We're in Jerusalem

Shalom. We have arrived in Jerusalem. Sorry for not posting anything yesterday but the kibbutz we were at did not have wireless internet access available and since we got in late and left early this morning I didn't have time to try anything else.
Our day in Petra was awesome. It is hard to put in to words seeing the ruins of Petra. Many of the group were able to ride a camel which was definitely a highlight. We had lunch at a bedouin restaurant and were able to just walk around and enjoy the ruins. It was nice and hot so really felt good to feel the sun.
After we left Petra we drove about 3 hrs to get to the Israel border. Again no real problems just the normal border custom stuff. It was sure good to see Roni (our guide) and Shimone (our bus driver) again. It felt really good to be back in Israel. Jordan was great but Israel feels like home. We had a great meal waiting for us at the Kibbutz and then off to bed.
This morning after an early breakfast we headed to the Dead Sea for a "float." Again an experience that is hard to put into words. We covered ourselves in black mud to get our skin nice and smooth and then floated to get all the mud off. We had lots of laughs as we covered each other in mud and then tried to help each other stand up. We were told that soaking for 20 minutes in the very salty water can make you look 10 years younger. Lets hope it worked. We were also told that the dead sea is shrinking 1 meter every year. Right now they are looking at a system that will bring some water from the Red sea to the dead Sea so that it won't completely disappear. To see how much it has receded even from the first time I was here 13 years ago is very sad. We were able to go back to the Kibbutz to shower off the remains of the salt and mud and then drove to Masada. Again another beautiful sunny day. From Masada we went to En Gidi where there is a natural spring and the place where David hid in the caves and where the song "As the Deer Pants for the Water" comes from. We also saw many Ibex - similar to little deer or mountain goats - crawling over the rocks. From En Gidi we drove to Qumran where the dead sea scrolls were found. Lunch and shopping for dead sea products brought us to the end of our time at the Dead sea and we drove to Jerusalem. Just before we arrived in the city we made a short stop at Mount Skopus for a toast of our arrival. It was already quite dark but still made a lasting impression.
Another day done and another day awaits us tomorrow. I would love to post some more pictures but they take so long to upload so they will have to wait until tomorrow.
Again a big hello to all our family and friends back home. It is hard to believe that we have already been here for a week. We have seen and heard so much that our heads are almost in over load.
So for another day I will say goodnight and hope tomorrow to post some pictures so you can see what we have been doing.
Glenda