Beth In Egypt

Well, this is it!  Our last day!  I got up at 4AM to climb Mount Masada.  The guide said we needed to be on the trail by 4:30 in order to make it to the top in time, and just to be safe, we followed her directions.  Too bad the tour guide didn’t really know what she was talking about.  The park didn’t even open until 5!  So, we sat out there in the dark…Sarah sweet talked the guard, and he actually let us in about 4:45.  We were glad about that because there were several other groups waiting at the gate as well.  We had enough of a head start that we easily beat them to the top.  The climb wasn’t too bad, really!  The mountain is basically a sheer cliff, so there are steps carved in.  It was steep!  It only took about 40 minutes to get to the top, so we made it in plenty of time to see the sunrise.  We went up to the watchtower, and had the best view on the whole mountain!  It was beautiful!  The sun came up over the mountains on the other side of the Dead Sea.  Even though I had to get up at 4, it was worth it.

We made it back to the hostel in enough time to get cleaned up, eat breakfast, and go back up the mountain with the rest of the group.  This time though, we took the cable car.  It was a lot faster than walking =)  We got to the top and heard a lot about the history of the mountain.  Herod actually built his palace up there originally.  Most of the palace was still in place.  After Herod’s time, the Zealots that left Jerusalem moved up there.  The Romans tried to overtake them for 2 years before they were successful.  THe whole story is really interesting!  Herod had left enough food and water there that they could survive without having to go down the mountain for supplies. They put up quite a fight, but when it was clear that the Romans were going to make it into the fort, the soldiers killed their families and then themselves in order to avoid being taken as slaves.  It’s really a sad story, but fascinating at the same time.

The rest of the day was full of driving..driving, driving, driving.  We stopped for lunch at Mahktesh Ramon.  It is a crater area with some more nice views. We had lunch there, too.  And then…more driving.  We arrived at the Israel/Egypt border at 4:30.  I didn’t have any trouble getting through all the many gates (see Day 1), and was the first one through!  It didn’t really matter though, because we were there until about 8:45…we had the same problem coming back in that we had going over there!  Fortunately, there is a Hilton right past the border, so those of us that were already through went in for some food.  Expensive, but good!  We finally got on the road about 9.  It’s 6 hours from the border to Cairo, so it was going to be 3 before we got back!  Oh well.  I slept the whole trip, which is probably good.  I heard that the bus driver was driving a little fast for most people’s liking.  But, we did make it back a little before 2!  Now the tricky part was getting taxis for all 30+ people at 2 AM!!  It wasn’t too bad, though.  Cairo isn’t exactly a “sleepy” city!

I had such a great time on this trip!  Even with the annoying tour guide and being on a bus ALL the time, it was amazing.  We actually got to see most of Israel by driving from one end to the other!  It was really cool, and I would go back in a second!  The contrast between Egypt and Israel is amazing.  It’s a little depressing to be back, but I do get to go home in a few days, so it’s ok!  

Thanks for reading about my adventures!!

Today was a long driving day.  We left Tiberius early in order to get on the road.  We had to start driving back South.  We stopped at the Nahariyim memorial.  The Jordanian and Israeli built a power plant together along the border.  This was a memorial set up by the Israeli government after 7 junior high girls were killed by a Jordanian soldier.  The memorial was really pretty, but it was really sad to hear about what happened there.  We got back on the bus, and kept driving, driving, driving…

We drove up to the top of Mount Gilboa, and saw some beautiful scenery.  In the spring, people drive up to Gilboa to look for the Gilboa iris.  It only blooms a few weeks a year.  Fortunately, there were not hundreds of people up there while we were.  But it was sure pretty!

We drove some more and arrived at Qumran.  This is the area where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  The Scrolls, are not there now, obviously, but they do have a large store from which you can buy Dead Sea products!  I thought it was funny that they package mud and then sell is for $15 a bag!  Mud is FREE!!  I could also say the same thing about the salt…but hey, someone needs to make a living!  I can say that I spent a minimal amount of money at this store =)

After we went shopping, we drove to the Dead Sea.  We missed our Dead Sea “swimming” on the way into Israel, but we had a nice time there today.  The beach was kind of busy, but it was really fun!  We got all mudded up (with FREE mud, by the way!), and then floated in the water!  I couldn’t believe how easy it is to float!  You really couldn’t help BUT float!  Then it was time to wash off all the mud.  It is sticky stuff!  I made the mistake of putting it on my face, and when I went to wash it off, I got salt water in my eyes and it BURNED!  Not to mention the terrible taste!  But it all worked out in the end because my skin has never felt SO good!  All of the salt and minerals just soaked right in!  We kept talking on the bus about how good our skin felt.  I was glad I bought (only 1!) pack of mud at the store so I can experience that nice, mineral enriched skin again!

