Israel Trip, Take 2

As some of you may already know, the volunteers here in Jordan got the chance to once again visit Israel a few weeks ago.  Amanda and Stella were able to go over on the 15th of April, while we waited until the 17th to make the trip.  Like the first trip, this one was very rewarding; also, we would like to thank the Hoyers for hosting us, and the Registers for visiting us.

On Sunday morning (the 17th), we headed out bright and early to the border, catching a taxi just after 6am.  He took us down into the valley by a small, back-country highway that we had never seen before, but which had great scenery.  At the border, we had no problems, and we were on a taxi to Jerusalem by 9:30.  Once we were in Jerusalem, we made our way to the central bus station, got on a bus to Tel Aviv, and endured bratty kids on vacation for the next hour.  After that frustration ended and we were in Tel Aviv, we found someone to tell us where we could find the train station.  A short wait and a short train ride later, we were in the suburb of Tel Aviv where our hosts live.  Our first order of business after arriving at their home?  Change into swimwear for a few hours at the beach!  It was my (Darren’s) first time to see the Mediterranean.

Site of Caesarea's ancient harbor

Over the next couple days, we stayed near Tel Aviv, visiting with our hosts and their other visitors.  There were plenty of things to see there, too.  One day we went to the old city of Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv.  Bazaar shopping and historic scenery, not to mention the great breeze coming off the sea, made it a pleasant outing.  Another day, we went up to the ancient Roman port of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great to rival the ports of Antioch and Alexandria.  Almost all of the port has been destroyed in the past 2000 years, but there is still plenty to see.  It was also nice to do a Bible study on the city, which is mentioned frequently in the Book of Acts.

Us on Tel Megiddo

View from the Church of the Beatitudes

On Wednesday morning, the 20th, the four volunteers set out with the Register’s to tour a bit of northern Israel.  Our first stop: Tel Megiddo.  Megiddo is situated on a hill overlooking the Jezreel valley, a very fertile area and the site of an ancient trade route, making it the perfect place for a city.  In the last several thousand years it has been destroyed and rebuilt over 20 times; the last fighting in the area was in 1948, after Israel declared its independence.  Our next stop was Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee (also known as Lake Tiberias or Lake Kinneret), where we had some tasty morsels from a local street vendor.  Just to let you know, it is not cheap to eat in Israel, like it is in Jordan, meaning that you will pay about $10 for value meal at McDonalds!  After lunch, we set out for the local biblical attractions: Capernaum and the Mount of the Beatitudes.  The ruins at Capernaum were nice, and the view of the water is spectacular.  The Mount of the Beatitudes (who knows if it’s the right one?) also gave a wonderful view, and the grounds of the church there were also beautiful and immaculate.

Our stay overnight in the area was the Arbel Guest House, just outside Tiberias, and it was great.  Our suite was a little small, but the rest of the experience made up for it.  The place itself is beautiful and serene and the food there was spectacular.  Also, the village of Arbel was peaceful and calm, and the neighborhood dogs were very friendly.  As for the countryside of Galilee, it was quite likely the most beautiful place we’ve ever been. The rolling mountains, covered in fields of wheat, terraced vineyards, and citrus groves, overlooking the waters of the small inland sea captivated us, and the gentle breeze, bringing the soft bleating of sheep in the distance along with the sweet smell of orange blossoms stole our hearts.  We only stayed the one night, but we wish we could have stayed longer.

Galilee

On Thursday the 21st, we left Tiberias and headed south.  Our first stop was the Yardenit baptism site on the Jordan River.  Just south of the Sea of Galilee, many Christians come here because the river is much nicer than further south.  After snapping a few photos and browsing the gift shop (way overpriced), we got back on the highway.  Someone said that they heard there was an old Crusader fortress, named Belvoir, nearby, so we took the turn for that.  We drove up the small mountain road, but after seeing the admission price, decided to do the free scenic overlook instead.  From what we could gather, only the foundation of the fortress still stands anyway.  Afterwards, we drove down to the ruins at Beit She’an.  Beit She’an was an important city during the Israelite and Roman periods, and there are some pretty extensive ruins there.

Ruins of Beit She'an

Our site-seeing time over, the Registers dropped us off at the border crossing, and we said our goodbyes.  Crossing back into Jordan was a bit of a hassle, especially when compared to the easy time we had entering Israel just a few days prior, but we managed.  This concluded our second trip to Israel.  We had a great time, and would love to go back!