Since returning the U.S. and the interruptions of the office, I have gotten even farther behind in my posting. This morning I sat down with the idea that I was going to finish the blog and completely forgot that I hadn't yet told you about our visit to Bethlehem.
On Friday we had a very full day of sightseeing but we wanted to make sure we got to visit Bethlehem. Since Bethlehem is now governed by the Palestinian Authority visits to Bethlehem are much like visiting a foreign country. While only 3 miles, or so, from Jerusalem it is necessary to go through a security check-point and transfer to a different bus and driver. Because of this, many groups no longer choose to visit Bethlehem but we wanted to include it.
Nir, our driver, dropped us off at the Palestinian border and we transferred to a different bus. All visits to Bethlehem require you to visit a restaurant for lunch, and then a souvenir shop. Seventy percent of Bethlehem's income comes from tourism and they want to do everything possible to encourage you to spend a bit. After a typical lunch buffet in a restaurant that was much like a reception hall, we met our guide for the tour to the Church of the Nativity, the oldest Christian church in the world.
The Church of the Nativity was built on the purported site of Jesus birth. I know that when we think of a stable we think of a barn, but in this area there are many caves. At night the shepards would gather their flocks into the caves that dot the hillside; inside the caves they would stay warm and safe for the night.
In the third century a.d., King Constantine sent his mother to survey Christian sites in the area. After being shown this site by local Christians she built a basilica in 327 a.d. Although the basilica was destroyed in the 6th century, parts of the original mosaic floors still remain and depict the 3 wise man coming to visit the baby Jesus.
The church is currently jointly administered by the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches. Each one claims part of the church and getting agreement to do maintenance is a problem. The last time the roof was repaired was in the 1500's! Today they finally have an agreement to start on a restoration plan so much of the interior of the church was occupied with scaffolding and covered with tarps.
The line to go down into the Greek Orthodox part of the church was several hours long. Our group decided to visit the Catholic portion of the church where we could go down into the same cave, but without the line. The Catholic portion of the cave has been walled off so that the Catholics could worship without the interuption of the other denominations. Since no one really knows if Jesus was born on the Greek Orthodox side or the Catholic side, we were all content just to see the Church of the Nativity and be in the general proximity, without having to wait for hours in line.
Before entering the church we had a group photo taken. In less than an hour we exited the church to find that our photos had been printed and we had a nice momento of our visit to the church. From here we returned to our obligatory stop at the souvenir shop.
Our guide for the church visit made mention several times about how tough life was in Bethlehem and how much they depended on tourists. While I am a bit cynical and think he was building us up for a generous tip, it was obvious that life in Bethlehem was much different that in Jerusalem, even though they were only a few miles apart. In Bethlehem the streets were dirty and littered, windows on buildings were caked with dirt, or non-existent in some cases. Much of Bethlehem is now surrounded by a big security wall, or ringed with barb-wire fences. You get the feeling that you are inside a maximum security prision. Just visiting Bethlehem helped open our eyes a bit to the plight of the Palestinians.
After leaving the souvenir shop we had to go back to the border and proceed through the security check point. We had been advised that the people selling souvenirs on the street could be a bit pushy and as we exited the bus, there they were. All anxious to make a sale, they did anything to get your attention. If you show any bit of interest, they are on you like flies and it is almost impossible to get away.
One member of our group was approached by a young boy, maybe 10-12 years old selling flutes for two dollars. As he became more desparate to make a sale, the price dropped to 3 for $5. Our group member counter offered 4 for $5 and the young man took 4 flutes and shoved them into the buyer's plastic bag. When the buyer took out a $10 bill, the young man claimed he didn't have change and started shoving more flutes into the bag so he would have to give change.
I finally stepped in and demanded that he return the $10 and we would return the flutes. Afterall, how many cheap wooden flutes does a person need. The vendor became very indignant and didn't want to lose the sale, so he finally "found" that he had $5 in change. He then followed us for a couple of blocks until we got through the security check point, all the time trying to sell us some more flutes.
While this is just a quick anecdote, it provided us a bit of insight into the desparation of the Palestinians. In talking afterwards with the group member, this encounter was a memorable experience that he will never forget.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Free Day - Saturday, Oct. 30
Since our flight back to the U.S. didn't leave until late in the evening we didn't schedule anything for the group on Saturday. We were all free to do whatever we wished for the day.
There were 10 people in the group that chose to extend their trip for 7 days in order to visit Egypt. They were scheduled to depart the hotel at 8 a.m. so I was up early to reconfirm their departure arrangements. When I got to the hotel lobby at 7:30 their driver was already there and we reviewed his instructions to take the group to the Israel/Egypt border where they would meet another driver and bus to take them to Cairo. The group assembled in the lobby and after loading their luggage we sent them off on their own for 7 days in Egypt.
The rest of our Israel group had Saturday free to do whatever they wished. Several of the group arranged to visit the Israeli History Museum and spend more time visiting some of the many exhibits we didn't see on Friday. Nir, our driver, took them to the museum and arranged to wait for them until they wanted to return.
A number of others arranged to be dropped off at the Old City and wander around a bit on their own. Terri and I wanted to do some shopping and were interested in looking at some antique stores that we had noticed in the Old City. Nir dropped us at the Damascus Gate and we entered the city, maps in hand.
It is one thing to be guided through a city and quite another to find your own way. The complexity is multiplied when you get into the public markets of a middle-eastern city, where hundreds of shops line small, narrow pedestrian streets. After a few blocks all the shops start to look the same and you have no bearing on the direction you're heading because you can't see the sky or sun as you wander these narrow streets.
We stopped at the local tourist information booth and picked up some city maps so that other members in the group could find their way. It is easy to get separated since the streets are quite crowded with shoppers and tourists and we didn't want to lose anyone. We made sure everyone knew our hotel name and had an idea of where to exit the Old City, but then Terri and I ventured off on our own.
We wandered a bit aimlessly through the market, taking in the sights and smells that are so foreign to us. There were spice shops with exotic spices piled high, shops selling dried apricots and other dried fruits, butcher shops with meat hanging on hooks, and small vendors selling falafel or other middle eastern "fast foods." We did run into a few antique shops that had some interesting items, but nothing worth carrying home. The fun in shopping is the looking, not necessarily the buying.
After several hours working our way deep into the city, we started to wind our way back. Since Jerusalem is built on a hill, we didn't look at the map as much as we just worked our way back up-hill. Wouldn't you know it, we eventually found our way back to where we had started. Knowing that we weren't lost was very reassuring and we sat down in a restaurant and ordered a sandwich for lunch. As we were sitting there, who should we see but Pastors Greg and Sherry and the rest of the group. It was good to know that we hadn't lost any of them either.
We finished our lunch, poked around a bit more, and then ventured outside the city walls and worked our way back to the hotel. The hotel was about a mile from the Old City and along a major road so it wasn't too difficult to find our way back.
When we arrived at the hotel we found most of the group waiting in the lobby for our scheduled departure at 6 PM. It was nice to have a group that was prompt and respectful of our schedule. Never once during the entire trip did we have to wait for someone or make adjustments because someone was late. That made the trip much more relaxing for everyone, but especially for me. I didn't want to have to return to the U.S. and have to report that we lost someone, which probably would have cost me my job!
With Nir, our driver, and the rest of the group assembled in the hotel lobby, we waited for Pilar to meet us. Since Pilar lives in Jerusalem she had spent the last several evenings at home with her children and had cooked the Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner for her family on Friday night. She returned the hotel at the appointed hour, gathered her "family" (which she called our group) for the return to the Tel Aviv Airport.
There were 10 people in the group that chose to extend their trip for 7 days in order to visit Egypt. They were scheduled to depart the hotel at 8 a.m. so I was up early to reconfirm their departure arrangements. When I got to the hotel lobby at 7:30 their driver was already there and we reviewed his instructions to take the group to the Israel/Egypt border where they would meet another driver and bus to take them to Cairo. The group assembled in the lobby and after loading their luggage we sent them off on their own for 7 days in Egypt.
The rest of our Israel group had Saturday free to do whatever they wished. Several of the group arranged to visit the Israeli History Museum and spend more time visiting some of the many exhibits we didn't see on Friday. Nir, our driver, took them to the museum and arranged to wait for them until they wanted to return.
A number of others arranged to be dropped off at the Old City and wander around a bit on their own. Terri and I wanted to do some shopping and were interested in looking at some antique stores that we had noticed in the Old City. Nir dropped us at the Damascus Gate and we entered the city, maps in hand.
It is one thing to be guided through a city and quite another to find your own way. The complexity is multiplied when you get into the public markets of a middle-eastern city, where hundreds of shops line small, narrow pedestrian streets. After a few blocks all the shops start to look the same and you have no bearing on the direction you're heading because you can't see the sky or sun as you wander these narrow streets.
We stopped at the local tourist information booth and picked up some city maps so that other members in the group could find their way. It is easy to get separated since the streets are quite crowded with shoppers and tourists and we didn't want to lose anyone. We made sure everyone knew our hotel name and had an idea of where to exit the Old City, but then Terri and I ventured off on our own.
We wandered a bit aimlessly through the market, taking in the sights and smells that are so foreign to us. There were spice shops with exotic spices piled high, shops selling dried apricots and other dried fruits, butcher shops with meat hanging on hooks, and small vendors selling falafel or other middle eastern "fast foods." We did run into a few antique shops that had some interesting items, but nothing worth carrying home. The fun in shopping is the looking, not necessarily the buying.
After several hours working our way deep into the city, we started to wind our way back. Since Jerusalem is built on a hill, we didn't look at the map as much as we just worked our way back up-hill. Wouldn't you know it, we eventually found our way back to where we had started. Knowing that we weren't lost was very reassuring and we sat down in a restaurant and ordered a sandwich for lunch. As we were sitting there, who should we see but Pastors Greg and Sherry and the rest of the group. It was good to know that we hadn't lost any of them either.
We finished our lunch, poked around a bit more, and then ventured outside the city walls and worked our way back to the hotel. The hotel was about a mile from the Old City and along a major road so it wasn't too difficult to find our way back.
When we arrived at the hotel we found most of the group waiting in the lobby for our scheduled departure at 6 PM. It was nice to have a group that was prompt and respectful of our schedule. Never once during the entire trip did we have to wait for someone or make adjustments because someone was late. That made the trip much more relaxing for everyone, but especially for me. I didn't want to have to return to the U.S. and have to report that we lost someone, which probably would have cost me my job!
With Nir, our driver, and the rest of the group assembled in the hotel lobby, we waited for Pilar to meet us. Since Pilar lives in Jerusalem she had spent the last several evenings at home with her children and had cooked the Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner for her family on Friday night. She returned the hotel at the appointed hour, gathered her "family" (which she called our group) for the return to the Tel Aviv Airport.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Garden Tomb - Friday Oct 29
After spending over a week in Israel walking where Jesus walked and seeing the place of his ministry, it was only fitting that we conclude our tour at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.