We drove to our hostel, which is at the base of Mount Masada.  We had dinner, and then played a game of Jesus Jeopardy!  Cindy (grade 3 teacher) decided we needed to have a quiz show from everything on the trip, so we wrote up a bunch of questions, and had a few other people write up questions as well.  We announced the game at dinner, and there was another group there in the room with us.  I’m not sure what country they were from, but they wanted to play too!  So, they gave us some questions, too.  I thought it was funny.  They didn’t end up playing, but we were more than willing to have them play!  The game was quite fun =)  Cindy and I wrote up questions for a second round, but we never got to play.  Too bad!

Tomorrow, we are going to climb Mount Masada at sunrise!  According to the tour guide, the climb is VERY difficult, but I’m not worried.  She was very emphatic about not even attempting to climb it if you have ANY health problems.  It was pretty funny to watch her make her speech…I’m sure we will be ok.  I guess you’ll find out tomorrow!

Today was a relaxing day, but we saw a LOT!!  We started the day at the Sea of Galilee where we saw a boat from 2,000 years ago!  They found it in the muck of the Sea, and spent a long time trying to preserve it.  As they took it out of the water, the boat started to disintegrate.  It was so waterlogged, that the water was what was holding it together.  It was a long process, but they were able to preserve it. They call it the “Jesus Boat,” but really it’s just a boat from about the time of Jesus.  He wasn’t actually on it (I guess he could have been…).  The boat was in an area called a kibbutz.  These people all live in the same area and the community is essentially based on sharing.  They give all of their money to the kibbutz, and in turn, the community gives them what they need.  You aren’t restricted to staying there or anything like that.  It’s just a lifestyle (sort of like living in a nudist colony, I guess!).  It was really interesting. I think I would have a hard time sharing with EVERYONE in my neighborhood, but it seems to work well for these people!  There are many kibbutzes(?) in the area, and we actually ate at one for dinner tonight as well.

After the Jesus Boat, we went to another church.  This one marks the spot of Peter’s primacy.  There was a cool statue of Jesus “commissioning” Peter, and the church was beautiful!  We could also walk down to the water.  I was glad to get my feet into the water to take my “Sea of Galilee Picture!”  There is another church on the other side of that church that marks the spot where Jesus fed the 5,000.  It’s kind of funny though, because there is a large fence and barbed wire that separates the two churches.  They are two different branches, but it is a little sad that Christians can’t get along enough to take down a hideous fence like that…

From there, we went to the Mountain of Beatitudes.  This area of Israel is stunning!  It’s almost like being on an island some where.  This place was no different!!  The church was also nice, but the view was stunning!!  

We drove to Capernaum and saw the place where Peter’s mother-in-law went, and we also saw the synagogue where Jesus preached.  The synagogue was cool because it was made out of limestone that someone had brought from Jerusalem.  The rocks available in the area are all basalt.  So, the surrounding village (ruins) are all black, but the synagogue is white.  Pretty neat!

We stopped at a little place for lunch, and went to an archaeological museum.  It was all about the Golan Highlands.  This area has had a BLOODY history!  There have been several times that is has been taken over, and most recently it belonged to Syria.  Israel got it back, but it is still close enough that we could actually see Damascus!  Well, we went to the museum, and then we drove up to the actual site.  The museum was just background information.  At the top of the hill, there is a bunker with all kinds of tunnels and things.  It was really cool!  Not to mention all of the things we could see from there!  We had fun running around in the tunnels and through the “maze” on the top.  It was pretty cold there, and the gift shop was actually selling “second hand sweat shirts!”  It was enough to make me laugh.  Also, keep in mind that “cold” is not really cold.  It was cool and breezy, but there were a lot of people in the group that were very cold…I wasn’t =)

We left Golan and drove down to the bottom to go to the Golan Heights Winery!  We watched a sily video, and out winery guide was hilarious!  We got to try 3 different wines (which, not being a wine drinker, I didn’t appreciate!).  And of course, the shop had a HUGE quantity of wine!  It was just fun to do something different.

Our last stop of the day was another kibbutz.  We had dinner here.  The entree of choice was “St. Peter’s Fish.”  This is the variety found in the Sea of Galilee. You could either order the whole fish, or just a fillet.  Feeling adventurous, I ordered the whole fish!  Once I figured out how to get the meat off without getting a mouthful of bones, it was actually quite tasty.  The eyes and everything were just looking at me!  But it was fun.  It was right on the Sea, so we had some beautiful views of Tiberius from across the lake.

All in all, it was another fun day!  Back on the bus tomorrow to start the drive back to Cairo.  We will stop at Masada and get to “float” at the Dead Sea.  Good times will be had by all!

Today was also much more relaxing!  We left Jerusalem.  I was really sad to leave because I really liked it there!  We got on the bus and drove to Caesarea, the ancient port city on the Mediterranean.  It was really cool!  It was almost an entire city built on the water.  The harbor itself has quite an interesting history, what with all the take overs and everything!  Oh, and did I mention that it was RAINING?!  It rained most of the day.  I was so happy!  It was a little too bad that it rained though just because then we didn’t get to walk around the ruins much.  I would have been ok walking in the wind and the rain, but when you are in a group of about 30 people, it’s easy to get outvoted… oh well!!  

