Petra by Day

Petra during the day is just spectacular. The Treasury is obviously the most beautiful part of Petra, possibly because it is the most in tact. It stands at 40 meters high- it is hard to imagine how they even got up that high to be able to carve out the rock, let alone carve to that level of detail. The Nabataeans built an entire city that emerges straight from the face of the cliffs, unbelievable. Makes you wonder why, seems like other options for housing would have been easier! I think that the door frames are the most beautiful overall. Hiked up to a lookout point as well. The rock itself is beautiful. The walk to the treasury is a long, narrow path and the whole time, you are surrounded by the beautiful rose-colored rock.

Petra By Night

I met three French girls on the bus to Eilat who were going to Petra, so we traveled together. We arrived in Wadi Musa around 7 PM and went to Petra by Night around 8. Candles line the entire walk to the Treasury- it is beautiful and there is supposed to be no talking. Once you get to the Treasury, there are Bedouins who play some folklore type music and serve tea. It was a nice, relaxing way to end the evening. It made me really curious to see what Petra would look like in the day because you could barely see the outline of the stone.

Ein Gedi

On my way south to Petra from Jerusalem, I stopped at a town called Ein Gedi along the Dead Sea to swim for an hour or two. The water is 8 times saltier than the ocean! When you walk into the sea, you remain in a standing position even after your feet have left the ground because you float- the water stays at chest level! It is crazy, I think it would be impossible to drown. It tastes terrible and burns your skin a bit. The water is also very hot- feels like stepping into a bathtub- not so refreshing when it is 47 degrees outside! Glad I went, an hour or two was enough time for me. As you can tell by the photos, you can see how the salt crystalizes on the sand.

More Jerusalem

Spent the entire day wondering around the Old City. Started with the City of David and walked through the wet tunnel of Hezekiah- seemed like it would never end, and it was very narrow. Other groups were there and were singing, so you could hear all these different beautiful voices echoing through the tunnel. Next, I walked all around the Mt. Of Olives- I think this may be my favorite place in Jerusalem. I know Christ was here and walked all over this mountain. The Garden of Gethsemane was beautiful as well as the Basilica of Agony that stands beside it. There is a chapel on the very top where Christ is believed to have ascended to heaven, wow. The Jewish cemetery was also very neat- lots and lots of graves are there. From, there, the Golden Gate is beautiful. I think it would be incredible to be standing right there when he comes back. I also visited the tomb of the Virgin Mary- a very heavily ornamented church. After walking around the grass with bare feet, I headed back into the Old City to walk the Via Dolorosa- 14 stations starting where Christ was condemned and ending where his body was laid to rest in the tomb. The tomb of Jesus is located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and it is debated about whether this was really where his tomb was located. Beautiful regardless. I also visited a place called the Garden Tomb, located just outside the Old City and it is another proposed place for Christ's crucifiction and tomb. There are several other potential sites throughout the area, but it is incredible to just be here. At the end of the day, we know two things. That Jesus died for us and that he rose again three days later. After the Garden Tomb, I went to Yad Vashem to visit the holocaust museum. It was very chilling. Seeing the shoes and notes people left in train seats begging strangers to check on their kids make it seem so real and present. It is amazing what man is capable of and I hope the world learned, but I am not sure. Man has been oppressing man since the beginning of time, and it doesn't look like that will change. I don't believe it could happen like it did again, with western countries and on such a massive scale. I do believe, and believe even stronger since I have been here, that if man believes they are carrying out God's will, there is little to nothing you can do to change their mind. When someone believes God spoke to them, no one can tell them differently or that it didn't happen, even when it is over something brutal and horrible. I think a lot of the historical as well as the present tragedies stem from people, crazy or heartless, who believe they are in line with God's will for them and mankind.

The pictures go 1) Hezekiah's Tunnel, 2) Basilica of Agony, 3) Garden of Gethsemane, 4) View of the Old City from the top of Mt. of Olives, 5) Chapel of Ascension, 6) The Golden Gate, 7) Jewish Cemetery, 8) Tomb of Jesus inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, 9) Jesus' Tomb at the Garden Tomb

Bethlehem

Took a bus into the West Bank to see Bethlehem in the afternoon. I visited the Nativity Church, which is built over the site where Jesus is believed to have been born. The church is beautiful. There is a staircase leading to a room beneath ground level where there is a silver star with a black center, marking the very spot where Christ was born. Kinda neat to imagine that salvation began right there, or if not, very very close to that site. Also in Bethlehem, I visited the Chapel of the Milk Grotto, where Mary and Joseph stopped to feed baby Jesus. It is believed that the rock is white because a drop of Mary's milk spilled onto it, turning it from red to white. The Chapel was built in the 5th century over the grotto. Entering the West Bank is no problem, but to leave, I had to pass through as security checkpoint. No big deal, just takes more time. I wish I had more time to explore the West Bank and to learn more about the Israeli/Palestinian issues. I have been asking people lots of questions, but naturally, people who live here either favor one or the other, so it is difficult to get a straight answer. I am hoping to find a book that discusses the past history as well as what is happening currently. The West Bank does have a different feel than the rest of Israel that I have traveled through, hard to say exactly what it is, but it does feel like a different place. The first two photos are of the Milk Grotto Chapel and the second two are of the Nativity Church.

