough water to have water falls and streams.  It is quite a hike up a mountain.  We swam in a few of the pools formed by the stream. Now I  know the inspiration for the 23rd psalm.  And then we went to Qumran.  This is the place where they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Quite an eventful day.  But I learned a lot.  The Photos are: one of the waterfalls and myself ( you have to look at it sideways)and the second is facing the Dead Sea in the distance.  You can see that it is still a desert even with a stream going through it.