Israel

I really should be letting Ricky write the post about his trip to Israel but I know he would defer to me so I'll just write what I know.  In September, Ricky had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Israel for eleven days with his parents and sister, Natalee. I was quite nervous about him going given all of the political unrest (i.e bombs being launched) that's happening over there currently. Luckily there were there with a local guided tour and I just had to trust that he'd be safe. It was a long eleven days without him but it was really nice to get a daily update with a summary of the day and pictures each night. I am just going to copy and paste in the updates Natalee's  sent to provide and overall summary of their trip. Thanks to Aunt Natalee for unknowingly contributing to our blog. There's a part of me that wished I was there to experience it with him but I am comforted knowing I was home with the boys and making memories here.

Day 1:
We are here and settled in our hotel. After leaving California at 4 am and doing 16 hours of flying, we are all very tired but we had a nice long nap earlier today. I've included some photos from our traveling earlier today. Ricky and I were laughing (but also terrified) during our taxi ride from the airport hahah. The food is mostly normal, I'm able to eat the chicken and veggies. We went to an olive tree carving shop for a few minutes tonight and saw some really beautiful work by an LDS artist. Other than a bit of miscommunication and disorganization (like no one being there to get us at the airport or hotel, etc.) things are going great! Tomorrow we are going to the Sea of Galilee. More updates to come. 

Day 2:
We have had a super busy exhausting day today!
We met for a delicious breakfast at 6:30am, then took a 3 hour bus ride all through the Jordan River Valley. We saw lots of small Arab shanty towns along the way. We also saw Jericho from a distance, but we couldn't drive through it because of safety issues. We saw some camels on the side of the road which was cool. Then we arrived at Mount Tabor, which is thought to be the Mount of Transfiguration. Even though the drive up the mountain was super windy and terrifying, this was probably my favorite place today. There was a beautiful and very old Catholic Church at the top, and because it was Sunday, they had a chorus of bells that went off at noon.

Then we went to a typical Israeli fast food shop, it was like a subway, but half the size and stuffed with 40 people all trying to order at once. Poor planning. I got falafel (deep fried chick peas) and Mom, Dad, and Ricky all got shwarma (sliced rotisserie meat on a pita). It was decent, but it was 106 at the time and we all just wanted to get back on the air conditioned bus.

Then we drove to the Sea of Galilee, which looks a lot like Bear Lake. Also, we could see the mountains of Syria from the lake. Our tour guide said we were within 1 mile of the Syrian border at one point. We stopped at the ruins of an old church that was built before the second century, and this is supposedly the site where Jesus cast the evil spirits into the swine that raced into the sea.

Then we went to see a small town called Korzin (I think), that had one of the oldest synagogues. Ricky was snapping a lot of good pics, so I gave up at that point. It was after 5pm and we were all so hot and tired. But we learned some interesting things about Jewish traditions and some of the similarities they share with LDS. Finally, we checked into our kibbutz (kinda like a commune, but very nice), took a much needed nap, and ate some dinner. Chicken, veggies, and lots of shredded "salads". Most meals are very similar. Then we walked out on the pier of the sea and just sat for a few minutes after dinner. It was very still and quiet, except for the large pack of coyotes in the not too far distance. Ricky and I knew we could take them though.

Tomorrow we will go on a boat ride on the sea! I'm really excited about that. I hope it's not super hot again though. Maybe they will let us swim. :)
Nat

Ricky drinking fresh squozen pomegranate juice on Mt Tabor, camels at a gas station, fun on the super long bus ride.

Day 3:
Another super busy day on the Sea of Galilee. We started out at 6am, had a delicious breakfast of eggs and cheeses, and then took an hour bus ride through the golan heights region (within a mile of the Lebanese border) to the "Tel Dan" Nature reserve. We did a short walk through a pretty forest and had a lesson on the creation. Mom was really excited to pick a real fig leaf for herself. The headwaters for the Jordan river are here, and the water was so clear we could see straight down to the bottom, plus we could see all the fish swimming in there too. 

Then we had lunch, and then we went on a short boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was really fun, and we sang "Master the Tempest is Raging" to our fellow non-tour passengers, which was kinda weird. It's hard to think that this calm sea is where that story took place. I didn't take my camera on the boat, but Ricky has been taking lots of really nice photos so those will come out later once he is able to clean them up. 

In the afternoon, we went to the Mount of Beatitudes, where the sermon on the mount took place. There is a tiny church there, and lots of places to sit and have lessons. The wind picked up once we were up on the hill, which was wonderful. We sat on some rocks and read the BofM account and the Bible account and compared the two. It was a beautiful view. 
After that, we went to a museum where an ancient boat was preserved using polyurethane technology never before used. The boat is 2000 years old. It was pretty cool--and not just because the museum had A/C lol. More pics coming of this too.
Tomorrow it's back to Jerusalem! 

Day 4:

Another busy and exciting day in Israel. We have been so busy I forgot which day we are on but I think it's day 4. LOL. Here is a picture of our beautiful daily buffet. We have dairy in the morning and usually meat at night. It's not kosher to mix the two. 

