Cold Weather

We aren't in Israel anymore, are we?

House Shoes/Slippers

LG loves slippers...Daddy's, Mommy's, and her own. :)

Bananas

Have I mentioned that LG loves bananas? She calls them "nanas." :)

LG's First Step And Sitting Down!

Today I was sitting on the couch/sofa, and LG was holding on the couch/sofa beside me.  Suddenly, she turned turned loose of the couch/sofa, took a step, and then slowly lowered herself into a sitting position!  I was shocked!!!!  It all happened so quickly that I didn't get a picture.  I'm so proud of my little girl!

Our Last Day

Today was our last day in Israel. :(

We took it easy in the morning, packed, and went to the market to buy some food. Then we went to Caesarea-By-The-Sea. Caesarea-By-The-Sea was a beautiful place. I would have loved to have seen it in its glory days. This is the city where Paul was on trial, and we learned that it was where some of the first Christians lived and studied. We stayed till sunset. Beautiful.

The Desert

Today we headed south of Jerusalem to see Masada and the Dead Sea. We drove and drove through desert and more desert. On the way, we made a pit stop, and LG and I rode a camel!

When we got to Masada, our friends kept LG so that B and I could go up to the palace. The remains of the palace are on the top of a huge desert cliff. It was built as a fortress and retreat for Herod. We took a ski lift up to the top, but because of the heat, we were only able to handle about 30 minutes once we got there. We both had downed a bottle of water by the time we took the ski lift back down.

Next, we drove to the Dead Sea! I have always wanted to float in the Dead Sea, and it was even better than I had imagined! While one of our friends stayed with LG who was napping, B and I had fun floating around in the sea. We learned from our friend that you can collect salt balls from the sea bed with your toes if you try hard enough. I got a whole zip lock bag full! When LG woke up, she was brought over to me, and I put her in the sea a bit. She was not sure about it, but she liked it better than the ocean. Maybe she liked it better because the water was still and very warm...like her bath.

LG rides a camel

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Jerusalem Day 2

Today we got up and headed out to the Mount of Olives. I will have to say that our friends are much braver drivers than we are! We went up and down some very steep, narrow roads! LG slept through the Mount of Olives, but she woke up in time to see the Garden of Gethsemane. (You can see her being happily carried around by our friend.) It was here in the Garden that my camera's memory card filled up, so the rest of the day is not well documented since the spare memory card only held 11 pictures, and then I had to borrow our friend's camera. :(

When we got back to the old city, our friends took LG, and B and I went to see the city's archeological dig. My absolute favorite thing we saw here. It's the actual temple steps that Jesus would have walked on! We got to walk on them, too! I don't know why this was more impactful than the other things in Israel, but it just seemed the most real because it wasn't a pilgrimage site.

Then, we went to the Garden Tomb and Protestant Golgotha. This was a very pretty, clean idea of where Jesus might have died and been buried. The pretty and clean part didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the city, but most disturbing of all is that the Golgotha is a wall behind a bus station that you have to peer at through a fence. I'm glad we saw this spot, but I think I like the Orthodox spot better. :)

We went back there (to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher) next. I stood in a forever long line to touch Golgotha and then another forever long line to touch the remains of the tomb. I was pushed and smashed by people from France, Brazil, and who knows where else, but I loved every minute of it. It was just neat to be surrounded by Christians from all over the world! (By the way, B kept LG outside while I did all this. She is not found of this place as much as I am, apparently.)

Our final thing to see today was Caiaphas's house. The coolest thing about this place was the sculpture of Peter denying Christ while the cock crowed. (By this time we are taking pictures with our video camera, so the pictures aren't that good.)

Sadly, when we got back to our car, the window had been broken, but thankfully, nothing was stolen. We think we may still be able to drive south tomorrow! :)

Jerusalem

Last night we drove to Jerusalem and stayed at the guest house. So...this morning we woke up in Jerusalem! Wow! I have never been anywhere like this place before. The closest thing I can compare it to is Athens, but it is so much better!

We entered the city through the Damascus Gate, and it was like stepping back in time. Very Indiana Jones, spy movie, Biblical...all rolled into one! There were so many people, and the alleyways were so small! It was fun!

Then, we went to the Western/Wailing Wall! This was probably one of my favorite things here. It was neat to pray where so many have prayed over the centuries. Even LG got to put her hand on the wall!

We also visited the Temple Museum and David's Tower. In the evening, we walked the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I loved this place! It's so old (built in the 300's), so Orthodox (lots of incense, candles, and mosaics), and there were so many people there! I could have stayed there for hours! We didn't though because LG had had enough. We hope to go back tomorrow so that I can actually do the tourist thing and touch Golgotha and the remains of the tomb.

It was a very fun and very hot day. I can't wait for tomorrow!

Teaser

Yes, I am very behind in the updates, but now that the house is done, and we are back from holiday, I hope that I can catch up. Here is a glimpse of what LG has been doing...sleeping while her parents took in the sites! :)

A Day On The Mediterranean

Today was a free day for us to relax and enjoy the warm weather. Our friends had a meeting in another town, so we slept in late, roamed around the town we were staying in, and went to the beach!

As you can see, LG woke up and put on our friend's yomuka first thing in the morning. She likes hats. Then, we headed for the beach.

It was hot, hot, hot today so I covered us all up with sun screen, but I think it probably all melted off by the time we made it to the beach. Especially, since we took a detour through the market.

When we finally made it to the beach, LG didn't know what to think. At first she liked the sand, but when it stuck to her and wouldn't come off, she got frustrated. Then she got in the water, and she really didn't like that! I don't know if it was the coolness of the water (although it was nice and warm) or the waves, but something didn't make her happy.

So...after about 30 minutes we headed home to take showers and naps. It was a fun, restful, true vacation day. :)

Capernium and the Sea of Galilee

This morning we set out for Capernium and the Sea of Galilee. We had a little break at McDonald's on the way.

At Capernium we saw the remains of Peter's mother-in-law's house and a 4th century synagogue that was built on top of the synagogue where Jesus preached.

LG enjoyed all the different people from around the world who wanted to speak to her and take their picture with her.

We then took a break, ate a falafel, and drank some water.

Then we saw where Jesus fed a lot of people with fish and bread and where he preached the Beatitudes. (two of these pictures got stuck at the bottom of the list for some reason)

Then, as LG enjoyed playing with her Hebrew speaking duckling, we drove around the Golan Heights and watched the sun set over the Sea of Galilee!

Capernium and the Sea of Galilee