Blogs from North District, Israel, Middle East - page 7

ANOTHER WARM ONE TODAY HAD A LONG SWIM IN THE POOL WHEN WE GOT BACK TO THE GUESTHOUSE but first we went to Nazareth where Jesus grew up and we went to a village which has been set up on the ruins of an old farming area where they have uncovered some ruins and reconstructed a village scene complete with actors acting out life in a nazareth village 2000 yrs ago they have a donkey crushing the wheat while a shepherd watches his sheep a watchman stands watch over the whole area, an old lady weaves some wool and a carpenter cuts some wood and demonstrates a drill with a bow and string and a young girl wanders around looking cute and having her photo taken with tourists the whole thing is very well done, from ... read more

Today we traveled to Cana where Jesus turned water into wine at the Wedding Feast of Cana, his first miracle. Upon arrival all the married couples in the group renewed their wedding vows. It was one of the little surprises that we have been experiencing every day. We processed down the aisle in 2’s and then facing our spouses all recited our wedding vows followed by a blessing of our rings. It added a nice touch and was a special beginning to our day. Some of the sites we visit have been destroyed in one way or another but through excavation ruins are found and then churches built on top of them to preserve them. Sometimes these churches are destroyed by war or earthquakes and rebuilt only to be destroyed again. Next stop was the Sea ... read more

Today after breakfast we boarded our bus for the drive to Caesarea Philippi which is in the Lebanon/Syria border. Caesarea Phillippi was an ancient Roman city located at the southwestern base of Mount Hermon, adjacent to a spring, grotto, and related to the Greek god Pan, and called “Banias or Paneas.” The city is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. The city is now uninhabited, an archaeological site in the Golan Heights. Near Caesarea Philippi, a city of Greek-Roman gods, Jesus announced he would establish a church and gave authority over it to the apostle Simon—whom he renamed Peter. This is where He declared, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church….” It was a very moving experience. Afterwards we stopped for lunch where we ordered some Gyros. So far ... read more

This morning got off to a frustrating start. By the time we found our way to the car rental and made our peace with our sat nav system, it was almost lunchtime. Thankfully the gas station on Route 1 served the best gas station food I've ever tried. With schnitzel sandwiches and sugar-free energy drinks to fuel us, we made our way north on Route 90. This stretch of highway runs parallel to the Jordan river. We felt popping in our ears as we approached it. We finally figured out that it was because we were driving below sea level as that was the beginning of the Dead Sea area. Along our route were markers indicating our depth. It was a very scenic, desert looking region. The desert scenery became greener and more lush as we ... read more

It was just after midnight when I awoke, very much awake, and rose and spent about three hours writing the blog from our first full day in the Holy Land. I had slept quite soundly, and after finishing the blog, continued with some sound sleep, anticipating another 6 AM wakeup call that had been placed for our group. We’d missed the excitement of one of our fellow travelers who had managed to get locked in the bathroom late during the night and needed to summon help by pounding on the wall. I’m thinking that this being a pilgrim is pretty rough stuff. At about a quarter to six I awoke again from a sound sleep and asked myself, is that really a jack ass braying at dawn? They have a wakeup donkey here in the Holy ... read more