We left the Sea of Galilee early this morning and took an hour drive over to Nazareth. We passed through the village where Jesus turned the water into wine and saw the church of the annunciation (aka the announcement) where Mary saw the angel. We had a lesson while looking over the Armageddon valley. 

Then we took an hour drive over to Haifa, a beautiful port city. While there we ran into a Druze salesman who had handmade wooden beaded necklaces. Mom bought a bunch! 

Then we drove down the gorgeous coast toward Cesarea, the roman capital in Israel built by Herrod. But first, we got to stop for a few minutes at the Mediterranean and we got in it! It was so warm and lovely. The sand was super soft, like powder.  

Then we ate at an Israeli McDonalds, which was actually great. We were so tired of chicken. 

Then we spent some time in Ceasarea, where we saw buildings 2000 years old, like their racetrack (in the pic below), and their amphitheater. We had a lesson on Saul/Paul and King Agrippa here. It was very hot but interesting. Afterward, we drove to Jaffa (the worlds oldest seaport) and spent an hour there learning about Jonah and Cornelius. I fell asleep on the way back to the hotel. ;) 

Day 5:
This morning we finally got to go inside Jerusalem! We started with visiting the Dome of the Rock, the famous gold domed building at the center of the city. There were other Christians, Jews and Muslims all there worshipping in their own way. The Jews were singing and chanting and swaying at the wailing wall as we entered, the Muslims were having what appeared to be Sunday school classes, sitting around and chatting, but the youth were yelling "Allah Akbar" (god is great) over and over really loud.
It was really interesting to see all the different faiths together in the same place. When we walked in, a lot of the women in v-neck blouses had to wear (and purchase) shawls, and even some of the men in shorts had to tie a scarf around their legs to cover up. Ricky was one of the special men chosen. He actually kept his "skirt" on the rest of the day hahah. The building was beautiful and there was lots of cool super old architecture. 

Then we went through the Jaffa gate, and walked through the Christian quarter and the church of the Holy Sepulchure, but that was kind of a bust because according to our tour guide, nothing    really actually happened there, but it was pretty. Then we walked through all he shops in the Jewish and Muslim quarters. There was so much crap everywhere, it was kind of overwhelming. A few people from our group went back at the end of the day to shop in the markets but we were all too exhausted. There were also a bunch--like dozens-- of wild cats roaming around all over Jerusalem! I was able to pet a few of them. They were very friendly, but I tried to feed them some of my lunch, and they weren't even hungry. We found out later that they eat all the mice in Jerusalem, so that's why they aren't hungry. 

We had a picnic lunch in the Jewish quarter, and then toured ruins of the old city that date back to 600-1000 BCE, presumably around Lehi's time. Then we spent a bunch of time in Herrod's temple, which was quite impressive--huge, beautiful, architecturally amazing. We learned all about the Jewish customs at the time, like money changing hands, and why that upset Jesus, and lots of other events that happened in the temple. We had been on our feet for hours at this point, and Ricky was taking lots of good pictures, so I didn't bring the iPad in to do photos. But, after we left the old city, we drove over to the mount of Olives and got a beautiful sunset view of the city. Oh yeah, and I rode a camel, no big deal. (J/K i was freaking out). 

Day 6:
Today was a very busy and exciting day, with lots of highs and lows.
For example--a high was singing "How Great Thou Art" in the garden tomb area, but a low was when we had to walk down a super steep hill, and Mom's shoes slipped out from underneath her. She says she's fine but her foot is swollen. We'll see how she does tomorrow.
We started out early, and went to the wailing (western) wall. We got to witness a live bar mitzvah and we learned all about the custom. We thought of Brayden during this time, because the boys were around his age and his birthday is this week. Then we went to the "upper room" and had a lesson on the passsover, which was significant for the last supper and the scriptures about that. 

Then we went to the mount of olives, where we had a picnic (same food we've had for the past 5 days), and took some really good pictures. We had the place all to ourselves, we had a great view of the city, and had a nice lesson on the atonement. Then the men consecrated oil from the olives on the trees there (Ricky said the prayer), and Mom & Dad got a bottle for all you guys.

It was right after this that Mom fell. Halfway down the steep hill she finally got a taxi. Then we boarded the bus to Caiphus' house, saw the beautiful church there, and the dungeons below. This is likely where Jeremiah and possibly even Christ were held prisoner. Except back then, there was human waste, no light, and the only way out was being pulled out through the hole in the ceiling 20 feet above. 

Then we went to the Garden Tomb, which was our favorite place, and everyone else's too. It was peaceful, and seemed more plausible for what we have been taught happened as opposed to some of the Catholic Churches we have toured. We sat and sang church songs while we had a lesson on the resurrection. It was really cool but also weird to see it in real life. Kind of overwhelming. 

