Some more pictures.

Jerusalem! This is the Beautiful Gate seen from the Mt. of Olives. Of all things I most looked forward to seeing Jerusalem. I wasn't prepared for the effect it would have.
I could go back and just wander around Old City Jerusalem for days.

Walking through one of the water shafts. Joab captured Jerusalem by going up through one of these shafts. They get pretty small.

This is where a body would have been laid in the Garden Tomb. The way it is carved is very interesting. No one knows for sure where Jesus was buried. Maybe it was here?

The door tells it all.

People taking turns to look inside the tomb. We had to wait about 20-30 minutes.

The western wall. We visited on a Bar-Mitzpah day. The cabinets hold old scrolls that the boys have to read.

This is a first century street alongside the temple mount. Jesus may have walked on this street, and so did we.

The view of the Dead Sea from Qumran.

The scribes room at Qumran. This is where the Essenes copied the scriptures. The scrolls that we call the "Dead Sea Scrolls" would have been copied here.

Up this draw is cave #1 where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

Another cave where scrolls were found.

Looking east from Masada. The land in the background is Jordan. The Dead Sea is very low and is actually divided into two parts. The picture shows the southern end of the northern part. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth, 1300 feet below sea level. At the northern end the sea is about 300 feet deep.

The siege ramp that the Romans built to get to the Jews on Masada.

The treasury building at Petra. A very impressive sight. Remember Indiana Jones?
One of the Beduoins asked me how many camels I would take for Cherie.

Walking through the Siq (pronounced "seek"). The entry to Petra.

Cherie and I by the Red Sea in Eilat. Eilat is Israel's main vacation place.

I probably won't put any more pictures on this blog. If you want to see more I have about 700.

Ein Harod, the spring where Gideon seperated out his final 300 men. I hope I'd doing it right.

The stage in the theater at Caeserea. Festus and Agrippa II may have sat on this stage to listen to Paul.

The theater at Caeserea. This spot in the middle of the seats is where those on trial would have stood to plead their case. Paul may have stood here when he spoke before Festus and Agrippa.

The view from the top of Tel Megiddo. This is the Jezreel Valley.
This valley is also called the Armegeddon Valley.

Solomon's stables on Tel Megiddo.
Megiddo was a great place to see. There is a lot of history here. About 22 levels of occupation have been found on this tel.

This boat was found when the Sea of Galilee was low because of a drought. It is believed to be from the first century.

This is the boat that we took our boat ride on. Everything started out calm, but the winds came up and everyone was wet. It was an interesting time!
The boat ride was great. I wouldn't have changed anything.

The tel at Bet She'an. Somewhere inside this hill are the remains of the Old Testament city. The bodies of Saul and his sons were nailed to the walls of Bet She'an.

These are two views of the same gate. This gate is in the ancient city of Dan in north Israel. It is possible that this gate was in existence when Abraham rescued Lot. Maybe Abraham visited Dan and walked through this gate. The gate is made of mud brick, that's why it is under cover.


This was our first stop on our first morning in Israel. We are on the Arbel overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is at the far end of the sea.