Caesarea Philippi

Banias (an Arab corruption of the ancient name, Panias) is such a tranquil place today, with its springs of clear, cool water, that it's hard to imagine it was once a place where sacrifices were made to Pan, the god of shepherds.

At the time the Good Shepherd, Jesus, came here with his disciples it was called Caesarea Philippi. He and his little band of disciples had come to know each other pretty well over the previous three years, traveling together, eating and living together, and learning from Jesus.

It was here that the penny finally dropped for Peter and he confessed 'You are the Christ'.

The air up here was definitely on the chilly side, and the sun wasn't too keen to shine, but we were excited to press on and see how far the road to the Golan Heights was passable.

Korazin and Tel Dan

We set off this morning with rain beating on the windows of our bus, looking like a party of Michelin men in our many layers of clothing. We were cosy enough on the bus, but we weren't going to let a little rain stop us getting out and exploring the very northern reaches of Israel.

Snow was forecast for the Golan Heights, but our guide and our expert driver promised to see how far they could safely take us, and all but one of our number were up for the challenge.

Our first stop was at the ruins of the basalt-built town of Korazin.

This was an ancient olive press.

At Tel Dan, the next site we visited, our walk through the bush took us past swiftly running streams of water rushing down the slopes. The rains have certainly made a positive impact on the countryside, and everyone is delighted. (Ironically the sad news from home is that damaging floods have hit much of New South Wales.)

We were very close to the border of Lebanon here.

What started out as a very smooth amble along a paved path soon became a tricky scramble over round, and sometimes slippery, rocks, and finally a tramp through sticky clay mud.

Spurred on by the promise of seeing a city gate from 1800BC that Abraham probably passed through, we were elated when we finally reached our 'prize'.

The sun even came out!

March Photo a Day Challenge Day 1 - Up

With Chantelle of Fat Mum Slim continuing her Photo a Day Challenge into March, I've decided I'm up for some more photographic fun too.

Today's theme is 'Up', so here's a photo I took up on the Golan Heights this afternoon.

The moods of the sea

After our early morning sail on the Sea of Galilee it was fascinating to see how the sea and the skies changed over the course of the day, as we moved from place to place around the edge of the lake.

Firstly the Mount of the Beatitudes, then Tabga where Jesus fed the 5,000 (more like 20,000 since they didn't count women and children) with just 5 loaves and 2 fish.

When we reached the Church of the Primacy, built on the little beach where Jesus appeared to Peter after his resurrection and told him to 'feed my sheep', the wind was blustery and there were white caps on the waves.

Between rain showers, though, the sun still shone brightly.

We found a sheltered spot on the beach for a short service of Holy Communion, made more special with a simple bread roll from Tiberias, wine from Cana and a Hebron glass cup we bought in Jericho.

It was only a short drive to Capernaum, with its 2nd century synagogue just a hop, skip and a jump from the lakeshore.

By the time we were homeward bound to our Tiberias hotel the skies were leaden and the rain was falling steadily.

The shots above show (top to bottom) the Sea of Galilee at Ginossar Kibbutz where we set sail in a traditionally styled boat, the seashore in front of the Church of the Primacy (dark sky to the left of us, bright sky to the right), and the beach at Capernaum.

What a difference a day makes

No golden sunrise this morning, just grey skies and rain showers.

We were one of the earliest boats out on the Sea of Galilee, and while we still felt very safe in the rough weather conditions it was easy to imagine how frightened the disciples might have been in their little boat when a storm blew up.

Those boatmen really know how to put a smile on the faces of their visitors right from the outset. They raised the Aussie flag, and with a recording booming out in the background we all sang a hearty version of 'Advance Australia Fair'.

Usually they cut the motor once the boat's out on the lake, but with the waters growing more turbulent by the minute they couldn't afford to let the boat bob around like a cork, so Boak had to read his Bible passage a tad louder, to be heard over the chugging motor.

Sipping wine in Cana

Goodness me, we had to draw deeply on our imaginations in Cana and Nazareth. Nevertheless, they were places worth seeing.

The main trade in Cana seemed to be ... Wine, of course!

Some of us preferred the freshly squeezed pomegranate juice from this guy, before moving on (via the ruins of Sepphoris) to Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation.

There we saw these beautiful stained glass windows.

When this modern church was built in the 60s Catholic churches in many countries contributed mosaics in their own idiom depicting the Virgin Mary to decorate the walls. The Australian one is on the left, the Mexican in the middle, and the Japanese on the right - my favorite because the concept of a cute oriental baby Jesus just makes me smile.

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

I confess I'm definitely an 'owl', not a 'fowl' when it comes to my normal sleep pattern, but since we've been here I'm waking around 5am and loving it.

I usually reach for the DiPad and try to compose a blog post or two, but yesterday I popped on the nearest clothes I could find, rugged myself up against the morning chill, and walked across the road to the edge of the Sea of Galilee.

(Oh my gosh, i'll never get used to writing that)

How many photos can this Di take of sunrise over the Sea of Galilee? More than I'll share here, you can be reassured :-))

With only the sound of birdsong and a Jewish gentleman wrapped in his prayer shawl reciting his morning prayers and rocking towards the tranquil sea, I waited for the sun to gradually crown.

And while I waited I too talked with God. I thanked him for our little band of travelers who have become like a family, each looking out for the others, lending a hand on rougher ground (lending a couple of dollars in the shops :-)), and generally showing compassion and generosity. They are a great bunch!

When the sun finally showed itself above the hills of Jordan on the other side of the lake it was magnificent!

I hope you think so too.