We drove some more, and went to Mount Carmel.  This is the place where Elisha struggled with the priests, they both summoned their gods, and God (big G) won!  It was absolutely beautiful on the top of the mountain, and you could see the valley on all sides!!  It was really cool.  As we drove down the mountain, we ate a restaurant that is run by a family of Drews.  Once again, it was felafel, but it was still good.  Drews are a sect of Islam, but I’m not really sure what makes them different.  I will have to look into that.

After that, we drove to Nazareth.  Nazareth is now 80% Muslim, but it used to be all Christian.  We didn’t spend much time there, but we did go to the largest church in the Middle East.  It is also the place where Gabriel appeared to Mary.  The church was beautiful, and on the walls, there were different representations of Mary donated by different countries.  It was interesting to see how different cultures show her.  The one from the U.S. was really weird…very artsy, which I still don’t appreciate, but it’s ok!

We are now in Tiberius.  We stay here for 2 or 3 nights.  We are right on the Sea of Galilee, but I haven’t actually seen it yet, since it was dark when we got here.  Tomorrow we will go see the “Jesus Boat,” which is a boat that they found in the muck that is dated back 2,000 years.  Should be cool!  Not a whole lot of excitement today, but it was still a good day.  Stay tuned!

Today was a little more laid back, but MAN I am tired!  We only had a half day with the tour guide, which was PLENTY!  We got on a bus and went to the other side of the mountain where Jerusalem sits.  It was a complete contrast!  Over there, it is green, and beautiful!  That’s not to say that this side isn’t, but it is a real contrast.  We drove to a hospital where Marc Chagall was commissioned to create a series of stained-glass windows for the synagogue.  There are 12 windows in all.  The windows are beautiful and represent the 12 tribes of Israel.  I am really dense when it comes to art, so I was glad to hear an explanation of each window.  I am always in awe of people who can represent so much with just a few colors!  4 of the windows were actually destroyed in 1967 during the war, but he fixed them.  There is a Jewish law or tradition that if something is destroyed, it cannot be built the same way again, so those four windows are slightly different from the original 4.  I can’t remember all of the symbolism, but fortunately, I bought a package of postcards of the windows and a booklet was included =)

After the hospital, we drove to the Israeli museum.  It’s not so much a museum really…but it was neat.  Inside, there was a model of all of Jerusalem during the First Temple period.  We’re talking an ENORMOUS model!  It must have taken a LONG time to make it.  It was like a model for Lego people.  That was one of the coolest things, just because it really gave me a good sense of what it must have looked like back then.  After we looked at the model, we went to the Shrine of the Scrolls.  This is a monument for the Dead Sea Scrolls.  There is (what looks like) the top of an onion on one side.  it’s actually supposed to represent the top of one of the jars that the scrolls were found in.  On the other side is a black wall.  The contrast of black and white is supposed to represent good an evil.  When you go inside the museum area, you can actually see replicas of the scrolls.  There is also a photo of the Isaiah scroll.  It was neat to see, but it would have been cooler to see the real thing.  After we spent some time in there, we went to watch a very strange video that I thought was going to be about how the scrolls were found or something.  Instead, it was a dramatization of the men in The Community (the men who wrote the Scrolls), but ti really didn’t make much sense.  We all left there was a kind of “huh?” look on our faces…

This afternoon was FREE TIME!!!  Yay!!  I went with some friends back into the Old City where we ate more felafel!  I love the felafel in this city.  it is much more delicious than in Cairo!  MMMMMM!!!!  After lunch, I went with Darren and Jen back to the Pools of Bethesda.  This was really cool because this was one place that we know FOR CERTAIN that Jesus was there.  Of course, the pools are all dried up now, but the archaeological site was really cool.  You can actually see where the people would have gone into the pools.  I kind of thought that it was like a lake or something, but it’s actually man-made.  There are steps and everything that lead into the pool.  The Bible says that the water would churn and look like blood, but the red color was actually from the red soil in the area.  You could even see the red soil!  It was really nice to go back there, especially with just 2 other people instead of 30!!

From there, we re-walked the Via Delorosa.  Jen and Darren weren’t with us yesterday when we did it, and I really wanted time to stop and reflect and pray along the way, so I was more than glad to do it again!  Jesus had a long, hard, uphill walk with his cross.  I can’t imagine what it was like for him.  I was really amazed at Station 8, where he stopped to console a woman.  Even in his weakened, humiliated state, he still cared enough about this woman to console her.  That to me shows the ultimate love.  Even in that hard situation, he didn’t put himself first.  The walk today was much nicer because a lot of the Via Delorosa goes through the Muslim quarter (go figure!).  Today is the Muslim Eid, so all the shops were closed and the streets were empty.  I also enjoyed going with people who are so passionate about Christ.

After we finished the walk, I went back to a few places in the Old City to purchase a few things.  On my way back to the hotel, I was stopped by 2 women who needed directions.  I have only been in the city for 3 days, and I could totally help them!  I felt pretty good about that =)

When I got back to the hotel, I went with a group to a pub.  We ended up walking through an outdoor mall, and I was amazed at the stores that were there!  They had Columbia, The North Face, and a lot more!  I have been surprised at the brands out here.  I even saw a Blockbuster today!  We didn’t shop, but it was fun to look =)  We ended up at the Dublin Pub, which was not where we were headed, but it was still fun.  And now, back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep!  Tomorrow…Nazareth!

