Roaming Around Israel!

Two days off and places to go and things to see and do... and do them we did!

Early Saturday Morning we left the garden in the Garden Car and drove down by Jericho and headed South to the Dead Sea.

The weather was warm and traffic was practically non existent. We stopped off at the Dead Sea for a leisurely stroll and potty break (yes, you needed that information!) and drove on to Masada the site of one of Herod's palaces and the last stronghold of the Jewish Rebellion against Rome. We visited Masada last in 1988 with our children and friends from our former church in Massachusetts. The good thing is that the cable car hits the wall just below the top of Masada now and you walk up a gentle ramp instead of climbing stairs.

On our last trip one of the people traveling with us was terrified of that climb up. There is a great museum now at the guest house well worth visiting. On our way back to Jerusalem we stopped off at En Gedi where David hid from Saul. We decided not to walk to the falls but would save that jaunt for another day. They told us it would take an hour to walk to the falls. Which meant an hour walk back! We would be pushing it to get back to Jerusalem before dark. Yep, we turn into pumpkins after dark. Actually, we thought it would be wise for us to be off the roads before dark so we did.

Today (Sunday) we were out of the Garden early again with another couple here, Steve & Sue Bridge from the UK. We took the car and drove north to Galilee, visited the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount,

drove by Capernaum leisurely and stopped for lunch at En Gev where we had lunch with our family in 1988 and started our boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. The food was vastly improved and the weather was much nicer too. It was bitter cold in '88 and perfect weather today. We ate lunch at a table by the Sea of Galilee and skipped the boat ride.

We stopped off at Bet Shean on our way back to Jerusalem. Another place we visited in '88 and again in 1992.

Bet Shean was one of the largest cities of the ten cities of the Decapalos in the first century. It was an incredible Roman city and the ruins there today are vast. We had a wonderful time walking around. We were home after dark but in time to watch our home church's morning worship service on our website. They were having Communion this morning in Tampa and we joined them with our own bread and juice. We were blessed.

Tomorrow we are back to work in the Garden and I have to tell you - as good as the last two days were, we missed being here. Every day we acknowledge that God is so good to allow us to come here - a MAJOR dream come true.