Farewell Israel

Today was our last full day in Israel.   We left Tiberias and headed for Nazareth, where tradition says Jesus spent his childhood and youth, and visited Church of the Annunciation.  It was pretty fascinating.  All the murals and stained glass windows - gorgeous.  The current church is a two-story building constructed in 1969 over the site of an earlier Byzantine-era and then Crusader-era church. Inside, the lower level contains the Grotto of the Annunciation, believed by many Christians to be the remains of the original childhood home of Mary.

Our next stop was Haifa, which is on the Mediterranean.  The dust/sand was still causing poor visibility so my pictures seem fuzzy, but you'll get the idea.  The Baha'i Gardens and Baha'i Shrine (large golden dome building) are pretty magnificent.  I can only imagine what they look like on a clear day.  The Baha'i Shrine is the burial place for Abdu'l Baha, one of the central figures of the Baha'i religion.

The next stop on our way to Tel Aviv was the aquaduct of Caesarea and then the ruins.  Caesarea was brought about and constructed under the vision and direction of King Herod as a man-made seaport and contains ruins from the Roman, Byzantine and Crusader periods.  A large portion of the hippodrome and Roman theater still remain. In fact, while we were there, a stage and equipment were being set up for a concert in the theater.

The last stop and home of the airport we will leave from early, early morning is Tel Aviv.  We had a small city tour and dinner on the waterfront Promenade.  Unfortunately not much time to wonder around - must get a few hours shut eye before I have to head to the airport at 1:30am.

Our hotel is called the Cinema Hotel (an old movie house), so there are lots of movie and old camera/projector memorabilia around the hotel and in each room.

Hope you've enjoyed seeing my journey as much as I have taking it.  Until the next adventure. Shalom

Dust, Artistry and Warfare

We woke up this morning to a dust storm from Syria.   This did help in one way - it kept out the blazing sun.  On the other hand it dampered us getting a clear view of things and of Syria.  

The outings started at Safed, an artists' colony in Northern Galilee and fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.  Safed is also the home of Kaballah and Madonna has been there multiple times.  It's a quaint, picturesque and hilly community.  We visited an ancient synagogue and then supported the local economy.

Next we headed to Mount Bental.  Mount Bental is one of Israel’s favorite mountain peaks to visit, partly due to the great panoramic views of the Golan and even Syria but also because Mount Bental was the site of a courageous battle fought during Israel’s war for the Golan.  It is in the middle of the Golan Heights near the Syrian border.  In fact on our way to Mount Bental, we passed many, many fenced off areas with warning signs stating "danger mines."  Because the Golan Heights was part of Syria there are still lots of buried land mines.  There is also an abandoned Israeli bunker that was used in the war for the Golan.  

Our group had lunch at Kibbutz Gadot and learned about life on a kibbutz.  We even had to do our own dishes.  Ha!!  The last stop of the day was the Golan Heights Winery and we saw Israeli soldiers having maneuvers on our way.  We tried three wines - a reisling, a red and a muscato.   The muscato was my FAV!!!!!!!!!!  Started to buy a bottle but not sure it would make it home in one piece.  Will definitely have to track the brand down in the states.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Israel.  A large group are leaving tomorrow morning for Jordan so our group will be much smaller.  Stay tuned!!