Outside the city walls of Jerusalem is a rock formation that looks like a skull. (In the Bible it is called Golgotha - the Place of the Skull) In the late 1800's an Englishman discovered a tomb in a olive grove near this area. While many Christians believe that the site of the crucifixion is located within what is now the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we visited the area now called the Garden Tomb, located just outside the city walls.
This site is run by a group of volunteers from England. We walked through the garden to first see the rock formation that looks like a skull, with two hollow holes where you would have eye sockets in a skull. After learning a bit about the history of the location, we walked back through the garden to view an ancient Jewish tomb.
There were a number of characteristics of this tomb that match the biblical description. The rolling stone which blocked the opening was larger than normal, requiring several person to move it. The tomb had a window in it that would have allowed light into the dark recesses, allowing Peter to see the folded grave clothes without entering the tomb.
Whether this is the actual tomb of Jesus no one will ever no. However, sitting in this quiet garden and contemplating our experiences of the past week was truly a moving experience. There are several areas for groups to gather in the site and have a short service. Our group read scripture, sang a few songs and celebrated Holy Communion in the Garden. It is a truly moving experience for everyone in the group.
The Isael Museum was our next stop. This is a very large museum with multiple buildings but our main focus was to see the actual Dead Sea Scrolls which are housed in a building called "The Shrine of the Book." Here was saw some of the many fragments of the scrolls found in Qumran between 1946 and 1952. The Israel Museum also has a scale model of the City of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 ce. When you are walking narrow, winding streets, it is hard to figure out where you are. It was interesting to picture all of the places we had visited in the last few days and see how they related to the city as a whole.
Next we spent an hour at the Israel Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem. This museum opened in 2005 so I had not seen it on my previous trip to Israel. It is the largest Holocaust Musem in the world and you could spend a whole day there. The images, films and documents are expertly displayed in a stunning building located amidst a green area of trees and gardens. Very impressive. One interesting section is the library where they have recorded and cataloged the names of all victims for posterity. They are still documenting and updating their list from every possible source, in remembrance to the millions who died. My next trip back I will spend a day here.
Our next stop is in Bethlehem but I will devote a separate post to that visit.
Outside the city walls of Jerusalem is a rock formation that looks like a skull. (In the Bible it is called Golgotha - the Place of the Skull) In the late 1800's an Englishman discovered a tomb in a olive grove near this area. While many Christians believe that the site of the crucifixion is located within what is now the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we visited the area now called the Garden Tomb, located just outside the city walls.
This site is run by a group of volunteers from England. We walked through the garden to first see the rock formation that looks like a skull, with two hollow holes where you would have eye sockets in a skull. After learning a bit about the history of the location, we walked back through the garden to view an ancient Jewish tomb.
There were a number of characteristics of this tomb that match the biblical description. The rolling stone which blocked the opening was larger than normal, requiring several person to move it. The tomb had a window in it that would have allowed light into the dark recesses, allowing Peter to see the folded grave clothes without entering the tomb.
Whether this is the actual tomb of Jesus no one will ever no. However, sitting in this quiet garden and contemplating our experiences of the past week was truly a moving experience. There are several areas for groups to gather in the site and have a short service. Our group read scripture, sang a few songs and celebrated Holy Communion in the Garden. It is a truly moving experience for everyone in the group.
The Isael Museum was our next stop. This is a very large museum with multiple buildings but our main focus was to see the actual Dead Sea Scrolls which are housed in a building called "The Shrine of the Book." Here was saw some of the many fragments of the scrolls found in Qumran between 1946 and 1952. The Israel Museum also has a scale model of the City of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 ce. When you are walking narrow, winding streets, it is hard to figure out where you are. It was interesting to picture all of the places we had visited in the last few days and see how they related to the city as a whole.
Next we spent an hour at the Israel Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem. This museum opened in 2005 so I had not seen it on my previous trip to Israel. It is the largest Holocaust Musem in the world and you could spend a whole day there. The images, films and documents are expertly displayed in a stunning building located amidst a green area of trees and gardens. Very impressive. One interesting section is the library where they have recorded and cataloged the names of all victims for posterity. They are still documenting and updating their list from every possible source, in remembrance to the millions who died. My next trip back I will spend a day here.
Our next stop is in Bethlehem but I will devote a separate post to that visit.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Old Jerusalem - Thursday, Oct 29
Another beautiful day on our trip. The weather has been warmer than usual, with most days ranging from 80-85 degrees. We did have one day that was near 100 (if I converted the celsius correctly) but the air is very dry. Most days there has been a light breeze which makes the temperature very comfortable, especially when standing in the shade.
Today we visited temple mount. This is the area of Jerusalem where the original Jewish temple was built on Mt. Moriah. This is the site where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Issac (4000 years ago) and is the holiest site in the Jewish faith. The original temple was designed by King David and built by Solomon 3000 years ago. The original temple was destroyed in 586 b.c.e. by the Babylonians and rebuilt in 518 b.c.e.
At the time of Jesus, the 250,000 Jews from throughout Israel would come to visit the temple 3 times per year. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 a.d. during the Jewish rebellion. Later when Moslems occupied the city they build a mosque named Dome on the Rock on this site and Mohammed is purported to have ascended to heaven from this site. This part of Jerusalem was under the control of Jordan until the six day war in 1967 when Jerusalem was reunited under Israeli rule. The Dome of the Rock is still controlled by Jordan, even though it is miles from their border and Jordanian soldiers patrol the area.
From temple mount we walked over to the eastern side of Old Jerusalem to the "Beautiful Gate." This was the gate through which Jesus entered the city from Bethany and the Mount of Olives. Our driver took us to the top of the Mount of Olives for a view overlooking the old city and then we walked down through the oldest Jewish cemetary in the world until we reached the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Garden there are several old olive trees, some maybe 1000 years old. (It is doubtful there are any from the time of Christ)
After lunch we toured new excavations along the Western Wall. As I wrote earlier, the Western Wall is what remains of the second temple and is a very sacred place for Jews. In the last few years excavations have found the original level of this wall which runs about 1800 feet along the edge of Mt. Moriah. The original Western Wall was 16 stories high is built with immense blocks of limestone; in the lowest course each rock is about 11 x 11 x 43 feet long and weighs over 600 tons. In my estimation, the engineering to built this is about as spectacular as the building of the pyramids in Egypt.
Next on our itinerary was the church of St. Anne. This is church that was built by the crusaders in 1136 on the site of a former Byzantine chapel, purportedly built in the place where Mary's mother was born. While many churches were destroyed after the crusades, this church was preserved as an Islamic seminary. The church has fantastic accoustics so our group tried out a few songs. The church of St. Anne is built near the pools of Bethesda. These were ritual purification baths designed for the Jewish pilgrims coming to the temple 3 times per year. The ruins of these pools are many feet below the current level of the city.
Our final stop of the day was a visit to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, another church built by the crusaders around 1100 a.d. Here we visited Pastor Fred Strickert, who had recently moved to Jerusalem from Waverly, Iowa where he had worked at Wartburg College. He and his wife had lived in Jerusalem a number of years ago and now accepted a call at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. He gave us some background information on things that the Lutheran Church was doing in the Middle East, including a hospital to serve the Palestinian community.
While most of our evenings have been free to rest and relax, this evening we were visited by Pastor Samuel Fanous, a Palestinian Christian who is an Episcopal priest. We were introduced to him by Dave and Alice Anderson, members of our church who lived in Israel for a year about 10 years ago. He gave us the perspective of what is like to be a Palestinian living in Israel and some of the hardships they face. He also gave us hope for the future since he is involved with a group that is educating Jews, Moslems and Christian children, teaching them how to live together.
As you can see, a very full but educational day. No wonder I am tired at night.
Today we visited temple mount. This is the area of Jerusalem where the original Jewish temple was built on Mt. Moriah. This is the site where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Issac (4000 years ago) and is the holiest site in the Jewish faith. The original temple was designed by King David and built by Solomon 3000 years ago. The original temple was destroyed in 586 b.c.e. by the Babylonians and rebuilt in 518 b.c.e.
At the time of Jesus, the 250,000 Jews from throughout Israel would come to visit the temple 3 times per year. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 a.d. during the Jewish rebellion. Later when Moslems occupied the city they build a mosque named Dome on the Rock on this site and Mohammed is purported to have ascended to heaven from this site. This part of Jerusalem was under the control of Jordan until the six day war in 1967 when Jerusalem was reunited under Israeli rule. The Dome of the Rock is still controlled by Jordan, even though it is miles from their border and Jordanian soldiers patrol the area.
From temple mount we walked over to the eastern side of Old Jerusalem to the "Beautiful Gate." This was the gate through which Jesus entered the city from Bethany and the Mount of Olives. Our driver took us to the top of the Mount of Olives for a view overlooking the old city and then we walked down through the oldest Jewish cemetary in the world until we reached the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Garden there are several old olive trees, some maybe 1000 years old. (It is doubtful there are any from the time of Christ)
After lunch we toured new excavations along the Western Wall. As I wrote earlier, the Western Wall is what remains of the second temple and is a very sacred place for Jews. In the last few years excavations have found the original level of this wall which runs about 1800 feet along the edge of Mt. Moriah. The original Western Wall was 16 stories high is built with immense blocks of limestone; in the lowest course each rock is about 11 x 11 x 43 feet long and weighs over 600 tons. In my estimation, the engineering to built this is about as spectacular as the building of the pyramids in Egypt.
Next on our itinerary was the church of St. Anne. This is church that was built by the crusaders in 1136 on the site of a former Byzantine chapel, purportedly built in the place where Mary's mother was born. While many churches were destroyed after the crusades, this church was preserved as an Islamic seminary. The church has fantastic accoustics so our group tried out a few songs. The church of St. Anne is built near the pools of Bethesda. These were ritual purification baths designed for the Jewish pilgrims coming to the temple 3 times per year. The ruins of these pools are many feet below the current level of the city.
Our final stop of the day was a visit to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, another church built by the crusaders around 1100 a.d. Here we visited Pastor Fred Strickert, who had recently moved to Jerusalem from Waverly, Iowa where he had worked at Wartburg College. He and his wife had lived in Jerusalem a number of years ago and now accepted a call at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. He gave us some background information on things that the Lutheran Church was doing in the Middle East, including a hospital to serve the Palestinian community.
While most of our evenings have been free to rest and relax, this evening we were visited by Pastor Samuel Fanous, a Palestinian Christian who is an Episcopal priest. We were introduced to him by Dave and Alice Anderson, members of our church who lived in Israel for a year about 10 years ago. He gave us the perspective of what is like to be a Palestinian living in Israel and some of the hardships they face. He also gave us hope for the future since he is involved with a group that is educating Jews, Moslems and Christian children, teaching them how to live together.
As you can see, a very full but educational day. No wonder I am tired at night.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Nir - Our Excellent Driver
Since our arrival in Tel Aviv last week we have been blessed to have an excellant driver. His name is Nir (pronounced Near) and he is an Israeli whose parents emigrated from Uruguay in 1962. In fact, he tells me that is parents met on the boat of immigrants enroute from Uruguay.
