Israeli Miscellany

Here are a few fun shots from our wonderful visit.
We saw this guy on the Mount of Olives!


A sarcophagus from the Israel Museum from the 13 century BC



Model of the second temple


Entrance to Dead Sea Scrolls


Sunrise over the old city of Jerusalem


See these bike stations all over Tel Aviv.


Date trees everywhere--loaded with dates








Riding in the bus...PW texting and Bev knitting. Our bus had Internet!


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Megiddo

After leaving Tiberius where we spent two nights at a lovely hotel overlooking the Galilee, the Scots Hotel we drove west to Megiddo.
This is a hill overlooking the Jezreel Valley dating back to 4th or 5th century BCE. The various settlements through the ages controlled the main routes between the east and the Mediterranean.




The hill on the left is Nazareth.


Initially fortified by the Canannites it was occupied by over 20 different settlements abandoned and then rediscovered in a 20th century archeological dig.

Roman steps

















An ancient grain silo which held 450 cubit meters of silage.





We then descended several hundred steps to an ancient underground reservoir which connects to a spring outside the fortified walls,





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Golan Heights Winery

We visited this fairly large winery atop the Golan Heights for a tasting.


Delicious Sauvignon Blanc!


Jane our Harvard Alum escort.


Bev Linkletter sampling



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Visit to Golan Heights

We drove north from Tiberius to a the most northern point in Israel overlooking Lebanon


Lebanon is just beyond the village in the foreground,



Hezbollah bunkers are buried under the Shite villages in the distance.


From there we drove across the northern border into the Golan Heights. It took about 45 minutes to reach our view point into Syria. We were accompanied to both spots by a retired IDF (Israeli Defense Force) colonel who briefed us on the situation in both locations.



We were overlooking the only border crossing between Israel and Syria. The white buildings are the site of a UN monitoring team.











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Masada

During the time of the destruction of the second d temple almost 1000 Jews went to this isolated mountain top to escape the Roman Army. This plateau above the desert was built originally by king Herod and at that time was a lavish retreat for him. The Jews who escaped there fended off the Roman Army for 3 years but the night before they were to be captured mass suicide was committed. It was discovered by archeologists and it was an amazing place to visit.










Tram to the top


Our guide telling us about the Roman Baths


One of the baths on the side of the hill.









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Bethlehem--Pt 2 Church of the Nativity

This sculpture of baby Jesus is under the altar and carried around during Christmas Services


Franciscan part of church











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Bethlehem--the shepherds'

Bethlehem is on occupied territory so we were told to bring our passports and that our Israeli guide would be unable to go with us. We would have an Arab guide, Issi.


Our first stop was to see the cave of the shepherds now part of a Franciscan Monastery. Issi explained this might not have been the actual cave but was very much like the cave where they would have used.







Also we were able to look back across the border to an ultra orthodox community.






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