Wow - what a day!

This was an amazing day! First we had the renewal of baptisms at the Jordan River - it was very emotional and special with a guitar playing in the background and the beauty of the river around us. At first I was distracted by the small fish nibbling at my feet, but when we got into the renewal of baptisms I didn't notice them anymore; it was precious to experience the renewal of faith with so many people close to my heart. And Rip took pictures, watched them all and then renewed my baptism. We were all in white robes and because we were early it was not overly crowded.

From there we went to the Mount of the Beatitudes; a gorgeous setting of gardens and church where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. It was beside the sea of Galilee so the water view along with the flowers and garden and walkways with mosaics of biblical characters was beyond description.

From there we went to Caeserea Phillipi or the Bania Springs, passing the Golan Heights. Here we found a lovely spring with lots of fish (Rip love this!) and a large rock area where Jesus asked Peter build a temple - the beginning of the Christian church.

Back down the mountain area to have lunch on Peter's fish (tilpia) - a whole fish on our plate with delicious Middle East salads and pita bread.

Off we went in good time (our guide says "time is holy"! to the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee - wow! The boat was rich wood with a curved floor and they raised the Canadian flag and we sang our anthem - very moving.

Then we heard some Israeli music and the crew got us dancing in a circle and singing songs in a round.

After deboarding we were back on the bus to Capernaum (the "village of Nahum") which was considered a hometown of Jesus. We saw the ruins of the temple there and the new church built carefully on top.

Then off to Tabgha the site where Jesus fed the thousands with the few loaves and fishes and the Church of the Multiplication. They had a live fish pond outside! also good in Rip 's world!

We ended our day by the Sea of Galilee - very tired but privileged to have been part of the journey and all the variety of experiences that the day has brought.

Our hotel is fabulous - a 5 star and most of the rooms have a view of the sea of Galilee; at least in part. The food is delicious with lots of selection.

Our guide and bus driver are really working hard

Casesarea, Haifi, Megiddo, Nazareth, Cana

Wow -what a day! Today while travelling from Jerusalem to Haifa we passed through sn agricultural area - quite different for the desert area of yesterday. We saw vineyards, avocados, figs, almond, orange and grapefruit trees. There were several banana plantations, some covered over with nets and some not. The bananas were covered with blue plastic bags hanging from the trees. the cotton has just been picked (by machines) and hug bales are waiting in the fields to be picked up. We saw storks and egrets on their migratory route.

We enjoyed seeing a variety of trees - cyprus, eucalyptusm palm, cedars of Lebanon and pine. The beautiful flowering trees abnd shrubs add beauty to landscape - whtie,pink and oragne bouganvilla are everywhere. Flowering rosemary, jacaranda abd oliander add a purple abd white hue. Today was feast for the eyes!

We visited Caesarea, Haifi with the Persian Gardens, Megiddo, Nazareth and Cana where we renewed wedding vows. On to our 5 star hotel in Tiberius.

Another awesome day!

Happy thanksgiving Canada!

It is Thanksgiving Day at home and we are thinking of all our family and wishing them a wonderful day. Today was another full touring day - up at 6:15 am and on the bus by 8 am. Off to the Garden of Gethsemane and then to Masada, driving along the beautiful Dead Sea. We ascended Masada, the last stronghold of the jews after the destruction of the Second Temple. We went up by cable car and visited the food storeroom, wagter irrigation system, Herod's Palace and Bath. It was 40C today and it was hot, hot, hot up the heavens of Masada. Came down to the bottom for lunch and left for the beach on the Dead Sea where we floated and covered ourselves with magic mud! It was amazing to float totally on the surface of the water. Left for Jerusalemm again visiting the church of the Dominus Flavit,the little Teardrop church. Watched the sunset over Jerusalem and back to the Hotel. There we met the directors of the Four Homes of Mercy who told us their story of looking after those who have no place to live in society. It was very moving as we presented our prayer shawls and cheque to them.

Some of went for dinner at the Armenian Taverna -inside a cave like atmosphere and then up to the top of the Notre Dame hotel to see the city at night.

We were thankful for a very busy, fascinating day, and even though we didn't have turkey and stuffing, it was full of inspirational events all day long.

|Touring mantra

There is one touring mantra we hear every day : Squeeze up tight; close the gap; step it up! I guess when you have 27 people to get in and out of tour sites you have to have a mantra to inspire them! Sometimes I think this mantra to keep other more aggressive people from interrupting our line - whatever it is we are getting used to squeezing, closing and stepping it up. It's all good!

Another packed day!

Today we began with a wake up call at 6 am and a start at 8 am to the Kotel Tunnel Tour near the Western Wall. The underground tunnel was amazing with people praying along the way and the construction of the tunnel explained. After that we brought our prayers to the Western wall; men to the left; women to the right. It was very emotional to place your prayers in the cracks in the wall and witness the furtive prayers and weeping.

Then we went off to Bethlehem and while waiting to see the site of Jesus' birth we witnessed the baptism of a baby - how appropriate! We hummed some Christmas carols as we waited until we were shushed!

Then we went to the Israel Museum and saw the outdoor model of the city of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea Scrolls inside.

Then we spent time in the Holocaust Museum; no words to describe the emotions here; the Chidren's Museum showed pictures of children killed and an ongoing audio of their names, birth places and ages. It was very moving.

Along the way we have seen Carob Trees and Olive Trees; it is believed that if someone is desiring to become pregnant they should swallow an olive from the tree for a miracle of new life.

The food has been wonderful - lots of vegetarian dishes; hummous; eggplant and fish.

Our hotel has a rooftop area by the city wall where we gather for conversation and some good wine each day. We can also hear the Muslim call to prayer which is spiritually meaningful.

Lots of sight seeing packed into our days - many sore feet, backs and hips by the end of the day - it is truly an amazing experience. Packed - and wonderful!

Caboose!

Diko asked for a volunteer to be the "caboose"; the one who brings up the rear of the group and makes sure everyone is accounted for; thanks Tony for being this person! Imagine every time we go in or out of the site or on the bus Tony must know where everyone is and signal that all are on board. It is a thankless job, but one that is important for the smooth running of our day - reminds me of the "little engine that could" - and man, can Tony do it well!

'Walking Tour

Wow - what a day! We begain our walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem! It was amazing. Our tour guide, Diko showed us such aweome sights. We entered the city at Herod's Gate. The day was beautiful; sunny and warm. We visited St. Anne's church where we sang Hallelujah and listened to a woman singing "How Great Thou Art" - it was so inspiring. Then we walked the Via Dolorosa (meaning the way of suffering). We walked the way of the stations of the cross. We saw the tomb of Mary. Many other sights before we headed back to our hotel for happy hour and dinner. We are tired out from all the walking - we sure got our 10,000 steps in today!

Again at sunset we heard the Muslim call to prayer over the city. It is such an amazing place and so much more peaceful than we are led to believe back home. What a walking tour!