Bet She'an
I think that Bet She'an was my favorite place to visit. I'm guessing that is because of my love of history. This is a huge city of ancient ruins. I could have spent days there.
Above, I am overlooking the Bet She'an ruins. We climbed the mountain pictured below to get a good view. Below, Jon is standing on the cardo (main street) where shops would be found. I really wished that Brishen were there with us since he's a history nut, too. There was a theater, baths, Egyptian ruins atop the hill, and even a goat wandering around. We just didn't have enough time to soak it all in.
This is what is left of a Byzantine bath in Bet She'an. The Byzantines came after the Romans and took some of the Roman features and tweaked them a bit. When I thought of Roman baths, I thought of pools of water they would enter. I learned that there was a floor built over all those little "chairs". The water would be heated in a nearby room, would flow under the floor and between these "chairs," and the people would enjoy the rising steam. They were more like what we call saunas than baths.
Drive to Jericho and Jericho
This is a Bedouin community. We saw tons of them on our drive from Tiberias to Jericho and Jerusalem. Some had camels. Some had water tanks. Some had shepherds wandering nearby with flocks of sheep or goats. Some had just a few tents or portable shacks that are easy to move when the seasons or conditions change.
This is an anti-aircraft missile on a hill near the highway. The country of Jordan was very near to the highway, so we could see the border fences and crossing areas. I didn't get a picture, but we also saw many illegal Israeli settlements as we drove through the West Bank. The West Bank technically belongs to the Palestinians, but Israel has been settling the area for decades, making it harder to reach a peace agreement. The illegal Israeli settlements were fenced by Israel to protect them. Palestine would prefer they keep to their own lands.
This is the 10,000 year old watchtower in Jericho. Evidence of a watchtower, water storage, and a wall for protection from that time period give Jericho the distinction of being the oldest city in the world.
Here's Jon in Jericho. The mountain behind him is thought to be where Jesus was tempted.
Here's a 2,000-year-old sycamore tree in Jericho that traditionally is thought to be where Zaccheus climbed to see Jesus. There's a lot of tradition that probably is not fact but does help give a visual to the area and the times. Too bad the tree was in a fenced area. I wanted Jon to climb it and show us another "wee, little man" in the sycamore tree.
I think that Bet She'an was my favorite place to visit. I'm guessing that is because of my love of history. This is a huge city of ancient ruins. I could have spent days there.
Above, I am overlooking the Bet She'an ruins. We climbed the mountain pictured below to get a good view. Below, Jon is standing on the cardo (main street) where shops would be found. I really wished that Brishen were there with us since he's a history nut, too. There was a theater, baths, Egyptian ruins atop the hill, and even a goat wandering around. We just didn't have enough time to soak it all in.
This is what is left of a Byzantine bath in Bet She'an. The Byzantines came after the Romans and took some of the Roman features and tweaked them a bit. When I thought of Roman baths, I thought of pools of water they would enter. I learned that there was a floor built over all those little "chairs". The water would be heated in a nearby room, would flow under the floor and between these "chairs," and the people would enjoy the rising steam. They were more like what we call saunas than baths. Drive to Jericho and Jericho
This is a Bedouin community. We saw tons of them on our drive from Tiberias to Jericho and Jerusalem. Some had camels. Some had water tanks. Some had shepherds wandering nearby with flocks of sheep or goats. Some had just a few tents or portable shacks that are easy to move when the seasons or conditions change.
This is an anti-aircraft missile on a hill near the highway. The country of Jordan was very near to the highway, so we could see the border fences and crossing areas. I didn't get a picture, but we also saw many illegal Israeli settlements as we drove through the West Bank. The West Bank technically belongs to the Palestinians, but Israel has been settling the area for decades, making it harder to reach a peace agreement. The illegal Israeli settlements were fenced by Israel to protect them. Palestine would prefer they keep to their own lands.
This is the 10,000 year old watchtower in Jericho. Evidence of a watchtower, water storage, and a wall for protection from that time period give Jericho the distinction of being the oldest city in the world.
Here's Jon in Jericho. The mountain behind him is thought to be where Jesus was tempted.
Here's a 2,000-year-old sycamore tree in Jericho that traditionally is thought to be where Zaccheus climbed to see Jesus. There's a lot of tradition that probably is not fact but does help give a visual to the area and the times. Too bad the tree was in a fenced area. I wanted Jon to climb it and show us another "wee, little man" in the sycamore tree.Bethlehem
Here's the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is very near Jerusalem. It has a huge wall around it because it is part of the West Bank. We had to have our passports out and be ready to be searched by an Israeli soldier when we crossed back out of the walls. Israel claims that the walls are there for the Palestinians' sake, but it is obvious that they are being cut off from the rest of Israel and the West Bank and not receiving the services or chances to take care of themselves that they deserve.
Animals in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago were not kept in man-made stables. They were kept in the many caves in the area. If Jesus was born where the animals were kept, he was born in a cave. This is the traditional spot in Bethlehem where Jesus is thought to have been born. This is the exit from THE cave. It was such a strange experience to visit this cave and this church built on the sight. The cave was lavishly (gaudily) decorated. There were tons of people there, so we were all pushed through at an alarming rate. There was not time to really reflect or enjoy the experience. It just seemed...weird.
That star is the spot where Jesus was born. Now we United Methodists, agreeing with our great guide, do not think they really know the exact spot nor need to see the exact spot to gain meaning from the story. So many others, though, really feel the draw of knowing the exact location and take it for an absolute fact. They have such faith, and it was really interesting to see that. The picture below shows the place where the manger is said to have been. You can see from these pictures that the cave has been covered in marble. The cloth drape you see above is what covered all the walls of the cave, and those fancy lights hung all over. It was all a little strange for me.
Here's the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is very near Jerusalem. It has a huge wall around it because it is part of the West Bank. We had to have our passports out and be ready to be searched by an Israeli soldier when we crossed back out of the walls. Israel claims that the walls are there for the Palestinians' sake, but it is obvious that they are being cut off from the rest of Israel and the West Bank and not receiving the services or chances to take care of themselves that they deserve.
Animals in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago were not kept in man-made stables. They were kept in the many caves in the area. If Jesus was born where the animals were kept, he was born in a cave. This is the traditional spot in Bethlehem where Jesus is thought to have been born. This is the exit from THE cave. It was such a strange experience to visit this cave and this church built on the sight. The cave was lavishly (gaudily) decorated. There were tons of people there, so we were all pushed through at an alarming rate. There was not time to really reflect or enjoy the experience. It just seemed...weird.
That star is the spot where Jesus was born. Now we United Methodists, agreeing with our great guide, do not think they really know the exact spot nor need to see the exact spot to gain meaning from the story. So many others, though, really feel the draw of knowing the exact location and take it for an absolute fact. They have such faith, and it was really interesting to see that. The picture below shows the place where the manger is said to have been. You can see from these pictures that the cave has been covered in marble. The cloth drape you see above is what covered all the walls of the cave, and those fancy lights hung all over. It was all a little strange for me.
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