Travels through the Holy Land

Greetings one and all!
My apologies for the lack of anything up here, but I've been busy playing tourist with our Canadian guests. Fortunately for me (and therefore all of you) they took lots of pictures (LOTS of pictures). So, without further ado, here is a day by day, site by site account of our adventures!

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, the first priority was to get our guests the best falafel in Tel Aviv, which is found at Doctor Falafel! (It's not actually called that. It is called Doctor something, but it's not falafel. Doctor Delicious? Doctor Tasty?)










Our first big trip was to Nazareth, where we visited the Church of the Annunciation, where Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to the son of God.

The courtyard around the church is lined with mosaics of the Virgin Mary donated by the Catholic churches of various countries (most countries only get one, but Spain, Italy, and The Vatican each got two or three, for obvious reasons)

Before entering the church, we had to make sure we were appropriately dressed, meaning shoulders and knees must be covered.  Particularly memorable was the U.S. Marine tour group, and the officer shouting "Johnson! Go put some pants on!"

The lower part of church, called The Grotto, is fascinating because you can see how this church was built right on top of the ruins of an older church.

Further international artistic donations line the interior walls.  We all agreed that in the American interpretation of the Virgin Mary, she is made of steel and has super powers.

 Our day in Nazareth ended with meze, which is an Arab style meal where everyone shares a bunch of dips, salads, and pitas.  This included what is, without a doubt, the best hummus I have ever had.



















On the way home, we stopped by the Sea of Galilee.  This was the sight of one of Jesus' miracles. Can you guess which one?

Our next big outing was to Haifa, which is the sight of the Baha'i Gardens and the temple of their founder, Bahá'u'lláh.  The gardens were funded by donations from Baha'i worldwide, and they are maintained by Baha'i volunteers.  They are free to tour, and there is nothing for sale.  The Baha'i teachings center around the eventual unity of all religions, and the equality of all people.  Besides having beautiful gardens, I feel they also have some beautiful ideas.

Our next day trip took us to Jersulaem.
The first stop was :
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is on the site of the crucifixion, the burial and resurrection.

After the church, we took a tour of The Old City, which is divided into the Muslim, Armenian, Christian, and Jewish quarters, all of which can be seen from select vantage points on the roof.

A prominent Israeli writer once described Jerusalem as a city connected by its rooftops, and divided by its people.

The last major sight to see was the Wailing Wall, or the Western Wall.  This is the only remanants of the Second Temple of Judaism, and is the holiest sight in the Jewish Religion.
To understand the variety of religious significance in this part of the world, this photo shows the wailing wall in the bottom right, as well as the dome of the rock (the golden dome), which is the site of Muhammad's ascension into Heaven, and the third holiest site in Islam.

After Jerusalem, we made our way to Bethlehem for the last of our Holy hot spots.  The Church of the Nativity is built on the site of Christ's birth.
There is an elaborate shrine inside on the supposed birth spot, but there was an even more elaborate lineup to see it, and it had already been a long day. Maybe next time.








The next adventure was my favorite day by far.  It began with a late night drive to an adorable little inn close to the Dead Sea.  This was necessary as the day's activities had to start very early.
 
This is Masada, and on this day, we were all going to walk up it before the sun rose.

And we made it!

The story of Masada is an inspiring and horrific tale.  During the Roman invasion of Israel around the first century A.D. the top of Masada was the last strong hold for the Jewish people, having taken refuge in the abandoned Roman palace on top.  For months they survived on wine and preserves left by the previous tenants, all the while watching the Romans getting closer.  When they realized all hope was lost, and the capture of the palace was inevitable, they made a drastic decision.  Meeting in the makeshift synagogue, everyone wrote their name on a shard of pottery, and the ensuing lottery
decided who would kill who, ultimately leaving one survivor to tell the tale.  When the Romans crashed the gates, they found a pile of bodies.  It is said that even the Roman soldiers held great respect for the honor and bravery of those who would rather take their own life than become slaves to their enemy.  Much of the old palace still stands, as well as the giant mud hill the Romans built to siege the gates.






By the time we were done touring the top of Masada, it was getting pretty warm, so we took the cable car back down and headed off to our next destination, which I have been looking forward to since I was five years old :

THE DEAD SEA!
The dead see is the lowest point on earth, located 300m below sea level.  This location and other conditions have created the saltiest body of water on the planet.  Besides tasting awful and being unable to support much life, the salt makes the water incredibly dense, making it impossible to sink!

 

Another interesting property of the mineral deposits is that the mud on the bottom is rejuvenating for the skin, so another trend in the area is to slather up, let it dry, and then take a dip! While you are welcome to use the mud right off the bottom, they also sell packs of it all over Israel, which is what we used, because supposedly the fresh stuff smells awful.

While there were many other adventures, these were the major sights, and as I sift through the literally thousands of photos, I'll toss up some more fun shots, but for now, I'd like to thank the ladies for being such wonderful (and generally hilarious) guests.  You are all welcome back anytime!

As for me, I'm off to Egypt! ... seriously, stay tuned.