Nir lives near the Negev desert with his wife and two children, 11 and 5, with another one due in June. I kidded him because I don't know how he can have a family because he is never home, always on the road traveling with tourists to Israel.
While not very tall, Nir is very well built with big biceps, forearms and no neck. He looks like he could be in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) or as a linebacker for the NFL. You would feel safe with him in any dark alley, I'm sure. His main claim to fame is that he is the World Champion Arm Wrestling Champion in 1992. He won his championship in Geneva, Switzerland and two years later won as European champion at the tournament held in Israel.
I am always amazed at how the drivers maneuver the big, 50 passenger coaches. Nir said that he was a driver first of a small mini-bus and then graduated to a larger coach. Now for the last 2 years he have been driving the biggest coaches allowed. His bus is always clean and he washes the floor every day. One evening after visiting Genesis Land where we had walked behind the camels, he made sure he had a wet rag so everyone could wipe off there shoes as they entered the bus. Smart driver!
Over the years I have enjoyed having many good motorcoach drivers, but Nir is different. He speaks excellent English and is very pleasant and accomodating to all in the group. Today, for example, we had a free day as we wait to go to the airport this evening. Nir volunteered to adjust his scheduled day off and take a group back to the Israeli National Museum and drop another group at the old city. As he dropped us off he said "you have my cell phone number. Call me if you need a ride or anything else." It is that kind of caring attitude that has endeared him to all the members of the group.
These small things help make touring an enjoyable experience for everyone.
Nir lives near the Negev desert with his wife and two children, 11 and 5, with another one due in June. I kidded him because I don't know how he can have a family because he is never home, always on the road traveling with tourists to Israel.
While not very tall, Nir is very well built with big biceps, forearms and no neck. He looks like he could be in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) or as a linebacker for the NFL. You would feel safe with him in any dark alley, I'm sure. His main claim to fame is that he is the World Champion Arm Wrestling Champion in 1992. He won his championship in Geneva, Switzerland and two years later won as European champion at the tournament held in Israel.
I am always amazed at how the drivers maneuver the big, 50 passenger coaches. Nir said that he was a driver first of a small mini-bus and then graduated to a larger coach. Now for the last 2 years he have been driving the biggest coaches allowed. His bus is always clean and he washes the floor every day. One evening after visiting Genesis Land where we had walked behind the camels, he made sure he had a wet rag so everyone could wipe off there shoes as they entered the bus. Smart driver!
Over the years I have enjoyed having many good motorcoach drivers, but Nir is different. He speaks excellent English and is very pleasant and accomodating to all in the group. Today, for example, we had a free day as we wait to go to the airport this evening. Nir volunteered to adjust his scheduled day off and take a group back to the Israeli National Museum and drop another group at the old city. As he dropped us off he said "you have my cell phone number. Call me if you need a ride or anything else." It is that kind of caring attitude that has endeared him to all the members of the group.
These small things help make touring an enjoyable experience for everyone.
Hallelujah - Back on Line Blogging. Jerusalem - Wed, Oct 27
We checked into our hotel, the Grand Court Hotel in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening. It has been a struggle ever since as it seems their internet is a bit tempermental. Finally today, Saturday morning, I am able to get on-line and haven't encountered any major issues with the internet. Because these postings are a couple of days late, and my memory isn't as good as it used to be, I am going to offer this disclaimer: the dates and places are only accurate to the best of my recollection.
Where do you start with a city that has thousands of years of history? Our guide thought it best to take us to an overlook where we could see much of the walled city and the valleys on 3 sides. In retrospect, this was a great decision because it gave us a much better idea of where we would be walking in the coming days.
And walk we did. Up hill, down hill, across roof tops, through cobblestone and rock streets. This is a quite tiring trip but I am amazed at how well everyone is doing. Virtually everyone in the group has been able to handle all of the walking and we haven't had to wait along the way for people to catch up. That is with the exception of people that have gotten lost in the souvenir shops along the way.
The overlook chosen by our guide was at the house of Caiaphus, outside the old walled city of Jerusalem. Caiaphus was a Jewish high priest and took part in the trial of Jesus. Under the house of Caiaphus is was is thought to be a jail of sorts and Jesus spent 3 days there. Today there is a church and monastery built on top and you walk down many flights of stairs into the ancient ruins.
Also located up on this same hill, outside the walls of the old city is the tomb of Soloman. Because this is a holy Jewish site, the men and women of the tour group had to visit it from two separate sides, with men covering their head with a kipa, the small circular cover worn by Jewish men when not wearing hats. Because this is a tourist destinaton, the kipa I was given was much like a cardboard french fry container and it blew off or slipped off every time I moved my head. I hope I didn't desecrate the tomb of Solomon.
Since this area of Jerusalem was where the wealthy of the day lived, it is also the purported site of the Upper Room and the last supper. There is very little archealogical evidence of this and many of the buildings have been rebuilt so it is unlikely that the room we visited was actually the Upper Room of Jesus day.
We now ventured into the old walled city of Jerusalem and climbed up on some roof tops for a view of the 4 different quadrants of the city - the Jewish quarter, the Armenian quarter, the moslem quarter and the Christian area. Obviously these areas developed in the generations after the time of Christ. From the roof top we got a good view of the Western Wall, which is always shown on the nightly news programs of today. (More on the significance of the Western Wall in tomorrows blog)
After going through a security checkpoint we were allowed to go up to the Western Wall. Again women only on one side and men only on the other. At the Western Wall the jewish people place prayer requests on a slip of paper and jam them into the cracks between the blocks of stone. From time to time these prayers are cleaned out of the cracks but not destroyed or burned; they are collected and buried with other holy books.
We left the old city for lunch but returned to walk the Via Delarosa, (the way of the cross) and tour the church of the Holy Sepluchre. This church is purportedly built over 3 holy sites - Mt. Calvary, the site of the cruxifiction, the annointing rock, where Christ's body was wrapped after being removed from the cross, and the tomb of Jesus. The church was jammed with pilgrims from throughout the world, with the longest lines in the portion of the church with the purported tomb of Jesus.
Continuing down the Via Delarosa we passed crowds and shops until we arrived at a small, French convent. During recent renovations of the convent they discovered the street from the time of Christ. This level is much lower than the current Via Delarosa and was identified by some carvings made by the Roman legion that was stationed in Jerusalem at the time of Christ. The carvings supposedly describe the "King's Game", which they think might have been used as the soldiers cast lots for Christ's cloths.
I should comment a bit about the meals on our trip. Breakfast and dinner have been included each day. Lunches have been a mix of local buffets, including salads and hot meat - chicken, beef or lamb, or local "fast food" like schwarma (grilled lamb or turkey with vegatables, tucked into pita bread) or fallafel ("meat balls" made from chick peas, fried and then tucked in a pita pocket with vegtables.) The local food has been great and I doubt that anyone has lost any weight in spite of all our walking.
Where do you start with a city that has thousands of years of history? Our guide thought it best to take us to an overlook where we could see much of the walled city and the valleys on 3 sides. In retrospect, this was a great decision because it gave us a much better idea of where we would be walking in the coming days.
And walk we did. Up hill, down hill, across roof tops, through cobblestone and rock streets. This is a quite tiring trip but I am amazed at how well everyone is doing. Virtually everyone in the group has been able to handle all of the walking and we haven't had to wait along the way for people to catch up. That is with the exception of people that have gotten lost in the souvenir shops along the way.
The overlook chosen by our guide was at the house of Caiaphus, outside the old walled city of Jerusalem. Caiaphus was a Jewish high priest and took part in the trial of Jesus. Under the house of Caiaphus is was is thought to be a jail of sorts and Jesus spent 3 days there. Today there is a church and monastery built on top and you walk down many flights of stairs into the ancient ruins.
Also located up on this same hill, outside the walls of the old city is the tomb of Soloman. Because this is a holy Jewish site, the men and women of the tour group had to visit it from two separate sides, with men covering their head with a kipa, the small circular cover worn by Jewish men when not wearing hats. Because this is a tourist destinaton, the kipa I was given was much like a cardboard french fry container and it blew off or slipped off every time I moved my head. I hope I didn't desecrate the tomb of Solomon.
Since this area of Jerusalem was where the wealthy of the day lived, it is also the purported site of the Upper Room and the last supper. There is very little archealogical evidence of this and many of the buildings have been rebuilt so it is unlikely that the room we visited was actually the Upper Room of Jesus day.
We now ventured into the old walled city of Jerusalem and climbed up on some roof tops for a view of the 4 different quadrants of the city - the Jewish quarter, the Armenian quarter, the moslem quarter and the Christian area. Obviously these areas developed in the generations after the time of Christ. From the roof top we got a good view of the Western Wall, which is always shown on the nightly news programs of today. (More on the significance of the Western Wall in tomorrows blog)
After going through a security checkpoint we were allowed to go up to the Western Wall. Again women only on one side and men only on the other. At the Western Wall the jewish people place prayer requests on a slip of paper and jam them into the cracks between the blocks of stone. From time to time these prayers are cleaned out of the cracks but not destroyed or burned; they are collected and buried with other holy books.
We left the old city for lunch but returned to walk the Via Delarosa, (the way of the cross) and tour the church of the Holy Sepluchre. This church is purportedly built over 3 holy sites - Mt. Calvary, the site of the cruxifiction, the annointing rock, where Christ's body was wrapped after being removed from the cross, and the tomb of Jesus. The church was jammed with pilgrims from throughout the world, with the longest lines in the portion of the church with the purported tomb of Jesus.
Continuing down the Via Delarosa we passed crowds and shops until we arrived at a small, French convent. During recent renovations of the convent they discovered the street from the time of Christ. This level is much lower than the current Via Delarosa and was identified by some carvings made by the Roman legion that was stationed in Jerusalem at the time of Christ. The carvings supposedly describe the "King's Game", which they think might have been used as the soldiers cast lots for Christ's cloths.
I should comment a bit about the meals on our trip. Breakfast and dinner have been included each day. Lunches have been a mix of local buffets, including salads and hot meat - chicken, beef or lamb, or local "fast food" like schwarma (grilled lamb or turkey with vegatables, tucked into pita bread) or fallafel ("meat balls" made from chick peas, fried and then tucked in a pita pocket with vegtables.) The local food has been great and I doubt that anyone has lost any weight in spite of all our walking.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Not much improvement in internet service
The internet in our Jerusalem hotel has been incredibly slow. I have tried it a number of times with only limited success.
This post is just to let you know that I am several days behind on my posting but I will be adding more in the coming days, even if I have to complete it after returning home.
Until then,
Shalom
This post is just to let you know that I am several days behind on my posting but I will be adding more in the coming days, even if I have to complete it after returning home.