Whoa.  We saw a LOT today!!!  We did a walking tour of the Old City, and I’m pretty sure we walked down EVERY street!  We left the hotel early and stopped at David’s Tower.  I don’t think David built it, but that’s what it is called.  The bottom of the tower still has some of the original stones from when the temple was built.  I know that the pyramids are older than all of the buildings, streets, etc., but I still think it’s amazing that they have lasted for 2,000 some years!!

We got to see part of an Armenian service.  We weren’t supposed to take pictures, but I did manage to get a bit of video footage of the service.  The priests (?) in the Armenian church wear robes with hoods that look very similar to something the KKK would wear… I wish I knew more about orthodox services.  One of the priests was walking around with an incense container on a chain and was waving the smoke over the people.  I’m not sure of the significance of that.  It didn’t smell great either.  The inside of the church was very ornate with a lot of lamps hanging from the ceiling.  They weren’t lit though, so it was really dark…  We only stayed a few minutes, and then continued our walk.

Our hotel is right next to Jaffa Gate, and we were now at Zion Gate.  We left the Old City temporarily to go to a Holocaust museum.  This was the first Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.  There are memorial stones all over that survivors had made for the people who were killed.  All of the walls were covered with these stones.  They had some amazing things in there.  They even had Torah scrolls that had been desecrated.  The memorial (museum) itself was supposed to be like a tomb where they buried these things.  Some of the pictures in that museum were really hard to see.  I can’t believe that people were actually treated that way.  Towards the end of the tour, there was a large grave where they buried some of the ashes from the camps.  It is so sad for the people that don’t know what happened to their relatives.  The only thing they have left of their families is this museum.  

Across the street from the museum was King David’s tomb.  He’s not actually buried there.  We didn’t even go it.  It was torn up from being renovated.  Not much to tell.  Sorry.

We went back into Zion Gate and walked through the Jewish quarter of the Old City.  People aren’t confined to their “quarter,” but the largest concentration of people live in their designated quarter.  We walked down Cardo, which is a shopping area in the quarter.  We went into one shop owned by a Jewish scholar.  He talked to us for a while about Judaism, and even let us ask questions.  He was very open and honest, and it was kind of cool to have a discussion like that.  One of the things he said that I liked was that everyone who comes to the Holy Land has been personally invited by God.  And everyone who visits leaves a changed person.  I can tell you that after today, I definitely feel different! After the talk, we had a while for lunch.  I had a delicious bagel!  I guess Jerusalem is known for their bagels (?).  It was good, but I have had better…don’t tell anyone!

After lunch, we saw the remains of Hezekiah’s Broad Wall.  This wall was built by Hezekiah in preparation for Judah’s rebellion against Assyria.  The wall was 23 feet thick and several meters tall.  It must have been a massive wall back in the day!

We walked back through Cardo and saw the remains of a row a shops.  The stones on the ground were all original, too!  We also saw a cool mosaic map of the Old City.

We walked up to a place where we could see the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall) from above.  This is the most holy place for Jews to visit, although anyone can go there.  This is the wall that was closest to where the Holy of Holies would have been in the temple.  That area (where the temple stood) is now occupied by the Dome of the Rock, a place that only Muslims are allowed to go.  So the Jews have made the wall their place to visit.  Many people write a prayer on a piece of paper and stick it in a crack in the wall.  A few times a year, the prayers are taken out of the wall, prayed over, and buried.  There is a side of the wall for me, and a side for women.  The women’s side is much smaller…  It was really neat to see the people praying.  We had seen many young military men and women.  Part of their training was go to to many of the sites in Jerusalem.  We had seen several groups, and we saw even more at the wall.  It was pretty cool to see these military people praying together at the wall.  We got to actually go to the wall later in the day.  Stay tuned!

From here, we entered the Muslim quarter.  All I can say about it is that it is almost exactly like Cairo.  The people are the same, there is garbage everywhere.  For a while, it was like we were back in Cairo!!  The Eid feast starts tomorrow, and we came across a sheep in the street that I’m quite certain will become the dinner for one family tomorrow.  This feast is the sacrificial feast, and in Cairo, the streets are quite bloody.  I’m glad I’m not in Cairo, and I’m glad that the slaughter is not as bad here!!  But the poor sheep!  The Via Dolorosa also has stations in the Muslim quarter, which was the real reason we were there.  The Via Dolorosa is the path that Jesus carried the cross through the streets.  We saw several of the stops, including where Jesus fell, where he comforted the woman, and many others.

