DAY 1 - Hazor, Dan, Ceasarea Philippi, Nimrod's fortress

Our wake-up call came at 6 am. My eyes opened, and I looked around the unfamiliar room. I knew right where I was, but could hardly believe it.

I am in Israel. I AM IN ISRAEL!

Shortly after sunrise, viewed from my hotel room window.
Center: the slopes of the Valley of Pigeons, touching the Sea of Galilee

I popped out of bed and ran to the window to get a first look our surroundings in morning light. The sunrise had barely begun and the sky was mostly dark, with the beautifully full moon still in view. I felt rested and refreshed from 9 wonderful hours of sleep, surprised to not feel jet lag a bit. Jessica and I dressed and packed our backpacks for the day, then walked to breakfast.

One breakfast table had 10 different kinds of fresh veggies, and a second was full of fresh, sliced, and dried fruits. There were no drink machines in the whole place, and no pitchers of juice at all. A large machine sat on top a cart, with a basket attached to the top full of fresh oranges. I was instructed by one of the waiters to hold my glass under the small spout, and press. The machine pulled the oranges from the basket on top, through a chute and into a three-wheeled juice press, where the seeds and most of the pulp was sifted while the juice poured out the spout.....and there you had it! Freshly squeezed orange juice in seconds! I think I'll look for one of those machines on Ebay...

Again, I filled my plate with almost one of everything. At dinner the night before, we had learned the names of many new dishes and tried to pronounce the Hebrew, which the waiters found hilariously entertaining. For breakfast, I pointed to a strangely shaped egg dish, resembling an omelet, mixed with carrots and some mystery green veggie. I pointed and asked the head waiter (who had already named several things in Hebrew for me): 

"This one here...what do you call this?"

"These? These is eggs."

"Yes, they're cooked eggs, but what is the name that you call it?"

"These is omelet! What else can the name be!"

Apparently, some things are not as different as I expect.

After breakfast we piled into the bus to depart, as instructed the night before, by 7:30 am. Dr. Wyrick and Pitch both appreciate punctuality. We left only 5 minutes late, and arrived at our first site within half an hour. At Hazor (“HAAT-zor”), ruins of the powerful Canaanite city destroyed by Joshua, we walked through the entrance to one of Solomon’s three palaces.

The six chamber gate, constructed with two large towers (no longer intact), dates back to 10 century BC. The double wall of the western half of the Upper City had been excavated and preserved with few timber supports and mud filler between the handmade bricks. The location of Solomon’s three palaces at Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer is related in 1 
Kings 9:15:

              
“Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD’s temple, his own palace, the terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer.”

Walking through the entrance of the palace, we entered a great gathering room. The interior walls were not preserved nearly as well as the outside gate. Pitch explained that when the great structure had been destroyed by fire in ancient battles, the bricks of the inside walls were significantly burned. Still black in certain places, the half crumbled walls show the magnitude of the destruction that took place. I was reminded that a war victory, in Biblical times, meant total demolition, occurring when the destruction of all life – every man, woman, child, animal – was complete, leaving no surviving life or building structures. Such devastations took place at Hazor. Biblical text related to the city, which dates back to 2700 BC, can be found in Joshua 11.

After the city's initial destruction, Hazor was abandoned for a period of time until it was rebuilt in a partial area of the upper city. When extensive rebuilding took place at the time of King Ahab (9th century BC), the city doubled in size. Historically, conflicts arising over geographic power related primarily to the control of water sources. Cities were built accordingly, strategically placed alongside the river, or in close proximity to a spring. Aggressors used war tactics to cut off an entire city from their source of water, and sought to exhaust a city’s means of survival that utilized rain cisterns to collect water from alternate sources. Under King Ahab's rule, a large water system was built beneath the city to supply the city with water from inside the walls during times of siege.

It was fascinating to be able to walk down into the ground, by way of a narrow, winding, metal staircase, to see the three-part system. Past the access structure, we used the staircase to enter into the second part: a vertical shaft with retaining walls, carved from rock, plunging 45 meters deep. At the end of the stairs is a 25-meter-long sloping tunnel, which stops at a small pool of collected ground water. The tunnel was brighter than I had expected, since the large, gaping entrance feeds adequate light into the water area, which was shorter than I realized.

Leaving Hazor, we traveled to the Old Testament city of Dan. Standing at the entrance of the city we analyzed the architectural ruins of the gate, noting the rock benches just inside the city walls which probably were used by the Jewish leaders and teachers of the a law for times of important city events.

The gate of 'Tel Dan', the lowest point of the city.
Center: the seats of the city (behind the orange tape) are
located at the gate, a prime location for noblemen and teachers
of the law to sit in Biblical times.

The construction of the city gate and its immediate surroundings were places where significant city events occurred in plain sight of the people – sort of an ancient day press conference or television-op. This one was similar to an area where Boaz would have made his public announcement at the city gate to buy the fields of Eliemech and take Ruth for his wife. We read the passage aloud as we looked at the set-up.


“Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, 'Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.’ So they sat down together. Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses.” 
Ruth 4:1 & 2

Walking up to the city of Tel Dan, we crossed a bridge built over the head waters of the Jordan River. We learned from Pitch's expert description that in Hebrew, the words "Yar" and "Dan" combine to create the name for the river. "Yar", meaning "flows from", and "Dan", the name of the city, become the "Yar-Dan" River, expressing the geographical point from where the river starts.

The head waters of the Jordan River

We were reminded that many Biblical names that have become so familiar to us in English, are not correct in true Hebrew pronunciation at all, since many Hebrew morphemes can't be expressed by writing in English phonics. So, the Hebrew word for the river that "flows from Dan" (a sound similar to our word "yard") becomes the "Jordan" (sounding very different, a sound like "George") due to language incompatibilities. Pitch said, "You think that reading the Bible in English is amazing? You should read it in Hebrew!" I wonder how many other parts of scripture would come alive in a new way if I could read them in Hebrew? I could glean so many significant details from reading scripture in its original language, when the purposeful names of places and the traditional significance of certain events can't be properly expressed in my native tongue. 

Continuing on to Caesarea Philippi, we visited the Hermon Streams, within the kingdom of Herod the Great. The streams themselves, which flow from the southern part of Mt. Hermon, flows through several kilometers of rugged canyon, before combining with the water of the Dan Stream to form the Jordan River. I learned that one fourth of the water of the Jordan is contained in the Hermon Stream (about 125 million cubic meters of water)! Near the streams, we walked to the 'Temple of Pan', a pagan temple built for sacrificial worship to the false god 'Paneas'.

My roommate, Jessica, and I strike a pose at the 'Temple of Pan'

This historical site is the spot where Jesus said “I will build my church…”, mentioned in Matthew 16:

                

Verse 16 – “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Pitch & Dr. Wyrick explained that the passage begins with Jesus' question: "Who do the people say the Son of Man is?" Doctrinally, this question is not only significant to the disciples' affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God, it is also culturally appropriate that Jesus would ask such a question at a place of pagan worship. In essence, Jesus asks, "Am I another one of these [pagan gods or prophets]? Or am I something more?" That's a pretty fitting location to ask such a question, don't you think? It's amazing to see scripture, in the context of its own historical location, come alive!

Traveling onto Nimrod's fortress, we walked through the giant rooms of an ancient crusader fortress. I took a good amount of pictures of the surrounding mountains and city below from the high point of the castle walls. We discussed some extensive crusader history while standing in an upper watchtower, overlooking the edge of the cliff where the fortress is built. It was freezing cold being up so high, and the wind was sharp, as we were approaching evening hours. I don't remember too many details of the history lesson, but I do remember feeling a bit embarrassed about our own school mascot in remembering what brutes the Crusaders really were. Still, you have to give them credit for some really sweet architecture. Especially since they built on the top of huge hills, with cliffs on all sides, and did it all without modern machinery.

The breathtaking view atop Nimrod's fortress.
Only one section of the great walls can be seen in the image.

After a long day of walking and hiking, we were happy to return to our hotel with enough time for showers before dinner in the main dining room. Once again, an enormous assortment of gourmet choices were available at dinner. We greeted our waiters with our limited Hebrew, "Erev Tov!" ("good evening"), and they responded with smiles and some laughs. For the few days we were at the Ginosef, we shared a dining time with a group from Northern Africa. It was obvious that all the white people were from the USA, but the waiters seemed interested to ask what states we were all from. Some from our large group explained that they had joined us from California, to which the waiters nodded and smiled. But they grinned from ear to ear when I answered I was from Texas. I don't know if they were really that excited about our great state, if they could sense the pride in my voice when I spoke in contrast to the Californians, or if they thought they finally knew where pretty American girls came from (all the young female students were from Texas, by the way)......probably all three. At any rate, Texas people were received very warmly, indeed J

D-Day

Departure Day is finally HERE! Despite initial setbacks from flight cancellations, my trip to Israel finally commenced on Wednesday, December 29^th! While the closing of JFK due to blizzards in New York affected the trip departure, I was grateful to not have been stranded somewhere in the North East. I slept two extra nights in a ‘real bed’ at my aunt's house in Austin -- a welcome alternative to sleeping 36 hours on an airport floor. God is good....ALL the time!

In addition to the hassle of flight rebooking, handled wonderfully by our trip sponsor and UMHB professor, Dr. Stephen Wyrick, we experienced glitches at the Austin airport. For 5 out of our 16 Austin-group members (including myself), no re-booked tickets for the Germany to Israel flight could be located upon reaching the airport. After over an hour of tough negotiating with our airline and travel agency (www.DehoneyTravel.com), our tickets were confirmed in the nick of time and we were free to board our departure flight.

Although the weather conditions had complicated our plans in every way, I was actually excited that our new route included a stop in Europe! We flew from Austin to Dallas, then Dallas to Germany (where my Dad was born!). I took as many pictures of the snow covered surroundings as possible as we were shuffled through customs to board our flight out of Frankfurt to Israel at last!

