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We left Jerusalem this morning for our sojourn to the Masada and the Dead Sea. The on the way to Masada we passed the cliffs where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. There were many caves - are there more?

We then arrived at Masada where we took a tram from well below sea level to 33 meters above sea level. Herod the Great built two palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the siege of Masada by Roman troops from 73 to 74 CE, at the end of the First Jewish–Roman War, ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Sicarii rebels who were hiding there. However, the archaeological evidence relevant to a mass suicide event is ambiguous at best and rejected entirely by some scholars. In 73 CE, the Roman governor of Iudaea, Lucius Flavius Silva, headed the Roman legion X Fretensis and laid siege to Masada. Another source gives the year of the siege of Masada as 73 or 74 CE. The Roman legion surrounded Masada, building a circumvallation wall and then a siege ramp against the western face of the plateau. The ramp was complete in the spring of 73, after probably two to three months of siege, allowing the Romans to finally breach the wall of the fortress with a battering ram on April 16. The Romans employed the X Legion and a number of auxiliary units and Jewish prisoners of war, totaling some 15,000 (of whom an estimated 8,000 to 9,000 were fighting men), in crushing Jewish resistance at Masada. A giant siege tower with a battering ram was constructed and moved laboriously up the completed ramp. According to Josephus, when Roman troops entered the fortress, they discovered that its defenders had set all the buildings but the food storerooms ablaze and committed mass suicide or killed each other, 960 men, women, and children in total. Josephus wrote of two stirring speeches that the Sicari leader had made to convince his men to kill themselves. Only two women and five children were found alive. Masada was last occupied during the Byzantine period, when a small church was established at the site. The church was part of a monastic settlement identified with the monastery of Marda known from hagiographical literature.

After lunch, we headed to an abandoned military base for a swim in the Dead Sea - a most remarkable experience. The lake's surface is 430.5 metres (1,412 ft) below sea level, making its shores the lowest land-based elevation on Earth. It is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With a salinity of 342 g/kg, or 34.2% (in 2011), it is one of the world's saltiest bodies of water – 9.6 times as salty as the ocean – and has a density of 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean Basin for thousands of years. It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from asphalt for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilisers. Today, tourists visit the sea on its Israeli, Jordanian and West Bank coastlines. The Palestinian tourism industry has been met with setbacks in developing along the West Bank coast. The Dead Sea is receding at a swift rate; its surface area today is 605 km2 (234 sq mi), having been 1,050 km2 (410 sq mi) in 1930.

This morning we toured the wonderful vineyard town of Rudesheim am Rhine and took a gondola ride up to the Niederwald Monument, which provided a wonderful birds eye view of the valley. Following our trip to the monument we were treated to a wine tasting of three Rieslings produced by a local vintner.

The area was settled first by the Celts, then after the turn of the Christian Era by Ubii and later by Mattiaci. In the first century, the Romans pushed forth to the Taunus. In Bingen they built a castrum, and on the other side, near what is now Rüdesheim, lay a bridgehead on the way to the Limes. The Romans were followed by the Alamanni, and along with the Migration Period (Völkerwanderung) came the Franks. Archaeological finds of glass from this time suggest that there was already winegrowing in Rüdesheim even then. The town's origin as a Frankish Haufendorf (roughly, "clump village") can still be seen on today's town maps. Rüdesheim had its first documentary mention in 1074. Its livelihood came mainly from winegrowing and shipping, particularly timber rafting. On 1 January 1818, Rüdesheim received town rights.

The Niederwald Monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire after the end of the Franco-Prussian War. The first stone was laid on September 16, 1871, by Kaiser Wilhelm I (William I). The sculptor was Johannes Schilling, and the architect was Karl Weisbach. The total cost of the work is estimated at one million gold marks. The monument was inaugurated on September 28, 1883. The 38 metres (125 ft) tall monument represents the union of all Germans.

After a wonderful German themed pork featured lunch we got underway to traverse the Rhine River Gorge. The river has been an important trade route into central Europe since prehistoric times and a string of small settlements has grown up along the banks. Constrained in size, many of these old towns retain a historic feel today. With increasing wealth, many castles appeared and the valley became a core region of the Holy Roman Empire. It was at the centre of the Thirty Years' War, which left many of the castles in ruins, a particular attraction for today's cruise ships which follow the river. At one time forming a border of France, in the 19th Century the valley became part of Prussia and its landscape became the quintessential image of Germany.

Several hours after we left port we entered the open Southern Pacific, where we spent the night being somewhat tossed and turned with 20 foot seas. We slept, but not that well. Late in the morning we entered the inland waters and the seas calmed, the air cleared and we were greeted with some wonderful scenery.

The morning was filled by two wonderful enrichment lectures. The first was given by South African Ambassador to South America, Tony Leon. His lecture "New Hope for the New World? The New South America", provided some interesting insight in the the future of South American countries.

The second lecture was "Trump Takes Washington, Shaken not Stirred" was an excellent, thoughtful discussion of the situation President Trump inherited upon assuming office. The presenter was former US Ambassador to Morocco, Marc Ginsberg. Although a democrat, he served under three administrations and presented facts and realities of the current world situation, vice ideology.

The day ending with yet another wonderful sunset.

Koningsdam may be my new favorite ship. I think I have figured out the dining situation. Holland America sailors aren't really open seating type folks, hence the dedication to most of the dining room tables to fixed seating. To compensate, Holland has made the offerings in the Lido as good and in some cases better than the dining room. Eating there may become even a better option than the dining room for some folks who want a little less formal, but not wanting to give up the quality - it's surf and turf in the Lido tonight! We all thought the food on this ship was far superior to Celebrity Infinity, which we just came off of. It's easily as good as Azamara and Regent Seven Seas.

We were finally able to get into the dining room today for the Mariners Club (past cruiser recognition) lunch. The main floor of the main dining room was full!!!

The ship is laid out wonderfully and it's easy to get around. There are lots of food options and specialty restaurants with superb menus (make your reservations before you depart!). The staff is as friendly as you can get and bend over backwards to satisfy your needs The entertainment is top notch, not quite as good as the true Broadway Productions on Royal Caribbean, but top notch. The Blues band was superb as was the dueling pianos. The world stage is exciting and they do the shows three times per night because of the demand. Bottom line - this ship "far exceeded my expectations".....and I don't say that lightly.

Travelers, I have finished my photo album.

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