We ended up at an Ethiopian monastery.  This was a VERY small monastery, in comparison to the fancy ones throughout the city.  It was interesting to walk through it.  When we came out the other side, we were in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  The courtyard is where the guards threw dice for Jesus’ clothing.  The last few stops of the Via Dolorosa are inside the church.  It was really crowded, as they were about to have a service, but we went in anyway.  When you first walk in, you see the stone where they wrapped Jesus’ body after the crucifixion.  The church is built on a mountain, and as you go upstairs, you can see the place where Jesus was nailed to the cross.  The whole church is very dark and very solemn.  Next to that stop is the place where they put the cross in the ground.  There is actually a holt there, and you can put your hand into the place that the cross stood.  This was an amazing spiritual experience for me, even though I was being rushed through with the rest of the hundreds of people that were there.  There are places on either side where you can see the actual mountain.  It was hard for me to comprehend that I was actually at the spot where Jesus was crucified.  

Downstairs in the church, there is a large room to mark the spot where Jesus was buried.  The actual tomb is behind the room.  We didn’t go into the room, but we did go into the tomb.  It’s a lot different than I would have thought.  There are actually two cubby holes in the tomb because more than one person would be buried there.  Once again, it was really just a cave.  There are a LOT of caves in Jerusalem!  I got to spend some quality time in a lot of places that are talked about in the Bible, and I am so thankful for that opportunity!

After we left the church, we went back to the hotel for dinner.  We were going back out to the wall later.  We walked back to the wall, and had an opportunity to actually go to the wall to pray.  We had to wait a while on the women’s side, as there were so many.  I did write a prayer and put it in the wall.  It was hard to find a crack to put it in!  The wall was pretty full.  I found a spot, but I’m not sure how well I got it stuck in.  After you pray, you are supposed to walk backwards away from the wall as a sign of reverence.  I was glad I didn’t trip, although we did see a few people trip over chairs on their way out…

After we had a short time at the wall, we got to go on a tour of the tunnels at the wall!  Jerusalem was built on arches, and so we walked through the arches under the city.  We walked the entire length of the Western Wall underground!  It was neat to see the ancient parts of the city that are still there, but are now several meters below the ground!  We got a lot of history while we were down there, but it was late in the day, and now I have forgotten.  But it was cool anyway!

Our final stop of the night was at the golden menorah.  The menorah is intended to be put in the third Temple, but for now it is in a glass case.  It was beautiful!

After a full day, we are back at the hotel.  And now it is time for BED!

Wow!  I saw a LOT today!!  We started out the morning driving to the Mount of Olives.  This is where Jesus ascended into Heaven after walking the Earth for 40 days.  There are several different chapels on the Mount and they all claim to be the place where Jesus ascended.  But, we only went to one church.  As a disclaimer for the rest of this entry, a lot of places are “traditional” places where things happened.  I choose to believe that the “traditional” places are the real places.  It makes things much cooler =)  Ok, so we went to the Church of the Ascension.  As you walk in, there are huge mosaics that have the Lord’s Prayer in something like 140 languages!!  They even had it written in Cherokee!  It was really neat to see all of those different languages.  There was also a cave here that Helena (from around 316AD) believed was the site that Jesus met with the apostles before his ascension.  It really was a cave!  There were pieces of paper in the cave that were prayers people had written.  This is quite the change from Egypt where there is just garbage around the major tourist locations…  It was really cool to be down there.  We visited the chapel, as well.  Most of the places that we went to today have a church built on top of the site, so it’s not the actual site.  In any case, we went to the chapel.  It was very white.  We finished this site by going through the gift shop.  This is run by a couple of French sisters who help keep the chapel.  I was glad to support them with my purchases =)

From here, we walked down part of the Mount of Olives. We stopped at an area that you could see most of Jerusalem.  It was beautiful!  You could also see the building with the golden dome.  This building is called the Temple of the Rock.  It is actually a Muslim site now, but the original building was built by Solomon.  This is the site that is believed to be where God first touched the Earth during the creation.  The second building was built by Hadrian, and eventually it was overtaken by Muslims who claimed that it was the spot that Muhammed ascended into Heaven.  It is really just a big building with a gold dome, but it looks pretty! We could also see a Jewish cemetery.  All Jews are buried the same way: wrapped in white cloth and placed in the ground.  There are tombstones, but they all look pretty much the same.  People would come and put rocks on the tombs as a sign of protection.  Two people who were victims in the attacks on Mumbai were just buried yesterday.  

As we continued our walk down the hill, we came to the place where Haggai and Malachi were buried, but it was closed.  Too bad.  So we continued down the hill to the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.  The chapel there is in the shape of a tear drop.  The window at the front looks right out over the whole city.  It was so beautiful!  There is also a picture of a chicken with it’s wings spread out over the baby chicks, that was kind of cool.  From the chapel, you could also see down to another gold plated building that is the church dedicated to Mary’s mother, I think.  I may need to check my facts.  

