Monday & Tuesday

So I'd say Monday was one of my favorite days for sure. In the first part of the day we stayed in Galilee and visited different places related to Jesus's ministry. First we went to Tabgha, which is the place in Christian tradition where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes and fed all the people. The church built on that spot to commemorate it is called the Church of Heptapegon. The church was very simple and spacious and there weren't a lot of tourists around when we got there, so it left plenty of space for us to meditate and enjoy the awesome loaves and fishes mosaic on the floor. It also helped that the inside of the church was supposed to be silent, although there were some people talking in there at first which kinda bugged me. But this church was definitely one of the more enjoyable places to visit for me.

After that we went to Capernaum, which was Jesus's headquarters for a while when he was doing his ministry in Galilee. There's a neat church there that is round and built up off the ground, right on top of the ruins where they believe Saint Peter's house was. We also talked about Mark 5 where Jesus heals a man with many demons in him. We talked about how Jesus was on the Roman side of the sea (in the East, across the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum) and how this story probably stirred up the people on that side of the sea so he crossed back into Capernaum.

After lunch we went to some more ruins, an old city called Gamla. This city was out basically on top of this mountain plateau that juts out into the valley. The lady at the top who let us into the park (all of these places we were visiting are part of Israel's National Parks) said there was no time for us to hike down, but 2 other guys and I double-timed it down the path all the way out to the edge of the ruins on top of the cliff. From there we could see all the way out through the valley and into the Sea of Galilee. Super great views! And it was also very easy to see why Gamla was one of the last strongholds in the North during the Jewish revolt against Rome in the late 60s AD - it's very separated from the main roads/plateau (you have to cross a few choke points to get there) and it can't be reached from the cliff edges on either side of it.

After that we went to the church site built on the hill where Jesus is thought to have preached the Sermon on the Mount. But the place had already closed! Disappointing! But that's ok ... instead we took a walk around the hill and hung out around the top of the hill while we read Luke 6:20- end of chapter 6. That was fine with me, as we were probably experiencing more of what the disciples would have experienced when Jesus had preached that sermon, rather than seeing some church built on that spot.

Tuesday

Tuesday morning we drove up North, to Tel Dan, another ancient city in Northern Israel and one of the important crossroads and major sources of water in the region. You can really tell when you get there that this place is different - trees and green life everywhere, lots of shade, and the sound of roaring water. We hiked up and around this ancient site and saw the oldest intact arch discovered on the planet - the Canaanite Gate, which is said to be dated back to the time of Abraham. I really liked walking around this park, I think it might be my new favorite. There's this one area inside that's just called "paradise" because it's so idyllic - trees and other plants growing around a riverbed that the trail takes you through - so peaceful!

After that we went to Nimrod's Fortress, an Arabic fortress that was never conquered by the Crusaders (they think). It's easy to see why that is, because it's set on top of (yet another) cliff in the North, with difficult approaches from most sides and towers protecting the one approachable side. We climbed to the top tower and the air was so fresh up there and the breeze was so nice, I just wanted to stay there!

For lunch we stopped at this old Israeli bunker on top of Mount Bental that guards the border in the Golan Heights region. Richard and I had a fun time running through the bunker pretending to be in a first-person shooter game while waiting for our lunch. What was really surprising, however, was that the (only) restaurant there at the top of the hill had really good food, friendly service, AND it was clean! Shocking! I would have thought that since it's the only restaurant nearby they could price gouge and not have great service. But no, my omelet sandwich (egg, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on ciabatta; no cheese for some reason) was very tasty.

Later in the afternoon we went to the Golan Heights winery, which started growing grapes in the late 70s and supposedly can grow really great grapes of almost any variety because of the differing elevations and the super rich volcanic soil in the Golan Heights region. The wines we tasted were just ok, but what really made the tour great was our awesome Jewish guide. I'll have to see if anyone got video of this guy - he was really funny and knowledgeable.

Ok, that's about it for Monday and Tuesday - hopefully I'll get Wednesday and Today in either tonight or tomorrow.  Seven of the group are flying back tomorrow, the other five (me included) are leaving Jerusalem (sad!) and heading to Eilat for a tour of Petra on Saturday and then flying back Sunday.