Jericho and the Desert

Sunday morning we packed up to leave Pilgerhaus and wind our way back to Jerusalem.  On our way we stopped at Mt. Tabor, the site where tradition according to Eusebius holds that Jesus' transfiguration took place.  As Nassir our guide said, some say that the Transfiguration took place on Mt. Hermon.  I agree with Dean Patrick's wise observation: "holy places move."  Certainly seems that way!  While visiting Tabor, I had flashbacks to Montenegro and the winding bus ride up the mountain - it was the same here.

The view from the top was fantastic of course.

My rainbow that showed up in my picture at the mountain monastery in Montenegro showed up again here at the church atop Tabor...

The outdoor chapel where we had Sunday eucharist:

And just as Jesus left this mountain after his transfiguration and headed to Jerusalem, so we did likewise.  We drove through the Jordan River Valley, stopped in Jericho for lunch (oppressively hot!) and saw the Mountain of Temptation from a distance.  And for full effect of desert sun and heat, we stopped in the middle of the desert at a place with fantastic views, down to the Dead Sea when looking to the right, and up to the Mount of Olives when looking to the left.  These photos just don't capture the eery beauty of the desert.  I am certainly in awe of the faith of the desert fathers and mothers who lived in solitude in this kind of place...

A break at a watering hole - colorful flowers and a coca cola!

After a much needed nap and dinner back at the college, our little group walked down to see the wailing wall at night:

Happy Birthday to Me, on the Sea of Galilee

Today, Saturday, is my birthday!  What an exciting place to be today!  To make the most of the day, Caitlin and I got up at 5:30  and hurried down to the waterside to watch the sunrise.  We ran into a family of rock badgers on our way...

It was so peaceful watching the sun come up over the mountains, through the low-lying clouds and finally pierce through the top.

After sunrise, Caitlin and I went back to our room to get ready for the day.  Fortunately the air conditioning was working great in the dining room, so we got a little relief from our stuffy, sticky room.  Turns out that it's more than the key card that makes a closed circuit for the A/C to work - you also have to check the windows to make sure they're latched properly.  Who knew??  Oh well.  Tonight we'll make sure  everything's tight and take it down to ice box level!

Our first visit of the day was to Mt. Beatitudes, the supposed location of the Sermon on the Mount, followed by a stop in Nazareth.

In Capernaum we stopped at the site of St. Peter's house where Jesus stayed and performed many miracles.

Ruins of the house

The church built over the ruins.  Look closely and you can see through the floor down into the house.  I couldn't help but imagine those on the rooftop in Jesus' time, lowering down the man on the mat...

Ruins of a synagogue next to the church.

We then drove to Tabgha Benedictine Monastery and had eucharist in this outdoor chapel:

I liked this window above the door inside the church:

After eucharist we had a little free time, so I walked over  and sat next to the "Feed My Sheep" statue, watching and listening to the French Catholic eucharist going on nearby.  While I don't understand the language, I do understand the rhythm and movement of the liturgy as well as the music - the passing of the peace, bowing at the sanctus, folded hands receiving bread...music and movement - universal languages in worship...they say that 85% of communication is non-verbal and only 15% is actual words used.  I believe that!

We stopped for lunch and had another treat - fresh tilapia from the Sea of Galilee.  Once I got past it looking back at me, I think it's just about the best fresh fish I've ever had!

After lunch we went to the shore and took a boat ride across the sea to Tiberias, followed by a stop in the worst tourist trap I've ever been in.  Since the site of Jesus' baptsim is inside a military compound, the government set up this site for tourists to visit for baptisms - it's not even the Jordan river!  It was super hot and the water was disgusting.  Not only is the water disgusting, but they have camera crews taking video so that when you walk out, you see yourself on a TV screen, in attempts to lure you to buy a DVD of your experience there - ick factor very high!

The crew in the back of the bus - Patrick, Justin, me and Caitlin.

We finally made it back to Pilgerhaus, changed back into our swimsuits and headed out for one last swim in the Galilee.  The water was especially refreshing after such a hot day, where even my elbows were sweating!

After dinner and a less-than-stimulating lecture, we finally made it back out to the patio, where we had drinks, smoked some hooka with Joseph (no worries, Mom - it's just flavored tobacco), and played a few rounds of cards.  

Dining Room

Joseph setting up the hubbly bubbly...

So to sum up my birthday in Galilee - awesome!