Even though today we drove from the north of Israel out to the Mediterranean Sea and then south for about about an hour and a half, we actually went "up." Jerusalem is a holy city on a hill and an uplifting place indeed!
Before we got there we again visited Caesarea Maritima, an ancient harbor city on the Mediterranean. The surf was calm, the sun was shining, and this time we got to walk through the archaeological remains of a complex that Herod the Great built from 22 BC through 10 AD to host the Olympics. We sat in the theatre with its perfect acoustics, visualized the grand palace at the promontory point that once overlooked the sea, and imagined the Apostle Paul setting off from the harbor there to spread his important news to far lands (which in the first century AD meant other places along the Mediterranean).
Upon arrival in Jerusalem we went directly to the Israel Museum to study a pretty amazing scale model for an overview of the city as it was in 66 AD and to see the Shrine of the Book where the - yes - the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept. Tomorrow we'll tour the actual city and in a few days we're going to the actual Dead Sea!
We also took in Yad Vashem for a sobering look at the dreadful effects of the Holocaust on the Jewish population of the world. It is a museum as well as a heart-wrenching memorial.
For the next five nights we'll be at the Notre Dame Guest House, a beautifully restored pilgrim guest house near the New Gate in the Old City. Tired? Well, yes I am!
Before we got there we again visited Caesarea Maritima, an ancient harbor city on the Mediterranean. The surf was calm, the sun was shining, and this time we got to walk through the archaeological remains of a complex that Herod the Great built from 22 BC through 10 AD to host the Olympics. We sat in the theatre with its perfect acoustics, visualized the grand palace at the promontory point that once overlooked the sea, and imagined the Apostle Paul setting off from the harbor there to spread his important news to far lands (which in the first century AD meant other places along the Mediterranean).
For the next five nights we'll be at the Notre Dame Guest House, a beautifully restored pilgrim guest house near the New Gate in the Old City. Tired? Well, yes I am!