Viewed from the airplane: My first glimpse of the Holy Land!

Landing in Tel Aviv-Yafo five hours after take-off, we navigated the large 'Ben Gurion Airport' from our terminal down to passport control. The long walk to stretch our tired legs was refreshing after nearly 15 hours on airplanes. Arriving at the passport check point, we waited in unusually long lines before receiving our visa stamps. In my own American stupidity, I *politely* looked the passport officer directly in her eyes, remaining calm and answering questions as briefly as possible. Only, I had forgotten that while making eye contact when addressing an officer in the US will prove your honesty and respect, this body language within the Middle East is interpreted aggressively. I handed over my trip itinerary when asked where I would be going, which the officer snatched and read for quite a while. Starting to worry that I might delay our group if taken aside for more questions, the woman slammed a visa stamp onto my passport after several minutes and shooed me off through the gate to claim my luggage.

Exiting the airport, our group was immediately ushered to our tour bus where we were met by our trip guide, Pitch ("Peach”), an Israeli gentleman in his 60’s. He greeted us in Hebrew and in English, remaining quite stoic as he made witty jokes: *spoken in a deep, Israeli accent* “Many of you by now have already forgotten how a bed looks like....” or "Please walk quickly, boys and girls, we have a long drive! You see....this is why it took the children of Israel 40 years in the desert."

Driving three hours from Tel Aviv to our hotel off the Sea of Galilee, Pitch managed to keep us (mostly) awake with his animated stories and commentary on the sights around us, including the traffic and roadways. Taking the toll road up to Galilee – the fastest and most direct way of travel – we were still met by thick traffic, as Thursday evening in Israel (the day before Sabbath) is like Friday in the US and is the heaviest traffic day of the week. With surprisingly westernized highway systems, Israeli vehicles travel on the right side of the road and follow traffic regulations and signs quite similar to those in America. However, the driving etiquette observed on our way from the airport served to be quite a source of entertainment.

To say the least, Israeli driving is more aggressive than anything you see in the USA. Houston rush hour traffic now appears mild. Honking constantly in mobs of thick stop-and-go is mandatory. Changing lanes occurs with no blinker or any pre-warning to the driver beside you. Cutting people off, or even ‘out’ of the road in some cases, is not rude, it’s just driving. In fact, missing your exit does not even mean you must fix your mistake by way of a looping overpass. Simply reversing back down the exit ramp, probably into oncoming traffic, will suffice. (This WAS indeed seen on many occasions, and experienced on our own bus when our driver missed a turn on a two-lane highway!) Israeli’s are quite efficient, really.

Around 8 pm -- already 3.5 hours past sunset -- we arrived at our hotel, the "Kibbutz Ginosar" on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. A three-course gourmet Israeli meal was enjoyed -- which became our routine for breakfast and dinner every day (Yes. We were spoiled.). We ate while our bags were unloaded off the bus and dropped in our rooms by the porters. Luckily, I'm a very adventurous eater, and quickly piled everything colorful and appealing on my plate to sample different tastes.

Course 2, of 4: Freshly baked pita with hummas ("HOOM-as), stuffed eggplant, 

fresh cucumber salad with dill, green salad, spicy carrots (a popular dish), 

fish from the Sea of Galilee (only yards from our hotel), chicken with sesame 

seed sauce, chicken over rice with honey sauce

Everything was delicious! In fact, there wasn't a single type of food I ate in Israel that I didn't like (including airplane meals!). I tried everything, too -- I mean, EVERYTHING. With full bellies and drooping eyelids, my roommate and I walked from the main office after dinner and straight to our room in a building across the lawn from the dining room.

Never one to hit the clean sheets without a shower, I had my first experience with Israeli plumbing the first night. Everything looked just like a normal hotel shower: white porcelain tub with white tile behind it, normal shower curtain, and waiting with a rack of clean towels. But looks can be deceiving -- or unobservant, jet lagged Americans can be stupid. I turned the water hot, and pulled the lever that released the water through the shower head. Walking outside the bathroom for less than 20 seconds, I grabbed my PJ's out of my suitcase and walked back in the bathroom to find the floor filling with water! I jerked the water off immediately and started laughing to my roommate, Jessica, to come look. (Jess, a natural blonde herself, had her first exposure to her roommate's "true blonde" roots!) We figured out that the shower head (a removable hose that pivots) was attached very loosely to the wall and didn't properly stay in position with the water on.

Israeli's, obviously, never make the mistake it did, since the tub was not outfitted with a splash guard, causing the water to spray against the back tile and gush over the back of the shower like a waterfall. I mopped up the puddle, and *carefully* proceeded with my shower, making a mental note to first examine the shower head at future hotels.

Bedtime routines safely complete, we flicked off the lights and were asleep before our heads hit our pillows. It was a good thing. We had a long day ahead of us...