Israel!

After graduation, my parents and I headed to Israel for a jam packed week of sightseeing and touring. We arrived in Tel Aviv Monday afternoon, which gave us just enough time to prepare for our week ahead. Tuesday morning we were met by our guide for the week, Jacob, and headed to Jerusalem.

Dad, Me and Mom

We started with the Wailing Wall and were able to place our prayers. After a quick lunch of delicious felafel, we walked the Via Dolorosa, the Stations of the Cross. These fourteen stations follow the path that Jesus walked carrying his cross to his crucifixion. Because of the constant change in Israel most of the stations are artistically represented. My favorite stations were the fourth, fifth and fourteenth. The fourth station is where Jesus meets his Mother, Mary. The fifth station is where Simon is enlisted to help Jesus carry the cross, as he cannot go on. There is a place where Jesus rested and his hand print is embedded in the stone. The last station is Jesus' tomb where he was buried and resurrected.

Station 4

Station 5

After Jerusalem, we headed to Bethlehem which is located under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian authority. Bethlehem is surrounded by a 30 foot concrete wall and in order to enter we had to cross through passport control and no-man's land. We were met by our Palestinian guide, Rio, who also spoke Italian (go figure!!), who would bring us around for an hour and a half. He brought us to the Church of Nativity which was built over the stable that Jesus was born in, allowing us to see his birth place and the location of the manger. Our guide brought us back to the border and our crossing expedition began. While trying to cross the border there was a large back up and Israel wasn't letting anyone back into the country. Therefore, we ended up getting stuck in Bethlehem for a very long fifteen minutes. As we were waiting, more and more people were coming and the tension was rising. There was no where to go as we were all stuck in this cement room. It was definitely an experience and I can say that I was glad we made it to the other side.

In Bethlehem tasting the Christmas Mass Wine

Wednesday was a change of pace, with a trip to Masada, one of Herod the Great's palaces and the last Zealot outpost during the Jewish Revolt. Located on a cliff overlooking the Dead Sea, the palace was an engineering feat to say the least. He had marble imported from all over the world and had intricate mosaics done throughout. As it is the desert, they created a complex water drainage system that brought water in and stored it in two large cisterns.

Palace of Masada

We then headed to the Dead Sea for the afternoon! It was an amazing experience and the water, so saturated with salt actually felt oily. The Dead Sea is disappearing and on our trip from the Spa down to the sea we passed the old water levels. The sea used to be right at the edge of the building but is now a 10 minute walk from the spa. As the sea continues to evaporate, not only is it shrinking but the solution is becoming more and more saturated causing more salt to collect on the floor, causing an increasingly vicious cycle.

Dead Sea Fun

uh oh

Thursday we spent the morning at the Jerusalem Holocaust History Museum, an extremely moving experience. It is hard to describe the emotions and feelings while there. The exposition was very well done. We saw children's games catered to the German children where to win they would have to rid the town of Jewish men and women and a Jewish game that was a take off on Monopoly that taught kids how to survive in the ghetto. There were original train tracks and cars that were used for transport and parts of the floor were made up of the squares that they were brought to before boarding the trains. The Museum was something I will never forget.

Heading up to Tiberias we stopped at the Jordan River, the site where Jesus was baptized by John. The river was much more narrow then I expected and quite dirty but we still put our feet in. The other side of the river was Jordan, however, we were not allowed to cross the border!

In the Jordan River, with Jordan behind me

Friday was a day full of churches and the Sea of Galilee, which has large religious significance. On our way to the Sea of Galilee we stopped at Magdala, a current archeological dig uncovering the temple in the town that Mary Magdalene was born. We visited the sites of the Sermon on the Mount and where Jesus fed 5000 people by multiplying the five loaves of bread and fish.

Mom & me in the Galilee with St. Peter's Church Behind us

In the afternoon we headed to the Golan Heights where we went to the Valley of Tears, the site of the 1967 Yom Kippur Battle. We could see across the border into Syria and could see a city that has been taken over by Syrian Rebels. We could also hear Syrian bombs in the distance. After that experience we went to the valley and had lunch in a Kibbutz, a collective community, with all the food coming from their farms. A Kibbutz was traditionally based on agriculture but now also has industries and they are becoming increasingly privatized.

Found all over Israel

Saturday was our last day and we headed to Acre and Caesarea. Acre is one of the oldest continually inhabited sites in the world. It is known as a well protected and fortified city with amazing ruins and excavations. We were able to go into the excavations and walk through the underground tunnels and see the dining hall. The fort was continuously used and built upon throughout history as it is located on the water near a port. Caesarea, a Roman city dedicated to Caeser was built by Herod the Great. The city shows remains of an ampitheatre and the theater is still standing and used today.

Caeserea

Israel was an amazing experience and trip. Not only were the sites amazing but the food was delicious. I never had a bad meal and the hummus, Israeli salads and frozen coffee were all so good! The trip was a great ending to a fantastic year abroad. Now back in the states, I am looking forward to the next chapter.

Frozen Coffee, Israeli Salad and Falafel, hummus and spreads