This view took my breath away!

About 90 minutes south of Be'er Sheva, on the way to Eilat, is a view that will take your breath away.

Mitspe Ramon is the world's largest erosion crater, and the 5th largest crater in the world. I've never been to the Grand Canyon, so this was my first time seeing anything like this. It was incredible!

This overlook looks like a camel!

This was part 2 of my Hanukah and Christmas adventure, as a friend and I were dropped off in Be'er Sheva on Christmas Eve and we took a bus to Mitspe Ramon. 

The crater got its name from the Romans who came through here on the spice route during the Roman Empire. "Mitspe" means "viewpoint".

The funny thing is, we read about Mitspe Ramon in my Hebrew class this semester, and a few days before, I'd even had a test over that material. So it was fresh in my mind as I got to explore the place firsthand. #fieldtrip

Being afraid of heights, I took great care not to get too close to any edges (thankfully, below, there was a low wall). The view was incredible. There's a promenade that goes along the crater and also leads to paths you can take to hike down into it. We didn't do this because we were low on time and weren't prepared to do so. Even though it was winter, it wasn't too cold; I ended up rolling up my pants and taking off my jacket.

People and ibexes hanging out below!

These animals, ibexes, are so beautiful! And they were amazing to watch, just walking along the cliff edges and up the crater like it was solid, flat ground. I was jealous of their balance and lack-of fear of heights, haha! They were even walking around the town, like you'd see a stray cat or dog doing. So funny.

Mitspe Ramon was a perfect Christmas adventure. We spent the morning at the canyon and then headed out to Avdat National Park in the afternoon. The next morning, I came out one more time for time with God by the canyon. The winter rains were about to start, and it was much colder and windier, but the view was still amazing:

Beautiful!