Until then,
Shalom
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Dead Sea and Dead Internet - Tuesday, Oct 26
I am a day late, and probably more than a dollar short. Last evening I purchased an internet access card from the hotel and hoped to post something on the blog after dinner. After getting to my room and booting up the netbook I had an almost impossible time logging into the internet with the hotel access codes. I did get on a couple of times but it was so slow in loading pages that often the network would kick me off line before the next page would load.
We get used to technology working as it should and it is extremely frustrating when it doesn't. But then I think about seeing history from the last 5,000 years and think to myself that maybe I should be a little more patient. This evening I tried another code and it seems to be working like it should so here we go.
After a relaxing evening Monday at the Dead Sea we left Tuesday morning for Masada, the fortress located on a mountain top 1300 feet above the Dead Sea. This fortress was built between 37 - 31 BCE (before current era - what we used to call BC, before Christ) by Herod the Great (see Caesarea blog on day 2.) It is a fantastic excavation showing amazing technology. For example, even though it rises 1300 feet above the valley, Masada had a water supply brought from Jerusalem via aqueducts. Since Jerusalem is higher than Masada, when it rains in Jerusalem the water runs downhill and is gather in aqueducts and delivered to the mountain where it first fills the ritual baths, the Roman baths and the excess stored in cisterns.
There is a new, short film outlining the history of Masada and then we took a cable car to the top of the mountain. Having visited here 12 years ago I was amazed at the scope of the additional excavations. You now get a good feel of the scope of the community that existed at the time of King Herod.
Of course Masada is most famous because of the 3 year seige which took place here. In 66 CE (or A.D) the Jews revolted against the Romans at Caesarea. Then in 68 CE the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and many of the Jews escaped to Masada. An estimated 4000 Roman soldies came to Masada and laid seige for 3 years. The Jews had 7 years of food and water stored so it took the Romans 3 years to build a ramp up to Masada and they used a battering ram to break down the walls.
Before the Romans could break down the walls the Jews made a decision to choose between certain slavehood to the Romans or to kill themselves. Since suicide is forbidden under Jewish law, the group of 960 Jews selected 10 of their members to administer the death, very similar to which they would sacrifice an animal, by slicing their throats. The the 10 chosen drew lots to see who would be the last one left to kill himself. A very gruesome story but a story of the depth of the belief of those who died.
A short drive from Masada is the desert oasis of En Gedi. Here a fresh water spring flows out of the mountains and forms several water falls and pools. En Gedi is mentioned several times in the Bible and was a place of refuge for David as he hid in the desert from Saul. Archeologists say the ruins in the area date from as early as 4000 b.c. and the oasis was once the site of a royal plantation and vineyard.
Our next stop in this history filled day was Qumeran (or Qumran). This is where between the years of 1947 and 1956 over 1000 scrolls have been discovered. Qumran was the home of a Jewish sect called the Essenes (pronounced A Seens) who spent their lives studying and copying the books of the Bible. After the Jewish revolt in Jerusalem in 66 a.d. the Romans came to this area next in 68 a.d. The Essenes hid their scrolls in pottery vessels in the many caves that dot the area.
Here in 1947 an illiterate Bedouin boy through a rock into a cave and heard it hit a jar rather than the rock. He found a vessel with a copy of a scroll and took a piece home to show his father. His father ended up showing it to an archeological authority who identified it was a portion of the book of Isiah. These scrolls have been the subject of many auctions and exhibits around the world and now they reside in the Museum of Irsael in Jerusalem.
As we journeyed up the Judean hills away from the Dead Sea we were surprised with a stop that was not on our itinerary. We visited a place called Genesis Land where we had a dinner under a tent with "Abraham" who told us about his life and journey to this land. We sampled traditional food while sitting on rugs on the floor. Sitting on the floor is not as easy for me as it was 30 years ago but everyone in the group enjoyed the experience. There were even a few more brave souls that road the camels back from dinner.
From the Judean hills it was a short drive into Jerusalem. This is always a very moving experience, especially when the guide puts on the CD of "Jerusalem, Jerusalem."
Another very full but educational day.
We get used to technology working as it should and it is extremely frustrating when it doesn't. But then I think about seeing history from the last 5,000 years and think to myself that maybe I should be a little more patient. This evening I tried another code and it seems to be working like it should so here we go.
After a relaxing evening Monday at the Dead Sea we left Tuesday morning for Masada, the fortress located on a mountain top 1300 feet above the Dead Sea. This fortress was built between 37 - 31 BCE (before current era - what we used to call BC, before Christ) by Herod the Great (see Caesarea blog on day 2.) It is a fantastic excavation showing amazing technology. For example, even though it rises 1300 feet above the valley, Masada had a water supply brought from Jerusalem via aqueducts. Since Jerusalem is higher than Masada, when it rains in Jerusalem the water runs downhill and is gather in aqueducts and delivered to the mountain where it first fills the ritual baths, the Roman baths and the excess stored in cisterns.
There is a new, short film outlining the history of Masada and then we took a cable car to the top of the mountain. Having visited here 12 years ago I was amazed at the scope of the additional excavations. You now get a good feel of the scope of the community that existed at the time of King Herod.
Of course Masada is most famous because of the 3 year seige which took place here. In 66 CE (or A.D) the Jews revolted against the Romans at Caesarea. Then in 68 CE the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and many of the Jews escaped to Masada. An estimated 4000 Roman soldies came to Masada and laid seige for 3 years. The Jews had 7 years of food and water stored so it took the Romans 3 years to build a ramp up to Masada and they used a battering ram to break down the walls.
Before the Romans could break down the walls the Jews made a decision to choose between certain slavehood to the Romans or to kill themselves. Since suicide is forbidden under Jewish law, the group of 960 Jews selected 10 of their members to administer the death, very similar to which they would sacrifice an animal, by slicing their throats. The the 10 chosen drew lots to see who would be the last one left to kill himself. A very gruesome story but a story of the depth of the belief of those who died.
A short drive from Masada is the desert oasis of En Gedi. Here a fresh water spring flows out of the mountains and forms several water falls and pools. En Gedi is mentioned several times in the Bible and was a place of refuge for David as he hid in the desert from Saul. Archeologists say the ruins in the area date from as early as 4000 b.c. and the oasis was once the site of a royal plantation and vineyard.
Our next stop in this history filled day was Qumeran (or Qumran). This is where between the years of 1947 and 1956 over 1000 scrolls have been discovered. Qumran was the home of a Jewish sect called the Essenes (pronounced A Seens) who spent their lives studying and copying the books of the Bible. After the Jewish revolt in Jerusalem in 66 a.d. the Romans came to this area next in 68 a.d. The Essenes hid their scrolls in pottery vessels in the many caves that dot the area.
Here in 1947 an illiterate Bedouin boy through a rock into a cave and heard it hit a jar rather than the rock. He found a vessel with a copy of a scroll and took a piece home to show his father. His father ended up showing it to an archeological authority who identified it was a portion of the book of Isiah. These scrolls have been the subject of many auctions and exhibits around the world and now they reside in the Museum of Irsael in Jerusalem.
As we journeyed up the Judean hills away from the Dead Sea we were surprised with a stop that was not on our itinerary. We visited a place called Genesis Land where we had a dinner under a tent with "Abraham" who told us about his life and journey to this land. We sampled traditional food while sitting on rugs on the floor. Sitting on the floor is not as easy for me as it was 30 years ago but everyone in the group enjoyed the experience. There were even a few more brave souls that road the camels back from dinner.
From the Judean hills it was a short drive into Jerusalem. This is always a very moving experience, especially when the guide puts on the CD of "Jerusalem, Jerusalem."
Another very full but educational day.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Value of a Good Guide - Monday, Oct 25
I have been so busy writing about all the marvelous sights of our trip that I have neglected writing about one of the greatest parts of the trip. As someone who has traveled all over the world in a variety of styles (independent travel as well as escorted, guided travel) I can tell you that when in a foreign land a good guide can make or break the trip.
Our group has been blessed with two great guides. The first, and the one who is with us throughout our days in Israel, is a woman named Pilar. She is Jewish, originally from Spain, and has been living and guiding in Israel for about 30 years. She met us on arrival in Tel Aviv and immediately took charge of sheparding us through this trip.
Our guide in Jordan yesterday and this morning was a Jordanian man by the name of Khalid. He, too, took charge on our arrival in Jordan and made sure everything went as planned. It was nice to have a change in gender (man vs woman) and religion (Moslem vs Jewish) and nationality (Jordanian vs Israeli.) Each brought their own personal view to current events and to any possible solution to the Middle East dilemna. While we haven't solved the situation, it was certainly interesting to hear more than one side of the argument.
As I was saying, having a great guide can make or break a tour. A good guide knows how to build a cohesive group out of a variety of individuals. Pilar told us that she likes her groups to "become family" and she does many things to get individuals to be learning and laughing together. I have experienced great guides all over the world but I would have to say she has been one of the best.
Having an experienced guide can actually save you time and allow you to see more on an escorted trip. For example, yesterday as we left Israel and proceeded to enter Jordan, Pilar was adamant that we had to be at the border before it opened at 8 a.m. The same was true today as we returned to Israel. In both cases our bus was first in line and by the time we had gone through the immigration process there were 5 other buses behind us. I am sure we saved at least an hour each day just by being at the given location at the best time.
The same was true about visiting some of the popular Christian sites. Pilar scheduled our visits to avoid the crowds at certain locations, flipping some of the visits so that we could enjoy the site in relative privacy.
Guides in many countries are licensed by the government. This is true in Israel and in Jordan, and the guides are very knowledgable about the history of all of the things we are seeing. Traveling on an escorted tour is like taking a college class, without a term paper or final exam. In addition to their lecture the guides are there to answer questions or give information to make the trip truly fulfilling. This is especially important is a place like Israel where so much is based on historical events.
Pilar is especially well read and knowledgable about the Bible. She can quote scripture, chapter and verse about what happened at a certain site and how it relates to other Biblical events. Khalid was also very knowledgable, especially on Muslim events and gave us a great overview of the history of Islam and how it related to events in the Bible. While I am not a scholar and can't attest to the veracity of what he told us, he was certainly engaging and I think everyone enjoyed learning from him. Since much of his lecture was given as we were driving through a barren desert, it was, at least, a diversion.
The tour director (or guide) does much more than just talk about history. They are there to take care of all details at the hotel, arranging wake-up calls, meal reservations in the restaurant, and coordinating the day's activities with the bus driver. There also, we have been blessed with great drivers who are there to make sure our luggage is all loaded and we are delivered safely to the activities of the day.
This morning we left Petra about 7 am with fog in the valley and the mountain tops poking through the fog. Our hotel was located on top of the mountains and the road followed the ridgeline for the first hour, providing many great views. This desert climate provided a cool breeze this morning which was a welcome relief from the hot weather of the last few days.
We re-entered Israel at Eilat, which lies at the very southern tip of Israel on the Red Sea. This is a big resort area and a refreshing change from some of the underdeveloped areas of Jordan. We were impressed that things once again seemed relatively clean and orderly back in Israel.
