Beautiful Galilee!

The long awaited for, 10 day trip to Galilee has come and gone! And it was an incredible experience. I had no idea Israel had such diverse landscapes. We stayed at a kibbutz resort right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The first few days we had some classes and spent the rest of our time swimming and playing on the beach. Then the rest of the days we traveled all over Galilee to all kinds of fascinating places where Jesus taught and performed miracles. Here are some of the highlights of the trip!

1. Nazareth. All the cities in Jerusalem are very similar but the streets of Nazareth are a little quieter and it felt very peaceful. 
2. Boat Ride. We took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee and read from the Bible when Jesus calms the sea.
3. Capernaum! It was one of Jesus's very favorite places and we sat in the Byzantine synagogue that is built of the very synagogue Christ taught in. There are excavated ruins of houses from Christs time and we looked over them as we read the sotries of the bleeding woman who was healed and jairus's daughter who was raised. Capernaum is also where Peter's house is.
5. Mt. of Beatitudes. We talked about the Sermon on the mount here and it is a very peaceful place. Right below is the field where Christ multiplied the loaves and fishes.
6. Hiking through the Golan Heights. There was a small group of us that hiked the top of the first hills after the Sea of Galilee. It's ilegal to hike alone in Israel because of landmines! So we picked up Eric from the kibbutz who was our professional hiking guide. Eric was a tall, skinny man with a gray beard. I really enjoyed talking to him about life on the kibbutz. The views were incredible!
7. Gamla. Gamla is one the only city with a synagogue dating all the way back to Christ's time and it is almost certain that Jesus would of taught there. So it was really neat to sit in there and read about Christ's teaching in the identical spot he originally taught his teachings.
8. Swimming in Gan Ha-shelosha. This is a spring that has created a huge swimming hole full of gorgeous bright blue water.
9. Beth Shean. Beth Shean is a Roman city that was part of the Decapolis. It was the biggest city of Christ's time and he would of passed through it. There was a huge earthquake that destroyed the city so there are several ton pillars all collapsed, lying on the ground at the same angle. Nothing has changed since they fell in 749C.E.
10. Tel Dan. This was a beautiful national park that is on the Jordan River. It's just lush green forest. We got to see the origins of 2 of the streams that feed into the Jordan River. So the water was super fresh and pure springing from the ground. Tel Dan also has a lot of interesting ruins.
11. Syria Outlook. One evening we went to the top of a hill right on the border of Syria. To get there we drove through Syria Occupied Israel where though it is in Israel's borders, all the residents consider themselves Syrians. I debated whether or not this means I count myself as being to Syria. Either way, I can say I've seen a Syrian Sunset because from the top of the mount we could see Syria proper.
12. Akko! Akko could very well be my favorite visit of the whole trip. Akko is a really neat Meditteranean coastal town with such classic architecture. We visited the Al-Jazzar Mosque which was beautiful. And we also toured a Crusader Castle. Then we ate ice cream as we watched the sunset over the Mediterranean and it was so beautiful.
13. Megiddo. Aka: Armegeddon. I've been anxious to visit Megiddo all semester because we have been talking about it so much in our classes! Megiddo dates all the way back to the Caananites. And in the 15th century B.C.E. it was captured by the Egyptian King Thutmose III whose tomb we saw in Egypt. But maybe the most interesting thing about Megiddo is that that is where a battle before the destruction the world will take place before Christ comes.
14. Mt. Tabor. All those prone to car sickness wouldn't have mad it up to Mt. Tabor. We drove on this windy road in shuttles. It was a 2 way road except for there was only enough room for one car, no lines, no guardrails and a really steep cliff. But... luckily we did make it to the top safely and the forest and chapel there is really pretty. That is the traditional site where Christ was transfigured.
15. Ceasarea. If I didn't know any better I would of thought I was in Greece or Italy or some other classical European city. It was built by Herod the Great and it is incredible. There is a roman theater, a hippodrome where ancient horse races were, an artificial harbor where a big lighthouse once stood and a beautiful beach!
16. Eating at Fish Restaurant. Needless to say, I ate fish! ... that still looked like it should be swimming! The head, fins and tail were still intact! The plate consisted of a full fish and a lime. I ate my first fish eye and brains. Afterward we went to Tiberius for ice cream and walked along the boardwalk. I wish we could of spent more time in Tiberius but I loved what I saw of it.
17. Bonfires. We had 3 bonfires on the beach and one night we even got to roast s'mores.
18. kayaking the Jordan River. I could of fooled myself into thinking I was kayaking the Amazon. The Jordan river is so gorgeous. Each side is covered in jungly forest!
19. Dr. Muhlestein's classes. Dr. Muhlestien is an incredible professor. We had 3, 3 hour classes with him and there wasn't a dull moment. He offers such great insight and all the classes are so spiritual. he has a perfect balance and of course it means even more to be studying events that happened where we were.
20. The banana chairs! On the beach there are these great chairs that are half hammock, half lawn chair. Complete with an umbrella! I really enjoyed taking naps and reading on them.
21. Ultimate Frisbee on the beach. What more is there to say? A perfect combination.
22. Herod's Temple sand model. a few months ago none of us could imagine ourselves spending our time in Galilee constructing a model of Herod's Temple in the sand. It was really great. The best sand castle/temple I have ever seen. Complete with a wall, stoa, and crushed seashells plastering the temple to imitate the white, glistening limestone. 

I'm sure I'm forgetting several things. But that is a pretty good outline of my favorite things! There were so many days in Galilee where I would lay in my bed at the end of the night and just think to myself that I had just had a perfect day. I don't see how it could get any better.