Here we are...ready to take off for Israel...
We look pretty content as we wait for our 12 hour flight to Israel...
Our first stop after landing in Tel Aviv and loading the bus was to Bethlehem...
Dean waiting his turn to see the traditional birthplace of Jesus
The traditional site...not quite what we are used to seeing at Christmas time
Dean on the plaza outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
Our first meal in Israel and a sigh of things to come...always plates of salad specialties
New day and new sites...this is the old ruins of Ceasera and we are standing under the old aquaduct along the Mediterranean Sea
We also visited Nazareth where they had a restored site with traditional costumes and activities. We really liked this place and the donkey really liked Dean
A stop at the River Jordan where we watched as lines of people waited their turn to be baptized
This what a real manger probably was like in Jesus time
Lunch was at a seaside place that served Peter's Fish...I was the only one trying it at my table but convinced them all to take a bite
I ride on the "King David" across the Sea of Galilee and the captain made sure we enjoyed it with a little Israeli dancing and (as everywhere we went) things to buy...
Our boat captain tossing the fishing net into the Sea of Galilee
We weren't even tempted to give it a try...
We weren't even tempted to give it a try...
Brandon had no trouble getting into the mood of the country....
Dean took a swim in the Sea of Galilee so that he could say that he swam where Jesus walked...
Dean took a swim in the Sea of Galilee so that he could say that he swam where Jesus walked...
Old ruins everywhere...the man in the vest it our tour director Dean Marriott and the lady in the hat is our Jewish guide Joni
A cool stop at En Gedi...a water spot in a very desert setting...
A dip in the Dead Sea....you couldn't sink at all and even had a hard time getting your legs under you to stand up...
We rode the tram to the top of Masada - a ruin from the time of Christ that sits on the top of a mountain and was a holdout for a group of Jewish rebels that the Romans finally conquered.
Finally Jerusalem...and the Temple site... It was raining and cold and I dressed to stay warm so please don't judge me to harshly!
The Western Wall or Wailing Wall, where the Jews gather to pray and so did we.
You can see the golden dome of the Rock...a Muslim mosque that sits today where the Temple sat in the time of Jesus...they don't allow us to enter since 9/11...
A Bar Mitzva...a Jewish ceremony for a boy coming of age...they were happening all over the square by the Western Wall...
Our trip through Hezekiah's Tunnel was a wet one with water up to the top of our legs and flashlights to find our way...
One of our favorite places was the Garden Tomb...
Looking out across Jerusalem from the BYU Center...
The view during Sacrament Meeting at the BYU Center...it is amazing and a bit of a distraction during the services...which we attended on Saturday the Jewish Sabbath...
We will always be grateful for the opportunity to visit the Holy Land and experience the things that we did. It is a journey worth taking!