Back to Jerusalem

I took a bus back from Nazareth to Jerusalem first thing in the morning, not so bad because I slept. Once I arrived, I spent several hours walking around the Old City. I just love it there, I wish I could move there. But, visiting is nice too! I went to Mt. Zion where I saw the tomb of King David, the room where the Last Supper was held and the Dormition Church, where the Virgin Mary died. My favorite here is the room of the Last Supper- it was a strange feeling to be in there, maybe somber is the way to describe it, to stand where Jesus at his last meal with his disciples. After Mt. Zion, I went to the Western Wall- the holiest site in the world for Jewish people. I think very few times in my life have I ever seen a place affect people so deeply. They say that the Holy Spirit never leaves that place, and I think they are right. The Temple Mount/Dome on the Rock is just stunning from the outside, but I couldn't go in because only Muslims can enter the mosque. The mosque houses the rock where Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is an amazing feeling to be standing in the Old City. Within these small walls, the holiest sites for Christians, Jews and Muslims live. This place is very alive. First photo is of the Temple Mount, second two are of the Western Wall and the last one is of the room of the Last Supper. Feels like home here.

Nazareth

I left Jerusalem first thing in the morning to head up to Nazareth. It seemed hotter up there! The northern part of Israel is just beautiful- lots of wonderful, green rolling hills. First I went to the sites in the city- the Basilica of the Annunciation (where Angel Gabriel supposedly told Mary that she was going to have baby Jesus), the Church of Joseph (built over the site that Joseph had his shop) and Mary's well- believed to be the well Mary drew water from. It was really neat, especially the Basilica of the Annunciation, the church is stunning. Took a bus over to Tiberias in the afternoon, which sits right on the Sea of Galilee. The sea, or lake, is beautiful as well. The Jordan River begins at the southern end of the sea and is believed to be the place where John baptized Jesus. I reconfirmed my vows there and I think it is one of the most powerful things I have ever done. Even if it is not at the exact spot Christ was baptized, it is known for certain that it was very very close. It is amazing to walk the streets of Nazareth and try to imagine it 2000 years ago, it was Jesus' stomping ground!

Hello Israel

After spending the night in the straw hut, I took a bus to the Egyptian town of Taba and walked across the border to Eilat in Israel. Went straight to the bus station and took a long and hot bus ride to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was incredible in almost every way imaginable. Didn't do much the first day, pretty much just checking into the hotel and got a bite to eat. Seeing the military in the streets takes some getting used to.

Straw Camp

After climbing Mt Sinai, I took a bus to a small community near the Israeli border called Nuweiba. I got there late at night and decided to try staying in one of the "camps" on the Red Sea. As you can see, there is not much to them, a little hot at night and a lot of straw. Beautiful view and wonderful people, so I can't complain.

Mt Sinai

Very early in the morning, I climbed Mt Sinai. The tourist bus came to my hotel at about 11 PM and we drove for three hours through the Red Mountains and then began hiking. It was still dark so I couldn't see much on the way up. The top of the mountain was so cold because of the wind, hard to believe anything here can be cold in July. The sunrise was beautiful. It is incredible to think that Moses received the Ten Commandments in the same place I was standing all those years ago. The guide convinced me to take the stairs route down and informed he halfway down that there were 3000 steps- but they are small ones, he said. Hmmmm. The Monastery of St Catherine, at the base of the mountain, was beautiful as well, supposed to house the burning bush and Moses' Well. I had a wonderful time.

Sharm El Sheikh

I flew from Luxor to Sharm El Sheikh, on the tip of the Sinai Peninsula. It is gorgeous here, just like all of the pictures. While I was here, I did a lot of snorkeling just off the beach from the hotel, the coral is bright and there are so many kinds of fish. Water is a bit cool, but feels wonderful after being outside. Went on a snorkeling trip to Tiran Island which was fabulous- coral here was even brighter and there was a greater variety of fish. My favorite is this neon purple fish about three inches long.

Luxor- Trip 2

Today I went to three more temples- the Temple of the Nobels, Medinet Habu Temple and the Karnak Temple. Karnak is hands down the best in my opinion- 134 huge columns, pretty spectacular. Temple of the Nobels (last photo) was neat, but in a way, was a smaller version of Valley of the Kings. Habu (second photo) was beautiful- some of the reliefs still have perfect color despite being outside and exposed to the elements, I don't know how the Egyptians did it. Karnak was just incredible, I think it was my favorite- takes a long time just to walk around it. It is huge (first photo).

Luxor- Trip 1

From Cairo, I took a plane to Luxor- the Nile isn't high enough this time of the year to take a boat, which would have been my preference. Today I went to three temples in Luxor- Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens and the Hatshepsut Temple. They were all great, but it was very hot. It is amazing how far down into the ground the King's temples were. The paintings and carvings inside are beautiful- some look like they have been created yesterday. The photos are all from Hatshesput- pictures weren't allowed at the other sites, but the landscape looks the same at them all.