We went from Old to Dead in one trip!

Highlights from the oldest city to the lowest spot on earth
Jericho - oldest city on earth was known as the Oasis in the desert. We saw what is reportedly remnants of the walls that fell in Joshua’s day. And our guide pointed out a nearby hilltop where it is believed Jesus was tempted by Satan. Then we saw a 300-year old Sycamore tree similar to the one Zacchaeus would have climbed to get a better view of Jesus.

It was interesting to see so many unfinished buildings in Jericho. We learned that this was the case for two reasons: 1) they were able to add older children who married as their extended family grew and 2) they finished homes as they got the money to do so. No mortgages!

The last highlight for me was seeing a Cheesecake Factory next to a KFC! Of course, I missed that photo but Yvette captured this one of Dominos Pizza :)

Next, we traveled to Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found) and the Dead Sea! A few fun facts about this area:

The Egyptians used the mud from the Dead Sea to preserve their dead loved ones
The Dead Sea is shrinking - during summer months, it loses 1 cm every day - yikes!
On the opposite side of the Dead Sea (from the road we traveled), was the spot where Herod Antipas’ famous birthday party ended in the death of John the Baptist
The two nomads who discovered the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls unknowingly sold them to a shoemaker for a few dollars to buy some sandals.