We continued walking, walking, walking, down the hill to the Garden of Gethsemane.  On the way, there is a pillar by the side of the road that is supposed to help people remember that Jesus went and prayed while his disciples slept.  I’m not sure why they have the pillar, but I guess it’s a good reminder.  The garden was just like I had pictured it.  The trees were very old, but the garden itself was pretty small.  There was a fence all around it, so we couldn’t go in.  It’s amazing to think that the trees I saw were the same trees that Jesus walked through.  I was totally amazed!  The chapel there was designed by the same man that made the teardrop chapel.  This one was the exact opposite though.  It was big and very dark.  The ceiling was covered with stars because it was night when Jesus prayed at Gethsemane.  The windows were all purple alabaster.  There are mosaics on the wall.  The first one was Judas kissing Jesus.  The one in the middle is Jesus praying, and the final picture is Jesus talking with the disciples after he was crucified.  I really like how (some) of these churches use art to show important scenes from the Bible.  I wish that I had the talent to do something like that!

We left that church and went up to the gate around the Old City again.  We were trying to get to Saint Anne’s church where the pools of Bethesda were.  On the way, we passed a church that was the birthplace of the Virgin Mary.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to Saint Anne’s in time.  Everything closes down for lunchtime mass.  The tour guide said we might have time to go back.  We also stopped at two other churches, Church of the Condemnation and the Covenant of rht Flagellation, along the way. They are  churches along the via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross.  They were right across the courtyard from each other.  They were neat on the inside, but I was getting a little tired of seeing more churches.  The Covenant of the Condemnation has 3D scenes on the wall, instead of mosaics or paintings.  That was kind of neat.

We walked through part of the Old City to a place for lunch, and then walked out through another side to get back on the buses.  This was probably the most exciting part of the day.  Inside the Old City, there are different quarters.  We happened to be walking through the Muslim quarter.  It is also the day before a MAJOR Muslim holiday.  It was PACKED!!  The area we were in was very similar to the Khan anyway, but this was unbelievable.  There were so many people, you literally could not move.  The only way we made it through was because of the pushing.  I can see how someone could die in that!  If you get pushed down, there is NO getting up again!  But, we all made it!

We then took the bus to Bethlehem!  It was only about a 20-30 minute drive, but back in the time of Mary and Joseph, it would have taken them about 2-3 days to walk there.  Bethlehem is actually part of the Palestinian Authority.  Our tour guide could not get in because she is an Israeli citizen.  So, we got another tour guide on the inside.  It was very strange driving into Bethlehem.  There is a 30-foot wall surrounding the city.  It is an ugly, cement wall.  There was graffiti all over it, too.  It was really sad for me to think that people who live there cannot leave, even if they want to.  It’s almost like being in an enormous prison.  Our tour guide was a Christian man, and he said that as it stands right now, he can’t leave.  And yet, here we were, just driving in, and when we were done, we would just drive right out again.  It makes me thankful to be an American.

We drove through Bethlehem to the Nativity Church.  We walked through Manger Square (isn’t that a funny name?) to get there.  This is the site of the cave where Jesus was born.  Helena (from before) built a church over it, but the cave is still in tact.  The church itself was enormous!  It was also really old.  We had to wait a while to get into the cave, but it was cool.  They have the place marked where Mary gave birth, as well as where the manger was.  It made me a little sad to think that God’s son was born into such not nice conditions.  And I can tell you, it looks nothing like the stable with the animals and it’s relatively nice and clean.  It was really just a dark cave.  I was so amazed to actually be at the place where Jesus was born.  I never thought I would get to visit this site, and now I have!

We went into the Catholic part of the church, where there is another cave.  This is the place where the Bible was first translated into Latin.  This was Saint Jerome’s cave.  Also inside the cave were the Tombs of the Innocence.  These were children that were killed during the crusades.  That was kind of sad.  We saw a lot of caves today…

The last place we visited was Shepherd’s Fields.  This is where the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and told them about Jesus’ birth.  We also saw the caves where the shepherds would have slept.  There are an awful lot of caves in Israel/Palestine!  There is also a church built on the site where the angel spoke to the shepherds.   After we visited the fields, we went to an olive wood shop, where I purchased my Nativity scene…I bought a Nativity scene IN Bethlehem!  That was what I really wanted to buy =)

As we left Bethlehem, we had a guard board the bus and check everyone’s passports.  There wasn’t any trouble, but they do check passports as you leave Bethlehem.  Once again, I am SO glad to be able to travel freely…

Tomorrow is a walking tour of the Old City!

What a long day!!  It all started at 2AM when I left my apartment and went to Maadi Grand Mall to meet up with a group of about 30 other people and a large bus.  We would soon be boarding that bus to take us to the Egypt/Israel border.  I fortuntately got my own seat, which was good because I took Nyquil and was OUT!  I slept for about 4 hours straight while we drove across the Sinai Peninsula.  There isn’t much to look at while driving across the Sinai, and it was dark anyway.  I was glad to get some sleep!  The drive from Cairo to the border was about 6 hours, which isn’t so bad when you are sleeping =)

At 8AM, we arrived at Taba.  The border crossing is interesting here.  I’ve never done anything like it!  We actually had to get off the bus, and take all of our luggage across the border.  First, you have to clear the Egyptian side.  You have to put your luggage through the x-ray machine, get your passport stamped, etc… Pretty standard procedure!  After you have done that, you leave the building, and walk about 100 yards to another building.  In the meantime, you are in No Man’s Land…As you walk into the next building, there is a sudden change!  The building is clean!  The people are clean!  Things are organized!  What a change in about 100 yards!  Once again, you have to put your luggage through the x-ray machine.  Who knows what you could have picked up in No Man’s Land!  This is where it gets interesting.  You have to get your passport stamped.  This was not a big deal to me, because I have no interest in going to Syria or Lebanon any time soon.  If you have an Israeli stamp, you can’t go to those countries.  So, I didn;t have a problem, but keep that in mind for the remainder of the story.  After you get it stamped, you walk through the building, and across another open area of about 50 yards.  Then, there is another person standing there to check your passport!  After walking through another (empty) building, you are FINALLY free to explore the country!

