Tel Aviv and Jaffa

Below is an orange tree growing in a ceramic tub in the shape of a seed. Very clever!

Here is Bruce outside Simon the Tanner's house. Peter raised Dorcas to life in Jaffa and staying with Simon.

Here also Jonah tried to hide out instead of going on the mission God had sent him. There is now a lovely walkway along the shore. The Mediterranian is a wild water on this coast! Not tempted to swim despite it being hot.

It was a hot day and this fountain had the children enraptured!

Masada and Beersheva

This is where WWI soldiers are buried after a decisive battle at Beersheeva. We counted 12 NZ soldiers graves. It was the last mounted cavalry charge in the world.

Of course we found the sooq - but didn't buy anything!

Mt Masada was amazing. Even the cable car was not too scarey. It happened to be the hottest day they had had this year - something like 45-50 so climbing around up there was hard work!
Around 70AD Jewish zealots held out there for 3 years before the Romans were able to make a ramp up the side. Rather than become Roman slaves almost all of them made a suicide pact. Jewish soldiers make an oath there : "Masada will never fall again!"

Bethlehem hospital

This was our contribution to the Bethlehem mental hospital.

This is Nabih who is in charge of the hospital laundry. Whenever we went to the hospital we would visit Nabih and have a chat and his workers made us delicious tea.

Beit She'an Roman city

Beit She'an was of strategic importance because here the road from Jerusalem to Transjordan met. This strategic place on the fertile Jordan valley made it one of the most important cities in Israel. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 749AD. It is mentioned in the Bible - on the city walls King Saul and his 2 sons were hung after an humiliating defeat by the Philistines.

Beit She'an

This is the Beit Shean national park.... beautiful!!!

The bus caught on fire half way there so we just hitched a ride because we didn't have long before the park closed.

Watermellon tasting ice cream... delicious.

Ein Karim and Knesset

This menorah stands opposite the Knesset building.

This is the Knesset - quite a modest building really. We went in to watch a session in progress. Mr Netanyahu was present and he turned around and looked up at us so I waved and he waved back. Now, I don't know if he REALLY was looking at me but the timing was sure right. I wanted to crawl under the seat then!

The Magnificat - The wall behind these statues of the two cousins has these same words in many languages. That third statue is a recent addition - she's their adopted sister!

Ein Kerim (spelt in all kinds of ways) is where John the Baptist was born and raised. The above photo is a Roman Catholic church built over the site of where his home was supposed to be!