Israel, Part 1

While growing up in the United States I always had the impression that other countries were worlds away from us and I never saw how they interconnected with how we live.  I hope my children grow up with a different outlook on the world as we have the opportunities to travel.  Our most recent travels were no exception; seeing the connections of one nation compared to others and how it affects our lives.  Israel was definitely an experience I never thought I’d have, but being able to personalize everything that we’ve read in the scriptures was truly amazing!

We left the younger three kids at home with some friends from our ward as we took Emma with us to Israel on her 13th birthday trip.  We were lucky enough to go on this trip with Chris’s parents, his aunt & uncle, and Chris’s dad’s business partner.  Our tour was rounded off by another couple from California, whom we didn’t know, and our fearless tour guide, Steven Rona from Israel Revealed.

I have to preface our week by saying this was no normal ‘holiday’.  We were up by 6:00 a.m. every morning and leaving the hotel at 7:15 a.m.  There were a lot of things that needed to be packed into our days!

Day 1

– Jaffa

We got out of the bus at this great fountain and read the story of Jonah.  Why?  Jaffa is where Jonah ran to when he refused to go preach in Nineveh.

Jonah’s Whale

Then we walked up a cute little boardwalk area . . .

. . . to view Andromeda’s Rock from Greek mythology.

The Rock

– Caesarea

Our next stop was in Caesarea, a Roman port by the Mediterranean Sea.

It is no wonder the Romans picked this spot for their port and city!  And, of course, what is a Roman city without an aqueduct?!

Still Standing Roman Aqueduct

The ancient architecture is always amazing, as was the introduction of a ‘loop hole’ (the window where an arrow can be shot out but one cannot come in).

Archaeologists are still working away discovering parts of this Roman city.   I’m sure it’s a slow and tedious job.

“Danger of Collapse”?!

As we sat and talked about the Biblical and Roman history that took place here, the view was just breathtaking!  The picture below is straight-out-of-the-camera, not enhanced in any way.  It was just beautiful!

We quickly noticed that stray cats in Israel were a common site.  They seemed as prevalent here as they were in Turkey!  However, this cat seems well fed!

– Haifa

We then drove a long way up Mount Carmel to get to Haifa, where we saw the beautiful Baha’i Gardens.

Gardens with Baha’i Shrine Below

The gardens themselves, amazingly manicured on this hill, were such a stark contrast to the city all around them with the port beyond.

One last area that we viewed from that high area of Mount Carmel was Mount Tabor.

Mount Tabor

This is the place that some people believe to be the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17).  We wish we would have had more time to go visit the actual mount, although probably on a warmer part of the day!  We were shivering standing on a hill just looking at it!

Chris & Emma

– Nazareth

Our last stop for the day was in Nazareth on the ‘brow’ of a hill.

Dad

We sat near a church called ‘The Terror of St. Mary’, so named for the time in Luke 4 when men wanted to stone the young Jesus here and poor Mary’s reaction to it.

Emma in front of ‘Terror of St. Mary’s’

Our tour guide, Steven, also brought up the point that we always picture Joseph as a carpenter.  The original translation of the scriptures said Joseph was a ‘craftsman.’  Seeing all the building in Israel, they are all made of stone and here we were sitting in an old stone quarry.  So, most likely, Joseph was a sort of stone-worker.  So interesting!

We stayed in a hotel not too far from this site in Nazareth.  We had a great buffet dinner and enjoyed trying all the foods.

Veggie Side

Breads

Desserts

A great first day of touring!  We were tired, but excited to explore more of what Israel had to offer in the week ahead!