We traveled a few miles north into the Negev desert. This area is where Moses and the Israelites wandered for 40 years before entering Israel from the north. We visited an exhibit which had a replica of the tabernacle which was built by the Israelites according to plans given by God. It was interesting to see someone's depiction of what is described in the Bible.
After a stop in the desert to see some ancient Egyptian ruins, and climbing through some geologic formations, we continued on to a kibbutz for lunch. Once again Pilar had timed our arrival so that we arrived for lunch when no other groups were there. By the time we left there were several more buses in the parking lot and lines in the restaurant.
Our afternoon drive took us further north to the Dead Sea. Here giant pools of evaporating water are used to extract minerals and salt. We arrived at our hotel in mid-afternoon for a relaxing soak in the Dead Sea. With a salt content of about 35% (as compared to 3% in sea water) it is impossible to sink. In fact, your body floats like a cork. You have to be careful about getting water in your eyes and the salt stings any cut you may have, even if you didn't know you had one. We spent about 30 minutes in the Dead Sea before showering and walking back to the hotel pool, where we could enjoy dipping one's head in the fresh, clear water.
Our group has been blessed with two great guides. The first, and the one who is with us throughout our days in Israel, is a woman named Pilar. She is Jewish, originally from Spain, and has been living and guiding in Israel for about 30 years. She met us on arrival in Tel Aviv and immediately took charge of sheparding us through this trip.
Our guide in Jordan yesterday and this morning was a Jordanian man by the name of Khalid. He, too, took charge on our arrival in Jordan and made sure everything went as planned. It was nice to have a change in gender (man vs woman) and religion (Moslem vs Jewish) and nationality (Jordanian vs Israeli.) Each brought their own personal view to current events and to any possible solution to the Middle East dilemna. While we haven't solved the situation, it was certainly interesting to hear more than one side of the argument.
As I was saying, having a great guide can make or break a tour. A good guide knows how to build a cohesive group out of a variety of individuals. Pilar told us that she likes her groups to "become family" and she does many things to get individuals to be learning and laughing together. I have experienced great guides all over the world but I would have to say she has been one of the best.
Having an experienced guide can actually save you time and allow you to see more on an escorted trip. For example, yesterday as we left Israel and proceeded to enter Jordan, Pilar was adamant that we had to be at the border before it opened at 8 a.m. The same was true today as we returned to Israel. In both cases our bus was first in line and by the time we had gone through the immigration process there were 5 other buses behind us. I am sure we saved at least an hour each day just by being at the given location at the best time.
The same was true about visiting some of the popular Christian sites. Pilar scheduled our visits to avoid the crowds at certain locations, flipping some of the visits so that we could enjoy the site in relative privacy.
Guides in many countries are licensed by the government. This is true in Israel and in Jordan, and the guides are very knowledgable about the history of all of the things we are seeing. Traveling on an escorted tour is like taking a college class, without a term paper or final exam. In addition to their lecture the guides are there to answer questions or give information to make the trip truly fulfilling. This is especially important is a place like Israel where so much is based on historical events.
Pilar is especially well read and knowledgable about the Bible. She can quote scripture, chapter and verse about what happened at a certain site and how it relates to other Biblical events. Khalid was also very knowledgable, especially on Muslim events and gave us a great overview of the history of Islam and how it related to events in the Bible. While I am not a scholar and can't attest to the veracity of what he told us, he was certainly engaging and I think everyone enjoyed learning from him. Since much of his lecture was given as we were driving through a barren desert, it was, at least, a diversion.
The tour director (or guide) does much more than just talk about history. They are there to take care of all details at the hotel, arranging wake-up calls, meal reservations in the restaurant, and coordinating the day's activities with the bus driver. There also, we have been blessed with great drivers who are there to make sure our luggage is all loaded and we are delivered safely to the activities of the day.
This morning we left Petra about 7 am with fog in the valley and the mountain tops poking through the fog. Our hotel was located on top of the mountains and the road followed the ridgeline for the first hour, providing many great views. This desert climate provided a cool breeze this morning which was a welcome relief from the hot weather of the last few days.
We re-entered Israel at Eilat, which lies at the very southern tip of Israel on the Red Sea. This is a big resort area and a refreshing change from some of the underdeveloped areas of Jordan. We were impressed that things once again seemed relatively clean and orderly back in Israel.
We traveled a few miles north into the Negev desert. This area is where Moses and the Israelites wandered for 40 years before entering Israel from the north. We visited an exhibit which had a replica of the tabernacle which was built by the Israelites according to plans given by God. It was interesting to see someone's depiction of what is described in the Bible.
After a stop in the desert to see some ancient Egyptian ruins, and climbing through some geologic formations, we continued on to a kibbutz for lunch. Once again Pilar had timed our arrival so that we arrived for lunch when no other groups were there. By the time we left there were several more buses in the parking lot and lines in the restaurant.
Our afternoon drive took us further north to the Dead Sea. Here giant pools of evaporating water are used to extract minerals and salt. We arrived at our hotel in mid-afternoon for a relaxing soak in the Dead Sea. With a salt content of about 35% (as compared to 3% in sea water) it is impossible to sink. In fact, your body floats like a cork. You have to be careful about getting water in your eyes and the salt stings any cut you may have, even if you didn't know you had one. We spent about 30 minutes in the Dead Sea before showering and walking back to the hotel pool, where we could enjoy dipping one's head in the fresh, clear water.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Journey into Jordan - Sunday, October 24
This morning we traveled south from the Sea of Galilee and crossed the border into Jordan. It is amazing how in third-world countries they can make such a big production out of processing paperwork. The first step was to pay a departure tax in Israel, then stand in another line to have your passport checked and stamped by the Israeli authorities. Then we proceed to walk through a duty free shop and down another block where we unloaded our Israeli bus (which isn't allowed to travel into Jordan) and wait for another bus to drive us the 3 blocks across the boarder (that cost another $1.50 per person.)
Once at the Jordan border we unloaded the bus and waited for our visas into Jordan to be processed. Then we stood in another line to have our passports stamped, our picture taken and a thumb print recorded by computer. Then it was outside to pick up our luggage, drag it through an xray inspection station and then walk another block to board our Jordanian tour bus. Oh, I forgot that there were porters in Jordan to load our luggage and that cost me another $10 in tips for the group. Good grief - 90 minutes for this simple crossing. I suppose traveling into Canada by car can sometimes take as long but it certainly makes you appreciate your freedom to travel from one state to another with little interuption.
In Jordan we met our new Jordanian guide, Khalid. He helped us with the border crossing and soon we were on our way toward Amman, the capital of Jordan. Along the Jordanian border the small villages are involved primarily in agriculture but are definitely much poorer than the cities across the border in Israel. Narrow roads ran through these villages lined with local shops selling everything necessary for their rather meager life. We saw one butcher shop with a skinned goat hanging from a hook outside the shop.
As we climbed the valley the landscape became more arid until we reached the desert on the top of the mountains. Jordan is 85% desert and there was nothing, no grass or trees, for mile upon mile. Water is in very short supply and our guide told us that each person in Jordan is allocated 8 liters of water per day; this includes water for showering, washing dishes, flushing toilets. Obviously water conservation is critical for the country to even exist.
Approaching Amman from the west, the suburbs became much more western appearing. Larger houses, modern cars and freeways were commonplace. Jordan has about 6 million citizens and 2 million live in Amman, where the major universities and medical facilities are located. Jordan has a well-educated populace with English being taught to all children 6 years old and up. Many other countries in the middle east send their students to the Jordanian universities.
When we left Amman we traveled south on the King's Highway with runs through the desert before reaching Petra. There is very little along this highway except for an occasional village. Jordan was originally the home of nomadic Bedouin tribes that herd goats and sheep throughout the desert. They have gradually settled in villages and are supported by holding government jobs or serving in the army. By settling in villages they now have access to schools and medical care, things not possible with a nomadic lifestyle.
Petra is located about half way between Amman and the Red Sea. It was an important city on the trading routes between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the middle east. As such, its merchants became wealthy and they had an extraordinary civilization dating from about 300 bc - 200 a.d. With Petra as there capital, they displayed their wealth with fabulous facades carved into the limestone walls of the wadi.
A wadi is a gulch that is carved by the forces of nature, wind and water, in the sandstone cliffs. The narrow streets wind their way through the city, with the local inhabitants living in carved cliff dwellings. The city of Petra was eventually abandoned and lost to the world except the local Bedouin tribesman. In 1812 it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer, Johan Burckhardt, who learned of it from the Bedouin.
Petra, which means "rock", was recently voted one of the seven wonders of the modern world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This protects it from overdevelopment and strictly regulates what is done in terms of restoration. Today it is visited by about 5,000 people a day, making Petra one of the wealthiest cities in Jordan. There are many hotels and other tourist amenities in the area.
The walk down from the top of the valley takes about 30 minutes. You can rent a horse or horse cart but walking is the preferred option. Our group all walked down the 1.5 miles, and most were able to walk back at the end of the tour. The gulch winds left and right, moving whereever the water would run, and the gradient is rather shallow. This makes for a relaxing walk, especially if you take the time to look at the different carvings along the way.
Near the bottom of the city lies what is called the Treasury. It is actually a memorial to one of the Nabataen kings and several tombs have been found in front of the facade. It was called "The Treasury of the Pharoahs" by the Bedouins who believed the Egyptian royalty had created the city and stored gold in the carved urn at the top of the facade. The facade is riddled with bullet holes where the Bedouins tried to break open the urn, which is actually solid, by shooting at it with rifles.
In front of the facade were a couple of camel jockeys offering rides on the camels for $7 per person. They are masters of salesmanship with lingo in many different languages, extolling the virtures of riding a camel. For example, they would call them Bedouin Ferraris (or many other luxury car names) They know how to not to make change. For example, one woman gave the driver $10 and he said he didn't have change so another member of the group offered to go. Then he said that instead of $7 each they could do it for "two for $15" Modern Bedouin math!
We visited late in the day so the sandstone was illuminated by the low light of the setting sun. Luckily is was not a hot day because there is not much wind down in these rock formations. Our hike back up was completed just as the sun was setting so the valley became rather dark, but we made it back to the bus without any casualities.
Well, they have turned off the lights in the lobby of the hotel, the only place I could get internet access, so I guess that signals the end of today's blog. More tomorrow as we re-enter Israel at Eilat on the Red Sea.
Once at the Jordan border we unloaded the bus and waited for our visas into Jordan to be processed. Then we stood in another line to have our passports stamped, our picture taken and a thumb print recorded by computer. Then it was outside to pick up our luggage, drag it through an xray inspection station and then walk another block to board our Jordanian tour bus. Oh, I forgot that there were porters in Jordan to load our luggage and that cost me another $10 in tips for the group. Good grief - 90 minutes for this simple crossing. I suppose traveling into Canada by car can sometimes take as long but it certainly makes you appreciate your freedom to travel from one state to another with little interuption.