I didn’t have any trouble crossing the border, but half of the group got held up.  I’m not sure of all the details, but apparently it was some trouble with not getting it stamped, and someone forgot their passport at home, and yada, yada, yada.  I was just glad to be on the other side!  I exchanged some money, which was also fun.  Some of their bills are actually plastic!  I was then told that a lot of countries are switching to the plastic currency because it lasts longer and can be washed.  What a great idea!  The money is really pretty, and I want to keep it!  But I will probably spend it =)

We were at the border crossing for about 3 hours, waiting for everyone.  It was ok though, because I was in Israel!  When we finally got everyone through, we got onto a different bus and were on our way!  The landscape was a lot like that of the Sinai around Mount Sinai.  It was pretty!  We stopped at a dairy for lunch, and had a delicious salami sandwich.  But the best part was…the ICE CREAM!!!  It was so good, and I haven’t had bubble gum ice cream in a LONG time.  I loved it.

As we were driving, we drove along the Dead Sea.  There was SO much salt everywhere!  It was just white cakes along the road.  The water was glassy and perfectly still.  We also drove past some of the salt mines.  We also drove past “Lot’s Wife.”  Now, I really don’t think it was Lot’s wife, but it was a pillar of salt rock!  Kinda cool!  We also stopped at a place where the your guide made us get out of the bus and taste the dirt.  It was supposed to taste like salt, but all I tasted was dirt…oh well!  God made dirt, so dirt don’t hurt!

Because of the delay at the border, we had to change our plans a bit.  We were supposed to stop for a swim at the Dead Sea, but we will do that on the way back.  Instead, we got to go to Jericho!  Jericho is Palestinian controlled, so normal Israelis cannot get in.  We didn’t get to get out of the bus, but we did drive through.  We saw sections of the Old Wall, as well as Zacchieus’ tree!  The tour guide kept calling him Nicodemus, but I knew who it really was =)  The rest of the city was pretty much like any other city, but it was still cool to be there!

From there, we continued on to Jerusalem.  We were in a hurry because we were trying to make it to the bringing in of the Sabbath service (something Shabbat, can’t remember the name!) at a synagogue.  It was a really neat service!  This synagogue is reformed, so it’s a little more modern.  They actually sang all of the prayers.  Everyone spoke English, but because it’s an Israeli synagogue, the service was in Hebrew.  I can tell you though that I will be glad to get back to a country where I understand the language!  Hearing Arabic and Hebrew ALL THE TIME is a little hard on the ears!  In any case, we got to see some of Jerusalem, and will see more tomorrow!

I have never been so happy to sleep in a bed!  I will end it here, but can’t wait to get going tomorrow!  Tomorrow we go to the Mount of Olives, and Bethlehem!  Stay tuned!!

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I updated…2 reasons for that.

1) I have been VERY busy

2) Despite being busy, there isn’t much to talk about! (When I started this entry, there wasn’t much to talk about…not there is!)

I’ve been playing softball, teaching, going out to eat, having Bible studies, going to parties, and otherwise enjoying life in Egypt!

 

A couple of weeks ago, we played 2 softball games.  In an effort to make our pitcher (who is really a shortstop!) happy, I volunteered to try pitching in our second game (against a nice team!).  After our first game, I tried a few pitches with Jen and Joe and didn’t even do too bad!  As we looked across the playing field, we could see some REALLY dark clouds.  They were moving closer and closer…and pretty fast!  We grabbed all of our stuff and got to the other side of the concession stand just before the first sandstorm of the season hit.  It wasn’t too bad, and didn’t last long, but we were covered in dust.  To make matters worse, it rained right after!  So instead of being dirty, now we were muddy.  It didn’t rain long either.  So we went back to pitching practice.  There was a rugby game going on at the soccer pitch, so we went over there to watch it, and there were 2 rainbows above the mosque!  It was really pretty.  I tried to take pictures, but it didn’t work so well…but I tried!  I’m rambling now. My point of this story was that I pitched for 2 innings!  I didn’t do too badly, but I definitely need more practice.  Jen was glad to have someone pitch for her, and I may have found my way out of right field! =)

 

We have been doing some great election activities in class!  I taught my kids all about the 3 parts of government and how elections work.  I was really surprised at how interested they were in everything!  We had some awesome class discussions.  I had them register to vote, and I even converted my closet into a voting booth!  One of the most interesting things we did was do a candidate comparison.  I made a list of the beliefs of Obama and McCain, but labled them Candidate A and Candidate B.  Before we looked at the chart, most of the kids voted for Obama.  But after we went through the chart, most of them voted for McCain (without knowing it was McCain).  It was really interesting!  However, come Election Day in the voting booth, Obama still won.  It was a fun experiment though!

