Ein Gedi

I have been thinking of Ein Gedi tonight while preparing slides for my class tomorrow about David on the Run.

I was able to visit Ein Gedi back in 2015 after spending two weeks digging at Lachish.

I have also been driven past a few times and captured pictures out of the window of the bus.

Ein Ghedi, Date Palms, Holy Land Flora, Dead Sea, Below Sea LevelThis picture was from my first trip to Israel back in 2012. Here you can see the palm trees at the base of the hills.

Ibex at En Gedi, Oasis, Dead SeaI was also able to capture a snap of a small herd of ibex among the trees.

Nubian Ibex, Ibex, Capra nubiana, wild goat, masadaHow about A Close Look at an Ibex?

Click on the link for a few more pictures.

Ein Gedi, waterfalls, Israel, oasis, David, Dead SeaIn 2015 my friend Luke and I hiked up into the hills following the stream that comes down to the sea. There are many waterfalls as the stream drops down from the top.

Ein Gedi, waterfalls, Israel, oasis, David, Dead SeaIt is a very beautiful and peaceful place when others are not around. However, there were a lot of people there the day we visited.

Ein Gedi, waterfalls, Israel, oasis, David, Dead SeaThere is also a great view out over the Dead Sea.

Ein Gedi, waterfalls, Israel, oasis, David, Dead SeaThe area was also full of caves. Some were high up in the hills and others were closer to the ground. I could just imagine hiding in one of the caves.

Ein Gedi, Waterfall, Wildlife preserve, Pools of Ein GediWe stood under the waterfalls and let the water wash away the dirt and grime of two weeks of digging. The water was cold but refreshing.

Not a bad place to camp out if you didn’t have someone hunting for you.

Steven

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Thinking of Istanbul

For the past couple of weeks I have been reading a book about Istanbul while eating lunch.

istanbul, Turkey, Thomas F. Madden, CrossroadsThe book is Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World by Thomas F. Madden.

Hagia Sofia, Mosque, Church, Museum, Istanbul, TurkeyOf course, the book has brought back memories of my trip to Istanbul back in 2014.  Tonight I will share just a few pictures that I posted during the trip.

Hagia Sofia - Church, Mosque, Museum, Istanbul, TurkeyThe Hagia Sofia is mentioned often in the book, and at some point I plan on writing a post just about the Hagia Sofia. I had planned on writing one five years ago, but have not gotten around to it.

Topkapi Palace Harem - harem - Beautiful buildingsI am now trying to get the book finished before my trip so tonight I was reading about the Topkapi Palace harem. We visited the Topkapi Palace while in Istanbul and it is a fascinating place.

Istanbul, Turkey - Airport Route - Aqueduct - Roman Aqueduct - Roman RuinsWhen the Roman aqueducts were covered earlier in the book, I thought of this picture. It was taken when I was on my way to the airport.

Blue Mosque - Istanbul - Turkey - Turkish MosqueThe Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque has not yet been talked about in the book, but I am only up to the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent who died about 60 years before it was completed. I am sure it will be in the next chapter.

Enough for now. I will probably be going back through some of my pictures from Istanbul soon and be posting some that have not been posted before.

Steven

 

 

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