Israel: So Much to See in Such a Small Space

A pair of boats sit peacefully in the Sea of Galilee at sunrise.

We viewed a trip to Israel as a once-in-a-lifetime experience because of the cost and distance, but we soon discovered that many people make the journey. In fact, more than 3 million tourists visit Israel each year. Despite going in the off-season (the summer), we still ran into crowds of tourists at every stop. Fortunately, we picked an excellent tour company for our trip—America Israel Tours—and ended up with an amazing tour guide—Tamar. She delivered a steady stream of interesting details every day about the places we visited and did her best to get our bus to the spots ahead of the others. Overall, we had a great trip. We came home exhausted, but it truly was a memorable adventure because Israel packs a lot of fascinating history into a small space.

Today’s travel journal will focus on the places we visited from the top of the Sea of Galilee to the southern end of the Dead Sea. Tomorrow, we will publish a travel journal that describes our Jerusalem pilgrimage. Both journals will feature more than 25 of our best photos selected from the 900 that we shot. Israel offers an abundance of photo opportunities.

Sea of Galilee boat trip.jpg — Sea of Galilee

A highlight for both of us was sailing on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus sailed. Nobody in our group tried to walk on water, but we had a great time due to perfect weather and relatively calm conditions. A tour highlight was passing the area where it is believed that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

CAPERNAUM

At Capernaum (also known as Bethsaida and Chorazin), we walked through a series of archaeological excavations and visited a church that stands on stilts over a house from the time of Christ. The Bible mentions that Jesus left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum when he started his ministry. One of the ruins we viewed there was a synagogue that is dated to the time when Jesus might have taught there. Other biblical connections to the city include the disciples Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew having lived in the village.

The Church of the Multiplication commemorates the feeding of the multitudes with a few fish and loaves of bread.

MOUNT OF BEATITUDES

We visited the area where Jesus might have delivered the the Sermon on the Mount. Our tour included a visit to the Church of the Beatitudes, which features many windows (not stained) that offer views of the hill that leads to the nearby Sea of Galilee. The beautiful gardens surrounding the chapel grounds contain plaques with passages from the sermon as recorded in the Bible.

MAGDALA

Mary Magdalene made her hometown of Magdala famous, and it thrived as a fishing village until the Romans invaded the area in 67 CE. Until 2009, it was buried, but now it’s an active archaeological site that includes a first century synagogue, marketplace, housing area, fisherman’s work area, warehouse and wharf. A key finding was the Magdala Stone, which is believed to be a holder of the Torah and Prophet scrolls.

CAESAREA PHILIPPI

The most unusual feature of the Hermon Stream (Banias) Nature Reserve in Caesarea Philippi is a relatively modern addition—mine fields. We’ve been to national and state parks in the U.S. that warned visitors to stay on the trails to avoid venomous snakes and poison ivy, but the fear of stepping on a mine is much more compelling. The mine fields are remnants of battles for control of the region, including the strategic Golan Heights. This part of Israel was seized by the country during the Six Days War, and it is near the borders of Lebanon and Syria.

Located 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, Caesarea Philippi is the source for one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. The abundant water supply made the area an attractive settlement for centuries, and it became the site of numerous temples built here in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. We could have spent hours exploring this site, but we only had time to visit the Hermon (Banias) Springs and the Temple of Pan.

Jordan River Baptism.jpg — Jordan River

Compared to the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers, the Jordan River is more like a stream or creek. Of course, our tour group made a stop on the river because that’s where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. To commemorate our visit, most of our group’s members were baptized in the river by two pastors traveling with us. It became a special moment for us.

BEIT SHE’AN

The largest archaeological site in Israel, Beit She’an, demonstrates how power shifts can shape the land. At the national park’s Fortress Mound, archaeologists have uncovered 20 settlements built on top of each other. They’ve been dated from 5,000 BCE through medieval times. The most impressive settlement was created by the Romans, which includes a monumental colonnade running along Silvanus Street and an amphitheater built about 1,800 years ago.

