Oct 6 - After breakfast we headed for the desert stronghold of Masada, built by Herod the Great.  This is famous as the last holdout of the Jews before they were crushed by the Romans.  For years the soldiers of the Israeli Army took their oath of office stating that “Masada will never fall again.” 

On the way to the Jordon we stopped to take pictures at Qumran. 

We then headed to Qasar El Yahud on the Jordon.  The Arabic name of the baptism site is Al-Maghtas, an area stretching over both banks of the river. The Jordanian side uses the names Al-Maghtas, Bethany beyond the Jordan and Baptism(al) Site, while the western part is known as Qasr el-Yahud. The nearby Greek Orthodox Monastery of St John the Baptist has a castle-like appearance (thus qasr, "castle"), and tradition holds that the Israelites crossed the river at this spot (thus el-Yahud, "of the Jews")

We then drove to the Galilee and checked into our hotel Nof Ginosar for dinner and a walk to the Sea of Galilee.