We picked up our car in Jerusalem and had our first real adventure- driving! Brian got comfortable quickly on the highways, but was less than pleased with the city driving. Luckily we didn't have to do a lot of that.

We headed down to the Dead Sea and spent the night in a town called Arad which required a lot of twists and turns into the mountains and several signs warning against "deadly curves" and an odd looking animal that I could only determine to be a short-necked giraffe. We kept an eye out for these mystical creatures, but were not lucky enough to actually spot one; next time I'll make it my mission!

The next day was my birthday, so we decided to treat ourselves to a much needed rest day at a resort hotel. We spent the day eating well and floating in the dead sea. It was a little chilly at first, but definitely worth braving the temperatures. It's an experience unlike any other.

The next morning we had a leisurely sleep in and breakfast and then, thanks to the cooler temperatures, were still able to head to Masada for the climb. Once again, the amount of out of shape I'm in, became very clear. And once again, my stubbornness (and Brian's frugality) had me skip the cable car and hike up the mountain. This was an especially difficult choice when we realized that we had accidentally paid for the easy route and had to go back and explain that we prefer the pain and suffering and that we'd like our money back. My poor knees!!

We spent a few hours poking around the old ruins and learning about the history, but since the days in Israel are short at this time of year, it was time to head to our next destination- The North!