In Jordan we met our new Jordanian guide, Khalid. He helped us with the border crossing and soon we were on our way toward Amman, the capital of Jordan. Along the Jordanian border the small villages are involved primarily in agriculture but are definitely much poorer than the cities across the border in Israel. Narrow roads ran through these villages lined with local shops selling everything necessary for their rather meager life. We saw one butcher shop with a skinned goat hanging from a hook outside the shop.
As we climbed the valley the landscape became more arid until we reached the desert on the top of the mountains. Jordan is 85% desert and there was nothing, no grass or trees, for mile upon mile. Water is in very short supply and our guide told us that each person in Jordan is allocated 8 liters of water per day; this includes water for showering, washing dishes, flushing toilets. Obviously water conservation is critical for the country to even exist.
Approaching Amman from the west, the suburbs became much more western appearing. Larger houses, modern cars and freeways were commonplace. Jordan has about 6 million citizens and 2 million live in Amman, where the major universities and medical facilities are located. Jordan has a well-educated populace with English being taught to all children 6 years old and up. Many other countries in the middle east send their students to the Jordanian universities.
When we left Amman we traveled south on the King's Highway with runs through the desert before reaching Petra. There is very little along this highway except for an occasional village. Jordan was originally the home of nomadic Bedouin tribes that herd goats and sheep throughout the desert. They have gradually settled in villages and are supported by holding government jobs or serving in the army. By settling in villages they now have access to schools and medical care, things not possible with a nomadic lifestyle.
Petra is located about half way between Amman and the Red Sea. It was an important city on the trading routes between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the middle east. As such, its merchants became wealthy and they had an extraordinary civilization dating from about 300 bc - 200 a.d. With Petra as there capital, they displayed their wealth with fabulous facades carved into the limestone walls of the wadi.
A wadi is a gulch that is carved by the forces of nature, wind and water, in the sandstone cliffs. The narrow streets wind their way through the city, with the local inhabitants living in carved cliff dwellings. The city of Petra was eventually abandoned and lost to the world except the local Bedouin tribesman. In 1812 it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer, Johan Burckhardt, who learned of it from the Bedouin.
Petra, which means "rock", was recently voted one of the seven wonders of the modern world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This protects it from overdevelopment and strictly regulates what is done in terms of restoration. Today it is visited by about 5,000 people a day, making Petra one of the wealthiest cities in Jordan. There are many hotels and other tourist amenities in the area.
The walk down from the top of the valley takes about 30 minutes. You can rent a horse or horse cart but walking is the preferred option. Our group all walked down the 1.5 miles, and most were able to walk back at the end of the tour. The gulch winds left and right, moving whereever the water would run, and the gradient is rather shallow. This makes for a relaxing walk, especially if you take the time to look at the different carvings along the way.
Near the bottom of the city lies what is called the Treasury. It is actually a memorial to one of the Nabataen kings and several tombs have been found in front of the facade. It was called "The Treasury of the Pharoahs" by the Bedouins who believed the Egyptian royalty had created the city and stored gold in the carved urn at the top of the facade. The facade is riddled with bullet holes where the Bedouins tried to break open the urn, which is actually solid, by shooting at it with rifles.
In front of the facade were a couple of camel jockeys offering rides on the camels for $7 per person. They are masters of salesmanship with lingo in many different languages, extolling the virtures of riding a camel. For example, they would call them Bedouin Ferraris (or many other luxury car names) They know how to not to make change. For example, one woman gave the driver $10 and he said he didn't have change so another member of the group offered to go. Then he said that instead of $7 each they could do it for "two for $15" Modern Bedouin math!
We visited late in the day so the sandstone was illuminated by the low light of the setting sun. Luckily is was not a hot day because there is not much wind down in these rock formations. Our hike back up was completed just as the sun was setting so the valley became rather dark, but we made it back to the bus without any casualities.
Well, they have turned off the lights in the lobby of the hotel, the only place I could get internet access, so I guess that signals the end of today's blog. More tomorrow as we re-enter Israel at Eilat on the Red Sea.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Christian Sites of Galilee - Saturday, October 23
The Jewish sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and lasts until sundown on Saturday. Because today (Saturday) was the sabbath and many things are closed, we spent the day touring Christian sites around the Sea of Galilee.
First off this morning was a trip to the top of Mt. Arbel, which overlooks Tiberius and Migdal (formerly called Magdal). The bus took is near the top of the mountain and then we hiked the remaining quarter mile to the top. At one point there was a city on the top of this mountain and also homes built into the caves in the hillside. As you can see from the pictures, the view of the valley is spectacular, with the Sea of Galilee off to the east.
Returning to lake level we travelled to area along the the sea where Jesus performed the miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, and where he preached the Beatitudes in a natural amphitheatre along the lake front. These two holy sites are now administered by the Fransicans (since the time of Turkish rule 100 years ago) and there are churches and gardens built on both sites. To me, they seemed more like tourist stops than did the road to Nazareth which we saw yesterday. Yet we know that Jesus was in this area and that millions of pilgrims visit the area each year.
Next we visited Capernaum, which is where Jesus spent a substantial amount of time during his ministry. At Capernaum is an ancient synagogue dating from the 3rd or 4th century, but it is built over the synagogue where Jesus preached. Also in Capernaum is the house of St. Peter's mother-in-law where Jesus probably stayed. This site has a church built around it which dates from the 3rd or 4th century. The church is in ruins but excavations have been carried out by the Franciscans and it is quite impressive.
Just a few miles away is Bet Saida, the fishing village home of the disciples Peter, Andrew and Phillip. The city, which was once along the Sea of Galilee, is now quite far away. The city has been moved by earthquakes and shifting of the tactonic plates, and the lake has also receded due to these geological changes. It was interesting to see that Bet Saida is being excavated by a team of mid-western colleges including University of Nebraska-Omaha, Wartburg College (in Iowa) and Truman State (in Missouri - where my nieces went to college)
Lunch today was at a kibbutz on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Fish was the special of the day, but I saw it wink at me (the head and eyes were still on it) for we had the vegtable soup and salads. The fresh vegtables, especially cucumbers and tomatoes are terrific. Terri loves the hummus and flat bread which is served at most meals. The kibbutz has fields of banana trees, all covered by netting to keep out the birds and the bunches of bananas are also covered with blue bags. I assume this is to keep out insects, much like we cover apples with bags while they are still on the tree.
The final stop of the day was at Kinneret, where the Jordan river flows out of the Sea of Galilee. This is where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Today the area is run by a kibbutz which has built steps down to the river where many pilgrims are baptized. We had a short service there and then had the chance to renew our baptism in the river, though I chose just to go wading, not for the "full dip." It was interesting to have groups from all over the world in this area. We had a group from India join us in singing some hymns and then a group from Russia, I think, also join in signing in their own language. It was very moving to hear the same hymn in languages from throughout the world.
We returned to the hotel in time to enjoy a beer on the patio before dinner. Today had been about 100 degrees, so a cold beer was very refreshing.
First off this morning was a trip to the top of Mt. Arbel, which overlooks Tiberius and Migdal (formerly called Magdal). The bus took is near the top of the mountain and then we hiked the remaining quarter mile to the top. At one point there was a city on the top of this mountain and also homes built into the caves in the hillside. As you can see from the pictures, the view of the valley is spectacular, with the Sea of Galilee off to the east.
Returning to lake level we travelled to area along the the sea where Jesus performed the miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, and where he preached the Beatitudes in a natural amphitheatre along the lake front. These two holy sites are now administered by the Fransicans (since the time of Turkish rule 100 years ago) and there are churches and gardens built on both sites. To me, they seemed more like tourist stops than did the road to Nazareth which we saw yesterday. Yet we know that Jesus was in this area and that millions of pilgrims visit the area each year.
Next we visited Capernaum, which is where Jesus spent a substantial amount of time during his ministry. At Capernaum is an ancient synagogue dating from the 3rd or 4th century, but it is built over the synagogue where Jesus preached. Also in Capernaum is the house of St. Peter's mother-in-law where Jesus probably stayed. This site has a church built around it which dates from the 3rd or 4th century. The church is in ruins but excavations have been carried out by the Franciscans and it is quite impressive.
Just a few miles away is Bet Saida, the fishing village home of the disciples Peter, Andrew and Phillip. The city, which was once along the Sea of Galilee, is now quite far away. The city has been moved by earthquakes and shifting of the tactonic plates, and the lake has also receded due to these geological changes. It was interesting to see that Bet Saida is being excavated by a team of mid-western colleges including University of Nebraska-Omaha, Wartburg College (in Iowa) and Truman State (in Missouri - where my nieces went to college)
Lunch today was at a kibbutz on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Fish was the special of the day, but I saw it wink at me (the head and eyes were still on it) for we had the vegtable soup and salads. The fresh vegtables, especially cucumbers and tomatoes are terrific. Terri loves the hummus and flat bread which is served at most meals. The kibbutz has fields of banana trees, all covered by netting to keep out the birds and the bunches of bananas are also covered with blue bags. I assume this is to keep out insects, much like we cover apples with bags while they are still on the tree.
The final stop of the day was at Kinneret, where the Jordan river flows out of the Sea of Galilee. This is where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Today the area is run by a kibbutz which has built steps down to the river where many pilgrims are baptized. We had a short service there and then had the chance to renew our baptism in the river, though I chose just to go wading, not for the "full dip." It was interesting to have groups from all over the world in this area. We had a group from India join us in singing some hymns and then a group from Russia, I think, also join in signing in their own language. It was very moving to hear the same hymn in languages from throughout the world.
We returned to the hotel in time to enjoy a beer on the patio before dinner. Today had been about 100 degrees, so a cold beer was very refreshing.
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Golan Heights and Sea of Galilee - Friday, Oct 22
Today we left our hotel in Tiberius, which is built along the Sea of Galilee and traveled north to the Golan Heights of Israel. First, a bit about Tiberius. Tiberious was built by King Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, and named for his benefactor, Tiberious, the Roman emporer. The city is one of the most important cities in Israel but was never the site of anything important in the Bible.
The Sea of Galilee is about 600 feet below sea level and is fed by the Jordan river. The Jordan river is fed by three springs in the Golan Heights and today we visited two of them. The city of Dan was the site of King Soloman's kingdom. Here we visited the archeological dig which showed the ancient Caananite entrance to the city, which features 3 arches over the gate. While a little hard to see in this picture, this gate to the city dates from about 1500 years BC.
Right near the city is a national park and nature reserve. Here is a spring which flows quite rapidly and develops into one of the streams feeding the Jordan river. This area is very close to Lebanon and at one point prior to the 1967 6 day war, was being threatened for diversion by Israel's neighbors to the north. Today it is a babbling brook with crystal clear water surrounded by bamboo and other lush vegitation.
