Today is our final day of touring and although we have a great day ahead of us, and we’re all pretty tired, we still have a bit of disappointment about the fact that it’s just about over.

We made a quick stop in Nazareth for an over look and continued south and east to Tel Megiddo.

This important archaeological site has had an ongoing series of digs since the turn of the last century. They believe that there have been at least 23 different cities on this one spot. James Michener wrote about this tel in his book, “The Source” (1965).

One of the entrances to this city.

There’s quite a lot to see. There are several different layers or levels revealed in different parts of the site.

I believe this is part of King Solomons stables.

This is part of the Univ. of Chicago “cut” that revealed this very ancient Israelite alter and worship area.

The view of the valley from the top is breathtaking. This is the area commonly known as Armageddon.

Gideon did some teaching from the top and then had some lively discussions with some of our guests. This area is well known as a discussion starter!

We walked across the site to the water tunnel-an amazing engineering feat for its day.

This is the descent to the tunnel, then its a walk of about 100 yards to the well which was actually outside the city walls. The tunnel allowed access to the well during a time of seige.

Our visit to Megiddo over, we made our way east to Mt. Carmel and another view of the valley of Megido.

Elijah the prophet!

Again, a breathtaking view from the top. If you look closely at the right side of the photo you’ll see two converging concrete runways at Israel’s largest northern military airfield. Most of the base in underground and it’s interesting to watch the planes emerge from their hangers and take off almost instantly.

These lines and arrows point to different parts of Israel and indicate their distance from Mt. Carmel. The weather was changing rapidly as you can see from the photos. It was quite clear, however, and we could see all the way to Caesarea on the coast- our next stop before Tel Aviv.

Just a fun shot from Mt. Carmel.

This is as crowded as I’ve ever seen it, touring is really on the upswing this year.

We found a peaceful spot for a time of teaching.

Then it was off to Haifa for a quick look at the bay.

This city has experienced unbelievable growth since 1948.

google.com.il

Just enough time for a visit to Caesarea by the sea.

The view of the Med. from the amphitheater is just amazing.

A time for teaching.

Herod’s palace. He even had a seaside fresh-water pool.

Another shot, just for fun.

After our visit to Caesarea we were off to the Intercontinental Hotel at Tel Aviv for a “special event”, our farewell dinner and a few hours rest before Ben Gurion airport and our trip home.

After a walk along the beach…

…we arrived at the “special event” location where a local musician had a collection of drums waiting for us.

Everybody had a great time joining in.

After dinner…

…and dessert..

…we heard from some of our guests as they related their experiences on the tour.

That’s it folks, we had a great time. I hope you enjoyed the blog and will consider joining us next year on one of our tours. Feel free to drop me a line if you wish, my e-mail address is mpvideo(at)cjfm.org or use the comments.

Shalom, shalom…

We awoke this morning ready to go after a great day yesterday. Today we were heading north for a visit to the Golan Heights. But first, a couple quick stops at places we missed the day before- the First Century Boat museum.

This huge statute is the perfect spot for a group photo don’t you think?

There is a short movie that illustrates the finding and restoration of this amazing craft.

The boat is shown in a special humidity and temperature controlled exhibit. The metal frame supports the fragile wood. This is an example of first century boatbuilding and is crafted in a way quite a bit different from the way we build boats today.

Taking a closer look.

Time for a little shopping…

…and a little fun before we head north a bit to Tabgha.

This spot on the northern shore is a traditional spot of one of the Galillee miracles. Gideon taught and we enjoyed the lake. (Just a couple of drops of rain were felt.)

Then the sun came out.

Couldn’t resist showing you this one.

Time for a little shopping at the Naot shoe factory (kibbutz) outlet store.

They had quite a selection.

I’m not sure if Ralph found anything, but he sure tried on quite a few.

Joy seemed to be in her element.

By the time we got to Banias, the headwater of the Jordan River, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day- just time for a visit to the Temple of Pan- the huge cave just near the center of this photo.

A closer view.

Part of the archaeological remains at this site.

Turn 180 degrees, take a shot. What a view.

After a nice lunch at the Lebanese restaurant we REALLY headed north to the Israeli border with Syria and Lebanon- Mt. Bental.

This abandoned observation post offers a spectacular view of the Valley of the Tears where a famous tank battle between the Israeli IDF and Syrian forces was fought during the 1973 Yom Kippur war.

The Valley of Tears. Now the location of a UN peacekeeping base.

It’s fun to explore this observation post, which has been preserved in honor of the men and women who manned it nonstop for many years. This area is now controlled by an electronic monitoring post on an adjacent hilltop.

Looking south towards Israel.

It’s not hard to imagine the long hours spent staffing this position.

Gideon shares his experiences as a young soldier during the Yom Kippur war. He spent some time in this very location just after the tank battle.

After a nice visit to one of Israel’s most strategic areas, we headed back to our hotel.

Tomorrow its off to Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, Caesarea and our final destination- Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion airport for our flight home.

Today started off with rain- and everyone was glad! Israel is experiencing a severe drought and we were all glad that it was raining.