 

Now to backtrack a bit…Halloween!  Steph and Lori had a Halloween party.  I actually had a costume this year (much better than my thrown-together-Superman-but not really-costume from last year!).  I pulled out the trusty Dorothy costume, and even had my red shoes to go with it!  I needed a basket, but those of you who have been to Egypt know that good baskets are available on EVERY corner in Maadi, so that wasn’t a problem.  The problem was the dog.  I needed Toto!  I walked all over Maadi…went to EVERY store that would POSSIBLY have stuffed dogs, but no luck.  They have all kinds of teddy bears, but no dogs!  Seeing as how I live in Egypt, I decided to settle for one of those stuffed camels that you can find at every tourist shop.  We’re DEFINITELY not in Kansas anymore, Toto!  My camel was a hit at the party.  It’s always fun to get dressed up and hang out with friends!

 

The next weekend, my Bible study group had a little mini-retreat to a condo on the Red Sea!  Katherine knows a woman who has a condo, so we got to use it free of charge!  It was BEAUTIFUL!  And it was a much needed “vacation.”  It is not at a resort, so it was so quiet and relaxing.  We basically sat around watching movies all weekend (well, I had to work on report cards, too!), and eating delicious food.  It was so fun!!

 

I was really busy for about 2 weeks with report cards and conferences.  The conferences went really well, and I didn’t even have any difficult parents!  Always a good thing.  I was glad to be done with conferences though, because the Friday after conferences, my friend Gloria came to visit!  I know Gloria from freshman year at Bethel, but haven’t seen her in about 5 years.  She is currently living in India, and for visa renewal purposes, came to Egypt!  It was so fun!  I love when people come to visit because it makes me do touristy things that I otherwise wouldn’t do.  I still had to work, so Gloria had a couple of days to do things on her own.  It was kind of fun to talk to her though, because she had a completely different view of Egypt than most people.  She was impressed with how CLEAN Cairo is, and how WESTERN it is!  Those are 2 words I would DEFINITELY not use to describe Cairo, but I can appreciate things a little more now, I guess.  She enjoyed going to the grocery and being able to buy imported things, regardless of price.  I guess I am pretty lucky!  I took one day off and we went to the Citadel.  I hadn’t been there yet, so that was really fun.  It was beautiful!  The inside of the mosque is all alabaster.  It was stunning.  And the views were incredible, too!  From there, we walked (I was impressed that I knew where to go!) to two other prominent mosques, El Refaii and Sultan Hassan mosques.  I had been there before (when Mom and Katie were here), but it was fun to go back.  Unfortunately, I don’t know very much about either mosque, so I wasn’t a very good tour guide…but I did my best!  That night, we ventured to City Stars (my first time this year!) to eat Mexican food!  We were both HUNGRY for Mexican, and at the end of last year, they opened an On the Border restaurant.  Now, this isn’t real Mexican food, but for Egypt, it sure tasted good!  It satisfied my need…for now…good thing I’m going home soon!  The fifth grade had a field trip while Gloria was here, so she went with us.  We went to Wadi Digla, the same place we went last year.  It is a dried up ocean, essentially.  There are lots of sedimentary rocks and ancient coral reefs (for our geology unit!).  And it’s just a great place for the kids to get to run around!  It was pretty fun!  It was so nice to have G come and visit =)

 

Softball is now over for the season.  I got to pitch the last half of the last game.  It was so fun!  I’m not the greatest pitcher, but it was still fun.  I’m disappointed that the season is over, especially since we probably won’t have enough girls to field a team for the next season.  Too bad! 

 

Last weekend was the first “free” weekend I have had in a LONG time!  So, I put up my Christmas tree!  Aprillee and Mark left me their Christmas decorations, so I decided to put them up.  It was a little early, but I want to get a lot of enjoyment out of it!  I do love Christmas! =)

 

Here is a sad piece of information.  I had to work on Thanksgiving =(.  But, my kids did bring food and we had our own little Thanksgiving Feast!  We didn’t have turkey, but we had chicken nuggets!  We had SO much food!  It was quite fun.  And for my turkey, I spent $10 on an imported Hormel microwave meal!  It was probably the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted, but at least I had turkey!  I had a few friends invite me over for Thanksgiving meals, but I am currently quite sick =(.  But it was nice to be invited!  And next year, I will get Mom’s turkey AND stuffing!  It will all be worth it!

 

I have another busy week this week, and next weekend I head off to Israel!  We have a week off for another Muslim holiday, so there is a large group of us going for the week.  We will even make it to Bethlehem, which will be very cool!  I am really excited about that.  After that vacation, we have a week of school, and then it’s time to go home for Christmas! 

 

Stay tuned for (hopefully) daily updates on my trip to Israel!  See you soon!