June 2nd (Qumran/Dead Sea Scrolls

I gotta admit...I can really tell that I am ready to be home. It's not that I'm homesick it's that I'm getting frustrated with being here. I'm still excited for some of the places we are going but I cannot stand sitting through hour long lectures at each stop anymore...today was horrible for me. I know some people really liked it but I was bored out of my mind!! I'm not a history person...I'm a practical person. Though I guess Israel is mostly all history but they are giving me WAY to much history. My brain is on information overload so I get really antsy when the "lecture" lasts longer then 10 minutes...

Today we started out in Qumran at the Qumran caves where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. This was really frustrating for me because it was so hot. We would start in one spot...listen to the guy talk for a half hour...then move like 20 feet and then listen to him talk for another half hour...and then another 20 feet and more talking and you get the point. I was expecting this much lecturing when I signed up for this trip...I'm not sure I wouldn't have come if I'd known...but it's still frustrating. The guide was awesome though! I really like all of our guides I just am bored with the information...So I'm sorry that my blogs might start getting shorter but my brain is just on information overload and can't hold as much as it did at the beginning of the trip.

 One of the caves...I think...

 A place to hold water.

After Qumran we drove back to Jerusalem to the Israel Museum to see the actual dead sea scrolls. First we had lunch there...once again I failed it up and ordered something nasty.  It's hard though because you never know. Luckily someone shared some of their food with me. I'm just having issues finding food I like haha.

But after lunch we went into the "Shrine of the Book" to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. I went and saw the exhibit at the Seattle Center when it was here and I'm pretty sure it was very similar so I wasn't to thrilled by everything I was seeing, but it was still interesting. Outside the Shrine of the Book was a to scale model of the city of Jerusalem! That was REALLY cool! I'm not sure the picture will do it justice but it hopefully can give you guys an idea.

 A close up of the model.

 This is the model.

This is the top of the Shrine of the Book. It's supposed to be like a pot.

Tomorrow is going to be a LONG day...going to a bunch of places I have never heard of haha. Back to hiking like we did a week ago :) I guess I'm kind of ready for it. Gotta get up early too!

Hope everything is good at home!

-Wendi