Another spring feeding the Jordan is located at Banias. This area was once known as Caesarea Phillipi and was named by Herod Philip, the other son of King Herod, the brother of Herod Antipas. About 300 ad Alexander the Great had built 3 temples into the hillside where the local people had worshiped the god "Pan." The city was then name Panias, but the Moslems that later invaded the area couldn't pronounce the P in Panias and called it Banias. Caesarea Philippi is mentioned many times in the Bible because its inhabitants were not Jewish and worshiped the god Pan.
The Golan Heights and Mt Hermon tower about 7500 feet above sea level and borders Lebanon and Syria, two traditional enemies of Israel. Some of the cities in this area were attacked a few years ago by missles fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon. The area is well fortified and we saw some areas where there were mine fields left behind by Syria after the 6 day war in 1967. I might add that we all felt quite safe, even though we heard machine gun firing in the hills as the Israeli army had maneuvers in the area.
At Banias we also walked along the river until we came to the Road to Damascus (Syria). It was somewhere along this road that the apostle Paul was struck blind before he began his ministry.
As we traveled back down toward the Sea of Galilee we stopped at Chorazin, which was a town with an ancient synagogue. I should mention that Israel lies on several geological faults and many of the cities were destroyed by earthquakes over the years. It is only in the last 100 years that archeolgists have started picking up and putting the pieces back together.
On our way back to the sea with stopped along a trail which ran into the hillside. This trail was the road from Nazareth to Magdal (now called Migdal) which was the home of Mary Magdaline. It was very moving to stand on this road knowing that this was the actual road that Jesus walked 2000 years ago as he journeyed from Nazareth to the Sea of Gallilee.
In Migdal we toured a museum where they have a 2000 year old fishing boat. It was discovered a few years ago when the water in the Sea of Galilee receded. It was buried in mud at the bottom of the lake and it was a long process to bring up the boat. First they encased in in foam, to hold it together while they lifted it from the mud. Then it was placed in a vat of lake water and fish were introduced to eat the bateria that were in the wood. Finally, once the bacteria were gone the wood was gradually preserved and introduced to the air. It was quite a museum.
After leaving the museum we boarded a boat and journeyed out into the Sea of Galilee. It was a warm afternoon on the lake, maybe about 85 with high humidity and a full moon rising over the mountains to the east. We cruised for about 30 minutes back to Tiberius where our bus driver met us and took as back to our hotel.
Another fantastic day.
The Sea of Galilee is about 600 feet below sea level and is fed by the Jordan river. The Jordan river is fed by three springs in the Golan Heights and today we visited two of them. The city of Dan was the site of King Soloman's kingdom. Here we visited the archeological dig which showed the ancient Caananite entrance to the city, which features 3 arches over the gate. While a little hard to see in this picture, this gate to the city dates from about 1500 years BC.
Right near the city is a national park and nature reserve. Here is a spring which flows quite rapidly and develops into one of the streams feeding the Jordan river. This area is very close to Lebanon and at one point prior to the 1967 6 day war, was being threatened for diversion by Israel's neighbors to the north. Today it is a babbling brook with crystal clear water surrounded by bamboo and other lush vegitation.
Another spring feeding the Jordan is located at Banias. This area was once known as Caesarea Phillipi and was named by Herod Philip, the other son of King Herod, the brother of Herod Antipas. About 300 ad Alexander the Great had built 3 temples into the hillside where the local people had worshiped the god "Pan." The city was then name Panias, but the Moslems that later invaded the area couldn't pronounce the P in Panias and called it Banias. Caesarea Philippi is mentioned many times in the Bible because its inhabitants were not Jewish and worshiped the god Pan.
The Golan Heights and Mt Hermon tower about 7500 feet above sea level and borders Lebanon and Syria, two traditional enemies of Israel. Some of the cities in this area were attacked a few years ago by missles fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon. The area is well fortified and we saw some areas where there were mine fields left behind by Syria after the 6 day war in 1967. I might add that we all felt quite safe, even though we heard machine gun firing in the hills as the Israeli army had maneuvers in the area.
At Banias we also walked along the river until we came to the Road to Damascus (Syria). It was somewhere along this road that the apostle Paul was struck blind before he began his ministry.
As we traveled back down toward the Sea of Galilee we stopped at Chorazin, which was a town with an ancient synagogue. I should mention that Israel lies on several geological faults and many of the cities were destroyed by earthquakes over the years. It is only in the last 100 years that archeolgists have started picking up and putting the pieces back together.
On our way back to the sea with stopped along a trail which ran into the hillside. This trail was the road from Nazareth to Magdal (now called Migdal) which was the home of Mary Magdaline. It was very moving to stand on this road knowing that this was the actual road that Jesus walked 2000 years ago as he journeyed from Nazareth to the Sea of Gallilee.
In Migdal we toured a museum where they have a 2000 year old fishing boat. It was discovered a few years ago when the water in the Sea of Galilee receded. It was buried in mud at the bottom of the lake and it was a long process to bring up the boat. First they encased in in foam, to hold it together while they lifted it from the mud. Then it was placed in a vat of lake water and fish were introduced to eat the bateria that were in the wood. Finally, once the bacteria were gone the wood was gradually preserved and introduced to the air. It was quite a museum.
After leaving the museum we boarded a boat and journeyed out into the Sea of Galilee. It was a warm afternoon on the lake, maybe about 85 with high humidity and a full moon rising over the mountains to the east. We cruised for about 30 minutes back to Tiberius where our bus driver met us and took as back to our hotel.
Another fantastic day.
Northern Israel - Thursday, Oct 21
Because I am rebuilding this post after losing it yesterday, I am going to keep it rather short. There is a lot to tell but I also want to write about today's journey.
We left our hotel at Netanya and traveled a few miles north to the city of Caesarea. This city was built by King Herod the Great in 19 bc and was built with the help of his Roman benefactors. The city featured a deep-water port with a breakwater, Roman theatre seating 3000, a hippodrome (site of chariot races) to seat 15,000, Roman baths and a Roman temple.
From a Christian standpoint Caesarea is important because Peter and Paul were both imprisioned there for several years before being shipped off to Rome. It was also the seat of rule for Pontius Pilate, who was the Roman governor after the reign of Herod.
From Caesarea we visited the remains of a Roman aqueduct that brought fresh water from the mountains in the north, traveling over 70 km over a variety of terrain. The engineering was amazing for its day.
Our next stop was Mt. Carmel, which is mentioned a number of times in the bible. It was here that the prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal (idol worshipers) to exhort their god to start a sacrifice on fire. Elijah won, even after soaking his wood in water. Mt. Carmel is also the site of several New Testament stories.
Mt. Carmel overlooks the Jezreel valley, a very fertile farming region in Israel. Through this valley runs crossroads to all of the middle east and it has been the site of many battles through the millenia. The city of Megiddo is mentioned in a temple in Luxor, Egypt because it was conquered by the Pharoah in 1500 b.c., the earliest recorded battle in history.
At Megiddo we toured a "Tel" which is an archeological dig covering multiple civilizations. At Megiddo, the Tel has unearthed 17 different civilizations built one on top of another. The final civilization died out when the water in an underground spring dried up. The spring could be accessed from inside the city gates through a tunnel. Some of the heartier members of the group walked down 100 steps into the tunnel and then proceed to walk through the tunnel to the source of spring and back up another 60 steps.
Because Megiddo has been the site of many battles (all the important armies have been through there, including Alexander the Great, Caesar, Constantine, the moslem armies and the crusaders, just to name a few) it is also the purported site of Armagedon, which is mentioned in Revelations at the place where the final battle to end the world takes place.
Our last stop of the day was Nazareth, home of Joseph and Mary and Jesus. We toured a replica of a first century a.d. village would have looked like. There were olive trees, a vineyard, and terraced farm fields, since Nazareth is built on a hillside and is very rocky. This replica village is near the center of town and had never been built on, so the farm existed much as it must have looked like 2000 years ago.
Wow. Looking back, what a full day. We continued about 20 miles over the hills to Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee, where we will stay for 3 nights.
We left our hotel at Netanya and traveled a few miles north to the city of Caesarea. This city was built by King Herod the Great in 19 bc and was built with the help of his Roman benefactors. The city featured a deep-water port with a breakwater, Roman theatre seating 3000, a hippodrome (site of chariot races) to seat 15,000, Roman baths and a Roman temple.
From a Christian standpoint Caesarea is important because Peter and Paul were both imprisioned there for several years before being shipped off to Rome. It was also the seat of rule for Pontius Pilate, who was the Roman governor after the reign of Herod.
From Caesarea we visited the remains of a Roman aqueduct that brought fresh water from the mountains in the north, traveling over 70 km over a variety of terrain. The engineering was amazing for its day.
Our next stop was Mt. Carmel, which is mentioned a number of times in the bible. It was here that the prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal (idol worshipers) to exhort their god to start a sacrifice on fire. Elijah won, even after soaking his wood in water. Mt. Carmel is also the site of several New Testament stories.
Mt. Carmel overlooks the Jezreel valley, a very fertile farming region in Israel. Through this valley runs crossroads to all of the middle east and it has been the site of many battles through the millenia. The city of Megiddo is mentioned in a temple in Luxor, Egypt because it was conquered by the Pharoah in 1500 b.c., the earliest recorded battle in history.
At Megiddo we toured a "Tel" which is an archeological dig covering multiple civilizations. At Megiddo, the Tel has unearthed 17 different civilizations built one on top of another. The final civilization died out when the water in an underground spring dried up. The spring could be accessed from inside the city gates through a tunnel. Some of the heartier members of the group walked down 100 steps into the tunnel and then proceed to walk through the tunnel to the source of spring and back up another 60 steps.
Because Megiddo has been the site of many battles (all the important armies have been through there, including Alexander the Great, Caesar, Constantine, the moslem armies and the crusaders, just to name a few) it is also the purported site of Armagedon, which is mentioned in Revelations at the place where the final battle to end the world takes place.
Our last stop of the day was Nazareth, home of Joseph and Mary and Jesus. We toured a replica of a first century a.d. village would have looked like. There were olive trees, a vineyard, and terraced farm fields, since Nazareth is built on a hillside and is very rocky. This replica village is near the center of town and had never been built on, so the farm existed much as it must have looked like 2000 years ago.
Wow. Looking back, what a full day. We continued about 20 miles over the hills to Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee, where we will stay for 3 nights.
Whoops - Thursday, Oct 21
Last night I had a catastrophe. I plugged in my computer and started writing about the events of the day. We had seen and learned so much on Thursday that it took me a couple of hours to recount the events of the day and condense it to the blog.
When I finally got ready to post The Epistle According to St. Fred my computer locked up. I tried every possible solution, all to no avail. Disheartened, I turned off the computer and went to bed.
This morning (Friday) I thought maybe I could do another post so I booted up the computer. All I got was a flashing cursor. I tried it again - same result. All I could conclude was that there was a spark of static electricity as I plugged in my computer and it must have fried the hard drive.
Dejected, I left this morning with the rest of the group figuring out that I would have to abandon the blog or maybe be able to write something from the hotel business center each night. While not ideal, at least it would allow me to post something saying that the blog wasn't going to be updated daily.