Then on our way out, we went through a known pick pocket area. I noticed a guy eyeballing what I thought was Ricky's camera. Then he turned around and started following us, trying to sell postcards, we kept saying No, but he wouldn't leave us alone. Then, Mom noticed him reaching for Dads fanny pack as he was flashing the post cards in our faces. She literally pushed him off of Dad. Ricky and I thought she might have fallen on him, but she told us later it was on purpose. Despite our challenges today, it was still the highlight of our trip so far because of the amazing things we saw and felt today. We are all safe, healthy and happy. Plus, tomorrow we get to go to the diamond district, so that will be fun! 

Day 7:
Only a few more days on our tour of Israel, and we are surprised how fast the time has gone. We've been so insanely busy. First off, a lot of you asked about Mom's foot. She is doing great--moving a little slower and stiffer than usual, but still moving. Definitely a trooper!
Our day started with an early morning trip to the hills outside Bethlehem, which is as close as we could get because of safety concerns. It was actually kind of cool because there was a sheep cave up in the rocks, similar to where Jesus could have been born. We sang Christmas songs and also read the story of Ruth. (We could never get a clear photo of the town of Bethlehem because one of our favorite tour members, affectionately nicknamed "Dr. Wonderful", wouldn't get out of the shot. He has entertained us so much on this trip I thought I'd include him in our blog for tonight. Lol.) As we were leaving we ran into real shepherds with sheep and goats! Too perfect! 

Then we went to an Israeli museum that housed both the Dead Sea Scrolls and the "model city" of old Jerusalem. The model city is built to scale, and reminded us of the Lego city. Haha. It really helped put everything we've been seeing into perspective. The Dead Sea Scrolls room was really cool, but unfortunately they wouldn't allow any photography in there. 

From there, we had a picnic lunch in a nearby park, then we went to the diamond district where they import raw diamonds from around the world and then they cut and polish them. Israel is known for their diamond manufacture. We loved looking at all the precious stones and seeing them actually being worked on. Notice how Mom is twice as excited as Dad? Lol.

Then we did an Old Testament tour in the lands south of Israel, the valley of elah and other places like where Samson lived. It was very windy, which we were grateful for. It was really cool to read the story of David and Goliath and be near where it really happened. We each got to choose a rock and got our very own "sling" to practice hurling stones with. Ricky found the most perfect stone and said "this was probably the real one". Hahah. I was just scared some old person might accidentally fling a rock at my face. Dad and  Mom were actually pretty good! Dad got to taste some real Annis (licorice) plant. 

We returned for a nice Shabbat dinner, and we are very much looking forward to our day of rest tomorrow. Church is on Saturday here for the Jews and the Mormons. We miss you all! Souvenir shopping begins tomorrow or the next day, so let us know what you are wanting! 

Day 8:
Today was a much anticipated and much needed day of rest. We slept in and didn't leave for church until 9! It was great. We went to the Jerusalem Center for church, and it had arguably the best view of the whole trip so far. The whole back wall of the "chapel", was made of glass so we could enjoy the view the whole time, which was really nice. Mom talked roman few people who knew John and Jan Clayton, which was nice. The kids at the school seemed so super young, and they reminded us a lot of Sierra. We wished she was there instead of China. ;) 

After church, the bus dropped us off in the old city so that we could walk around on our own. Our first order of business was to get something--anything--to eat other than shwarma (shredded chicken in a pita). We found a place that had pizzas on pita bread, and it was wonderful. Then we wandered around all the shops, and it was pretty crazy. Stuff hanging everywhere, salesmen calling out to us from their booths, tons of smells both good and bad, and people swarming all over the place. At first it was kind of exciting, but we were quickly overwhelmed and then lost our drive to shop. We were there for several hours and did buy a few things, but if we get a chance to shop again we'll probably go to a place that's more like what we are used to. 

Day 9:
Tonight will be a short update, because we are checking into a different hotel tomorrow morning, so we were up late tonight packing. I didn't think we bought very many souvenirs, but we can barely fit everything into our suitcases!
Today was a really fun day. We stopped by the Qumron valley where the Dead Sea scrolls were found, and walked through a museum where we learned more about the Essean culture that lived there. The land was really dry craggy mountains, similar to southern Utah.
Then we went to Masada, which was up at the top of a mountain almost 5000 feet above sea level. This was once King Herod's winter getaway. We had to take a gondola to get up to the top. It was amazing how well preserved all the ruins up there were--from the bathrooms to their synagogue-- you could still see first century tiles and plaster. We learned the story of the zealots who killed themselves rather than be taken over. There is an old movie about this story that we want to watch when we get home. 

Then we shopped in the Ahava gift shop--they use minerals of the Dead Sea to make their products. We got to test some fun lotions. Then it was onto the Dead Sea! Dad and I got in and loved it. The water was crazy warm, and it was so easy to float--not that Dad and I ever have a problem with that hahah. Ricky and Mom hung out on the shore, and it was dang hot. Dad and I floated out in very deep water and it was really fun! 

End of commentary from Aunt Natalee....thanks!!
From there it was a very long long day of travel home for Ricky but he made it safe and sound and we were all ready for big hugs and kisses.  I then realized that was the longest that he and I had been apart from each other in the eleven years we've been married. Ricky captured some amazing pictures of Israel and I'll get those posted later. For now, they are on his blog.