Grumpy Face

Column Top - Israel, 2015 Is this your morning face? Thought for the Day: Everyone smiles in the same language.George Carlin

Bandannas

  While exploring the Taos, NM area, I came across a quaint little town called, Arroyo Seco.  Just two blocks long, the small town had plenty of little shops, art galleries, starving artists of all kinds, an ice cream shop and an organic fruit stand. This colorful display of bandannas stuck out from the dark …

Stashed Cigs

I found this nearly-full pack of cigarettes neatly placed at the bottom of a support post holding up one end of a roof over a closed auto repair shop in Jericho, Israel.  No one in sight. The building looked like every other small building in the area -- begging for paint and upkeep. Trash littered the open bays of the dirt-floor …

Saint Peter in Gallicantu

  Just outside the walls of Old Jerusalem is the site believed to be where Peter denied Jesus three times.  The Latin word, "Gallicantu" means "cock's crow".  The site is also believed to be the palace of the high priest, Calaphas. The church ceiling on this site is remarkable. Below the church are crypts and grottos …

Wailing Wall Collage

The Wailing Wall is the most holy site of the Jewish faith.  Formally named the Western Wall, it is what remains of the western wall of the Second Temple, the same temple where Jesus scorned the tax collectors and money lenders.  The entire Temple area was leveled by the Romans in 69 AD to quell the …

Columns

While visiting Ceasarea (see former posts Ceasarea, Roman Amphitheater and Roman Aqueduct), I turned to the south and noticed the massive columns of an electrical power plant framed by the two Roman columns.  This is Israel's largest power plant, located on the Mediterranean Sea about 50 miles north of Tel Aviv. The columns of Ceasarea have been …

Jordan River

The Jordan River in the Middle East is best known in the Bible for the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  In modern times the Jordan River is known for another reason.  The Jordan River has been part of a long-running border dispute between Israel and Jordan since 1967. When Israel joined the United Nations in 1949, a …

Precious Metal?

I've found that in countries using currencies different from the US dollar, making change is not difficult until you get down to the small coin level.  The Israeli currency is based on the New Israeli Shekel ("NIS"), which has a rate of exchange with the US dollar of roughly 4:1; i.e. it takes 4 shekels to …

Nazareth Bike Shop

Walking along the streets of Nazareth, the line of bicycles caught my eye.  It's not uncommon for the shop keepers to display their goods on the sidewalk. (Click here for another Nazareth street scene.) Notice how gas cans are used as traffic cones to separate pedestrians from street vehicles, and, of course the discarded pop can, …

Separation Wall

In 1967, Israel was invaded by Jordan from the east and Egypt from the west.  The war ended six days later with Israel pushing Jordan all the way back across the Jordan River, seizing all of the land on the west bank of the Jordan River, and Egypt back across the Israel-Egypt international border, seizing …

Old and New

Luxury hotels share the Tiberias skyline with ancient structures of Jesus' time.  Located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, the town feels more like a resort town, where ancient ruins are neither maintained nor sought by religious pilgrims.  But, the town is important to Jews and Christians. When the Romans crushed the Jewish rebellion and …

City on a Hill

After a long, steep and sometimes winding road, the tour bus finally crested the hill where Jerusalem could be seen spread out before us on a hillside across a deep valley.  Located in the Judean "mountains", Jerusalem has been called the "city on a hill". The city of Jerusalem is over 5,000 years old and to say the …

Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a geologically interesting place, 418 meters below sea level (approx. 1250').  Fresh water flows out of the Sea of Galilee, down the Jordan River and into the Dead Sea, where it is trapped and dies ... unable to support life of any kind.  Its 32% salt content is nine times that of the …

Sabbath Best

Shop keepers in Israel's big cities typically display their wares on the sidewalk, especially along the known tourist routes.  On a dreary overcast day in Nazareth (predominantly Muslim), this bright splash of color caught my eye. I shot this while hiking down the hill from the Basillica of Annunciation, site of the Virgin Mary's original home, trying not to …

Israel’s Wildlife

There really isn't much wildlife to see in Israel, every square inch of fertile land is used for growing crops to self-sustain the country's food supply.  National Parks are reserved for historic sites.  No land is set aside to let the "deer and the antelope roam". The nearest thing I saw to wildlife in Israel was …

Roman Amphitheater

One of the main attractions at Ceasarea is the Roman Theater; it presently seats 3,600 for summer concerts and performances. Only a few rows of the original stone seats remain (see photo at left).  It is a gorgeous venue, looking out over the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by the antiquities of Ceasarea. While the structure was magnificent, I …

Shabbat 2

This picture has nothing to do with the story I'm about to tell, but it is the same location where I learned about Shabbat.  I talked about the bartender that taught me about Shabbat in a previous post. After finishing my beer in the previous post, I returned to my room using the bank of elevators in …

Shabbat

I learned a lot from the bartender at Jerusalem's Grand Hotel Bar.  After a full day of sight seeing, I went down to the bar for a beer.  It was 5:58 PM on a Friday; I figured the place would be rockin', you know, TGIF and all that.  The place was deserted. The bartender ask me …

Ceasarea

Construction of Ceasarea began in 22 BC.  A large sea port, amphitheater, hippodrome, palaces, temples and marketplace was built by King Herod the Great in only 12 years. Herod named it Ceasarea after his patron Augustus Ceasar; it covers 164 acres and eventually populated to over 100,000. After Herod's death, Ceasarea became the headquarters of Rome's …

Date Palms

The Date Palm tree is very similar to human beings.  Yup, check it out; here are a few facts I learned about the tree commonly found in Israel. The life span of a Date Palm tree is similar to humans; i.e. about 65 years.  There are male and female versions of the tree and both …