Tonight we returned to the hotel about 6 pm. We had a couple of hours to rest before dinner so I thought I would try my computer again.
I couldn't believe it. It was the first miracle we have encountered in Gallilee! My computer booted up, gave me more than a cursor and seems to be operating as if nothing had happened.
I'll eventually get to the events of yesterday and today, but for now I want to post this and see if everything is actually working. If so, I'll get to the update on all the tremendous events of the last couple of days.
Hope you're all enjoying this. The trip has been great and it's fun to share it with the folks back at home.
Shalom.
When I finally got ready to post The Epistle According to St. Fred my computer locked up. I tried every possible solution, all to no avail. Disheartened, I turned off the computer and went to bed.
This morning (Friday) I thought maybe I could do another post so I booted up the computer. All I got was a flashing cursor. I tried it again - same result. All I could conclude was that there was a spark of static electricity as I plugged in my computer and it must have fried the hard drive.
Dejected, I left this morning with the rest of the group figuring out that I would have to abandon the blog or maybe be able to write something from the hotel business center each night. While not ideal, at least it would allow me to post something saying that the blog wasn't going to be updated daily.
Tonight we returned to the hotel about 6 pm. We had a couple of hours to rest before dinner so I thought I would try my computer again.
I couldn't believe it. It was the first miracle we have encountered in Gallilee! My computer booted up, gave me more than a cursor and seems to be operating as if nothing had happened.
I'll eventually get to the events of yesterday and today, but for now I want to post this and see if everything is actually working. If so, I'll get to the update on all the tremendous events of the last couple of days.
Hope you're all enjoying this. The trip has been great and it's fun to share it with the folks back at home.
Shalom.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Arrival in Tel Aviv - Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Delta 747 departed about an hour late from JFK. There was a mechanical issue that needed fixing before departure. It took about 15 minutes to repair and then about 45 minutes to complete the necessary paperwork showing that it had been fixed.
There were 303 people on board the 747 and it was the busiest flight I have ever been on. I think it is part of the middle-eastern culture but people were up and down the aisle all night. It made for some fitful sleep but I think I still knocked down a couple of hours of sleep in a couple of different stretches.
The flight was 10 hours long but for me it seemed to go fast. There were 4 movies shown but I spent most of the time reading a new book. Our route took us across the north Atlantic, then across Northern Spain, Sardinia and Italy and then the Greek Islands. It was daylight as we approached Spain so it was interesting to try and guage our route the rest of the trip.
Skies were clear as we arrived in Tel Aviv and it was 97 degrees. We had made up some of the time from our late departure and arrived right on schedule. Arriving in the middle of the day the airport is relatively quiet but the line going through immigration did take about an hour. As we left the immigration hall we claimed our luggage and met our tour guide for the Israel portion of the trip.
Our guide's name is Pilar and she is from Spain but has lived and worked in Israel for 30 years. She is very knowledgable and well organized. She wants our group to feel like a big family during our next 10 days with her. She did admit that she knows nothing about trees or crops; if you ask her what kind of tree that is she will say "green." We might have to educate her a bit on some of these things.
This is a very busy time of year for tourism and Pilar had just dropped off another group and rushed to the airport to meet us. We spent some time together with her this evening reviewing our itinerary and making some minor adjustments so that we can see as much as possible during our trip.
Our hotel in Netanya is only about 30 miles from Tel Aviv but it took about 90 minutes to get here. It seems they have rush hour in all parts of the world. That, coupled with road construction, delayed our arrival a bit and gave us a chance to rest a bit.
The Blue Bay Hotel in Netanya is located right on the Mediterranean sea. After checking in and getting to our room, Terri and I donned our swimsuits for a quick dip before dinner. The water was warm, the beach quite sandy and the waves were big. It was a great way to get some exercise and freshen up after the long, overnight flight. A hot shower, clean clothes and we were ready for dinner.
At dinner it was obvious we were in the Middle East. All kinds of vegetables, olives and hummus were on the buffet for dinner. I had some matzah (sp?) ball soup, cucumber salads, roasted peppers and some grilled chicken for dinner. This will be a very healthy diet for the next two weeks, I'm sure.
The key to beating jet-lag is to stay up as long as possible without taking a nap. I think I have done pretty well with that, especially since I had two days of blogging to do after dinner. (Terri is lying in bed as I type and I keep catching her dropping off to sleep.)
So tomorrow the sightseeing begins. We are going to have an early wake-up call and depart the hotel at 7:45. With the short day-light this time of year we want to get an early start; we have a full day of history awaiting us.
There were 303 people on board the 747 and it was the busiest flight I have ever been on. I think it is part of the middle-eastern culture but people were up and down the aisle all night. It made for some fitful sleep but I think I still knocked down a couple of hours of sleep in a couple of different stretches.
The flight was 10 hours long but for me it seemed to go fast. There were 4 movies shown but I spent most of the time reading a new book. Our route took us across the north Atlantic, then across Northern Spain, Sardinia and Italy and then the Greek Islands. It was daylight as we approached Spain so it was interesting to try and guage our route the rest of the trip.
Skies were clear as we arrived in Tel Aviv and it was 97 degrees. We had made up some of the time from our late departure and arrived right on schedule. Arriving in the middle of the day the airport is relatively quiet but the line going through immigration did take about an hour. As we left the immigration hall we claimed our luggage and met our tour guide for the Israel portion of the trip.
Our guide's name is Pilar and she is from Spain but has lived and worked in Israel for 30 years. She is very knowledgable and well organized. She wants our group to feel like a big family during our next 10 days with her. She did admit that she knows nothing about trees or crops; if you ask her what kind of tree that is she will say "green." We might have to educate her a bit on some of these things.
This is a very busy time of year for tourism and Pilar had just dropped off another group and rushed to the airport to meet us. We spent some time together with her this evening reviewing our itinerary and making some minor adjustments so that we can see as much as possible during our trip.
Our hotel in Netanya is only about 30 miles from Tel Aviv but it took about 90 minutes to get here. It seems they have rush hour in all parts of the world. That, coupled with road construction, delayed our arrival a bit and gave us a chance to rest a bit.
The Blue Bay Hotel in Netanya is located right on the Mediterranean sea. After checking in and getting to our room, Terri and I donned our swimsuits for a quick dip before dinner. The water was warm, the beach quite sandy and the waves were big. It was a great way to get some exercise and freshen up after the long, overnight flight. A hot shower, clean clothes and we were ready for dinner.
At dinner it was obvious we were in the Middle East. All kinds of vegetables, olives and hummus were on the buffet for dinner. I had some matzah (sp?) ball soup, cucumber salads, roasted peppers and some grilled chicken for dinner. This will be a very healthy diet for the next two weeks, I'm sure.
The key to beating jet-lag is to stay up as long as possible without taking a nap. I think I have done pretty well with that, especially since I had two days of blogging to do after dinner. (Terri is lying in bed as I type and I keep catching her dropping off to sleep.)
So tomorrow the sightseeing begins. We are going to have an early wake-up call and depart the hotel at 7:45. With the short day-light this time of year we want to get an early start; we have a full day of history awaiting us.
We're Off - Oct 19, 2010
We left Alexandria about 815 am on Tuesday morning, taking a shuttle to the MSP Airport for our connecting flight to New York's Kennedy Airport.
Traveling with a group presents its own challenges and every group is different. It is easy to forecast the character of each group within a few short minutes together. Our group from First Lutheran was all at the church on-time and no one had forgotten their passports or anything else critical for the trip.
Within a few minutes aboard the shuttle they were all engaged in conversation, laughing and getting to know each other. They were all excited about the details of the trip being posted on a blog so that they could share the trip with friends and relatives.
Not having blogged before, I wasn't sure what I was going to write about the first day. Then it happened. I noticed one of the tour participants had spilled her coffee on the bus seat and was busy wiping it up. I grabbed a few more paper towels from the driver and I offered to wipe her behind. Well, not literally - but I did offer to help her dry her slacks. Just like on Dragnet - the names have been changed to protect the innocent. (but her initials were B.R.!)
We arrived in MSP and met 8 more of the group, including travelers from South Dakota and California. Check-in was a snap and everyone boarded the flight for an on-time departure to NYC.
It was a beautiful day in NYC so we had great views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan as we arrived at JFK. Since our connecting flight was also on Delta, we didn't have to change terminals at JFK, but it still was a bit of a walk. It felt good to stretch one's legs after sitting for most of the day.
As you walk through the terminal it is obvious that you are in an international city. People of all races and cultures were sharing the terminal. We even had 2 people from Boston, relatives of one of the tour members, join our group here. We were relieved to find them waiting us at the gate.
One of our group members (M.S) had never been to New York before and thought she really need to say that she had "had a Cosmo in NYC" so she and Terri found an establishment just a few steps away from the gate. I told them to be back at the gate at 615 PM.
About 645 the gate agent was announcing "Last Call" Apparently these bar patrons heard this and misunderstood the announcement, because it was still a while before they showed up for checkin.
Actually, I am just kidding. They did show up on time and all were on board for our trip across the Atlantic. A good conclusion to day 1 of our Excellent Adventure.
Traveling with a group presents its own challenges and every group is different. It is easy to forecast the character of each group within a few short minutes together. Our group from First Lutheran was all at the church on-time and no one had forgotten their passports or anything else critical for the trip.
Within a few minutes aboard the shuttle they were all engaged in conversation, laughing and getting to know each other. They were all excited about the details of the trip being posted on a blog so that they could share the trip with friends and relatives.
Not having blogged before, I wasn't sure what I was going to write about the first day. Then it happened. I noticed one of the tour participants had spilled her coffee on the bus seat and was busy wiping it up. I grabbed a few more paper towels from the driver and I offered to wipe her behind. Well, not literally - but I did offer to help her dry her slacks. Just like on Dragnet - the names have been changed to protect the innocent. (but her initials were B.R.!)
We arrived in MSP and met 8 more of the group, including travelers from South Dakota and California. Check-in was a snap and everyone boarded the flight for an on-time departure to NYC.
It was a beautiful day in NYC so we had great views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan as we arrived at JFK. Since our connecting flight was also on Delta, we didn't have to change terminals at JFK, but it still was a bit of a walk. It felt good to stretch one's legs after sitting for most of the day.
As you walk through the terminal it is obvious that you are in an international city. People of all races and cultures were sharing the terminal. We even had 2 people from Boston, relatives of one of the tour members, join our group here. We were relieved to find them waiting us at the gate.
One of our group members (M.S) had never been to New York before and thought she really need to say that she had "had a Cosmo in NYC" so she and Terri found an establishment just a few steps away from the gate. I told them to be back at the gate at 615 PM.
About 645 the gate agent was announcing "Last Call" Apparently these bar patrons heard this and misunderstood the announcement, because it was still a while before they showed up for checkin.
Actually, I am just kidding. They did show up on time and all were on board for our trip across the Atlantic. A good conclusion to day 1 of our Excellent Adventure.
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