The view from my room at the Sheraton-I love this hotel. It has a great view, nice rooms a good food.

Our first stop was the church at the Mt. of the Beatitudes- it was starting to come down pretty steady now and we were looking for a nice (covered) place for Gideon to share some verses.

We finally found a spot next to the church-o place to sit, but it offered a little cover.

This is the first time I’ve been able to get this shot!

Barbara and Rene chat with Gideon. They were a lot of fun on the tour and are from Vancouver, Ca. This is the second time Barbara has been on tour with us.

Our driver, Benny, doing what Israeli’s do.

Cloudy skies over the Galilee.

I’ll bet the banana trees were glad for the rain as well.
Next stop-a ride on the Sea of Galillee.

As you can see, the lake is really depleted. The Kineret, as it is known in Israel, is down to the black line- the lowest level that they let the lake go before they stop drawing water. This area is usually filled and used by the locals for swimming.

But not now…

Here’s another example of the lake level.

Time for a boat ride.

Even though it was gray and rainy, we had a good time. Gideon read a few verses and we enjoyed a time meditation after his teaching.

Irene and Marty.

We headed for Capharnaum.

The town where Jesus taught.

It was really coming down now.

This is the synagoge where (it is believed) Jesus taught.

After our visit to Capharnauum we headed south the the Yardenit- an area Where the Jordan leaves the Sea of Galillee for our baptisms.

This is one of the two sites where we have baptism services.

Gideon leads a time of worship and reads a few verses about baptism.

A bit rainy, but still a good day all in all. Stay tuned…

After a very early start, we headed east and “down” to the Dead Sea.

What a view. Our first stop was Qumran where they found the Dead Sea scrolls.

After a short “helicopter ride” (kidding-it was a virtual ride) and a movie about the community at Qumran we headed out for a quick visit to the site.

This is part of the extensive water system that supplied the residents of this community.

This is Cave #4 where many of the scrolls were found.

Our next stop was the kibbutz where they manufacture the Ahava (love) line of cosmetics and creams.

Then it was off to Ein Gedi. We heard the story of David and Saul- it was a great place for this teaching and the weather was perfect-btw.

Although it’s hard to see in this photo, there are three waterfalls in this canyon.

Here’s Gideon sharing the story with us.

Next stop-Masada.

After another movie and a cable car ride to the top of the mountain, we started our visit with a word from David.

A close look at this photo will reveal the Dead Sea in the distance and about 1800 feet below.

This view alone is priceless.

From here we could see Herod’s mountaintop home.

At this point in the Masada tour, David explains about the “casement wall” and the theory about the synagog.

In Herod’s spa.

This is the view to the west. You should be able to make out the remains of the Roman encampment at the left, and the siege ramp to the right.

After our visit to Masada we headed for a swim in the Dead Sea. Gideon takes it from here…

Before I fill you in on the details of our visit to Jerusalem, let’s take a moment to hear from Gideon with his burden for his people.

Gideon speaks to us from the Western Wall.

Today was an early day with an appointment at the Western Wall Tunnel, also known as the Rabbi’s Tunnel.

The walls of Jerusalem.

Just time for a quick security check and it’s on to the Western Wall area.

We took a couple minutes to shoot this group photo.

We started our tour with an explanation of the Temple Mount area itself.

This is the first part of the tunnel. The arches support the muslim quarter directly above and just west of the Temple Mount.

Some parts of the tunnel complex are quite narrow.

Other parts of the complex are quite large. This area has a model of the Temple Mount that uses hydraulics to illustrate the area as it looked during various times.

Gideon is leaning against the wall itself as the guide, Noam, explains the size of the huge stones.

This is the longest straight stretch of the tunnel, about 100 meters. The tunnel here is only about 1 meter side and about 2 meters tall- generally.

The tunnel ends just outside the city in a cistern.

This is the fairly new exit to the muslim quarter. Before this was blasted out of the bedrock in the 90’s, tour groups had to go back the way they came.

We made our way back to the Western Wall using part of the Via Dolorosa.

The Via Dolorosa.

Back at the Western Wall Plaza and just enough time for a close up with the Wall. (See video at the top of this post.)

Our hosts, Irene and Gideon Levytam.

One last look at the plaza before our visit to the Temple Institute-sorry, no photos allowed.

After the Temple Institute visit we had just enough time for a look at part of the city walls then a quick stop in the “cardo” near the Jewish Quarter.

The Roman “cardo”. The Temple Institute menorah used to be housed here…

until they moved it closer to the Temple Mount.

Then it was time for our appointment at the Davidson Archaeological Center and the Southern Steps.

A guide from the Center explains the area.

After a “virtual 3D” look at the Temple Mount, David continued our tour. Here we saw the place where the huge stones fell on to the street during the Roman defeat of the city.

We stopped on the Southern Steps for a time of teaching then made our way to West Jerusalem and the Jerusalem model.

The impressive model used to stand at the Holy Land Hotel and has been moved and restored. After viewing the model we visited the Shrine of the Book and saw some of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Tomorrow it’s off to Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea and north to the Galillee. Stay tuned.