QUMRAN

Another one of Israel’s national parks is Qumran, located near the Dead Sea. The site had a settlement as far back as 800 BCE, but a later group made the site famous. Qumran is best known as the place were a break-away sect lived and studied for two centuries. The scribes who were part of this group left copies of their work in surrounding caves. The search for this work began in 1947 after Bedouins shepherds found seven ancient scrolls—the Dead Sea Scrolls—in a local cave. The scrolls were hidden in jars for nearly 2,000 years and preserved as a result of the area’s arid climate. The scrolls included books of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha and the sect’s own writing. Some of these scrolls are on display at “The Shrine of the Book” in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

MASADA

We arrived at the fortress at Masada with the temperature around 100 degrees, so the trail to the site was closed due to health concerns. Instead, we took the tram that handled the strenuous climb for us. With the grounds being completely barren and all the buildings in ruins, it became hard to visualize Masada as having been a luxurious hideout for King Herod. On the other hand, it was easy to see how the fortress became the place where Jews took a last stand against the Romans. Our favorite part of the Masada visit was the long-range view it provided of the Judean Desert, which the Bible describes as “the Wilderness.” The barren, rocky ground exemplifies desolation.

DEAD SEA

We’ve been to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, so we’re familiar with salty water, but the Dead Sea stands alone as a geographic attraction because the salt content is so high (35 percent) and is 10 times greater than the water you’d find in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. The Dead Sea is also 1,412 feet below sea level, which is the lowest point on Earth.

We stayed on the shores of the Dead Sea in the resort town of Ein Bokek. While some members of our group floated in the water, we stuck our hands in it and decided that was enough. The water felt as warm as hot bathwater and had a slimy feel to it because of the salt and mineral content. With the day’s temperatures being above 100 degrees, the idea of soaking in the thick hot water didn’t appeal to us. Still, it’s beautiful and an interesting place to visit.

Arla realizes that she has been left home alone instead of making the trip to Israel.

ARLA’S SHOCKING MOMENT

Arla: I go with Doug and Linda on all their outings and assumed their trip to Israel would include me, but I suddenly found myself in an empty house, with no sign of my travel buddies. Where did they go? I had my passport ready and bags packed, but I noticed that the car was gone and immediately knew that they had left me behind. When planning for this trip began, I never imagined that somebody could get left home alone. At first, I thought they might have needed to run an errand before heading to the airport. I patiently waited on the couch until it became obvious that they went to Israel without me. What should I do? Well, I was hungry, so I ordered a pizza and watched an old movie. I didn’t mind being home alone until I noticed a couple of suspicious men lurking in the yard. No worries. I’m resourceful and protected my turf tenaciously.

Linda enjoyed visiting the Sea of Galilee because it reminded her of the story of Jesus telling Peter to take courage.

LINDA’S TAKEAWAY

Linda: Our 10-day excursion to Israel was planned by America Israel Tours, with the promise that we would explore the “roots of our faith.” I was excited to read that going to the Sea of Galilee was on the list of biblical sites to visit. One of my favorite passages is found in the New Testament, from the book of Matthew. Its’ the story of Jesus walking on water.

I love that the apostle Peter took the first step and walked on water after Jesus said, "Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Sadly, I can relate better to Peter’s next step. “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me! Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt?”

During my spiritual walk with the Lord, I have successfully taken the first “leap of faith” many times. Unfortunately, I have failed to take the second step many more times because fears and doubts of the unknown take over. My goal is to never stop learning how to deal with fear when the result is worth the risk, like traveling to the Holy Land of Israel.

Doug’s Historical Highlight

Some things never change such as the need for people to go to the bathroom. At the Beit She’an National Park, one of the ancient buildings uncovered by archaeologists was a public lavatory. It was conveniently placed next to a bathhouse and a 7,000-seat theater. Based on the lavatory’s size, I imagine that there was always a long line to use it—just like today.

Camels wait for tourists to ride them at a resort next to the Dead Sea.

OUR TRAVEL TIPS

Based on our experience, we make two strong recommendations if touring Israel with a group.

Travel a day earlier than necessary and spend your free time in Tel Aviv. We tried to time our travels so that we could go from the airport to the tour bus, but severe weather in Newark changed our plans. By the time we arrived in Israel, we had missed the first day of the trip. Fortunately, America Israel Tours helped us catch up with the group by sending a driver to the airport to pick us up and take us to Tiberias.
Pack appropriately for the conservative dress code at the holy sites. We only had one day (the Dead Sea) when wearing shorts was appropriate. For men, long pants and shirts with short sleeves were needed the rest of the days. For women, long skirts, dresses or pants with short-sleeve shirts are required. You’ll need to have your knees and shoulders covered at most of the holy sites. Overall, dress modestly to avoid any problems.

Tiberias is the oldest major city on the Sea of Galilee.

GEE WHIZ FACTS

Neither the Sea of Galilee nor the Dead Sea are truly seas. They are lakes.
Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea get their water from the Jordan River.
The Sea of Galilee is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, covering about 64 square miles.
The Sea of Galilee is in northeastern Israel, near the country’s borders with Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Israel has 68 national parks and reserves.