March 7, 2013 Thurs Day 2

                                                                   Shalom.
This morning we left Netanya and headed North to Caesarea.  Head phones (whisper system, as Doron calls them ) were handed out to make it easier for all to hear when walking.

In Caesarea.  Herod the Great ruled the land of Israel from 37 to 4 B.C. During that time he constructed a large port city called Caesarea to honor the Roman Caesar Augustus and erected all the cultural institutions found in every great Greco-Roman city including; a theater, a hippodrome, and a luxurious bathhouse. Today, it is one of Israel's major tourist attractions and features a museum with laser shows and movies that give a sense of what it was to walk the streets of the city 2,000 years ago. Caesarea is also an increasingly popular place for Israel's elite to make their homes. 
 It is also where Pontius Pilate made his base. 

There is no marble or granite in this country.  Marble comes from Europe.
Most of Caesarea's statues were found headless. 

Harbour with  the remains of  Herod's Port, once a magnificent sight. 

Pontius Pilate.  This is the only stone where his name is found. 
This stone is a replica.  Original in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. 

Swimming Pool.  Open to the sea to exchange water?  Water channels leading into the pool from the shore have led excavators to surmise that the pool, though surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean, had been filled by fresh water.
 If they are correct, the pool is further indication that Herod thrived on building in the face of natural obstacles. 
Mosaics that adorned Herod's pool in the foreground.

It was in this arena Paul was put on trial. Acts 25: 1-12......Festus went down to Caesarea.
The next day Festus convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him.... 

A manger is never made from wood, only stone. 

"He is Lord"  Sung by Linda Locke. 
Best place to stand for acoustics.  It was wonderful.

Marcel and Dale debated which animal to fight first! 

During the time of Paul, chariot-racing was the most popular form of public entertainment in the Roman Empire. Other forms of entertainments were gladiator fights, athletics, hunting games. Roman passions ran high when it came to chariot-racing and frequently revolts broke out in the hippodrome.  The charioteer drove standing upright in his chariot, wearing a light helmet and a belted tunic in the color of his team -- white, scarlet, sea blue or leek green.  Eventually these colors came to be identified with political parties.

Anyone being punished for a crime, was put in this arena to fight wild animals.  The hole beside the stairs is where the animals came out.  Another form of entertainment. 

Next stop.  Feeling the very cold water of the Mediterranean. 

Although the city of Caesarea  was on a large body of water, the Mediterranean Sea, it lacked sources of fresh, drinking water, so it had to be imported. The source was Mt. Carmel's springs, almost 10 miles away. To bring it to the city, Herod built Roman-style aqueducts. Aqueducts were built on an 2 degree incline so the water could flow down to the place where it was needed.

Arabian Community seen through the windows on the bus. 

The Israeli Druze are a religious minority in Israel. In 2010, there were 125,300 Druze living in the country. In 1957, the Israeli government designated the Druze a distinct ethnic community at the request of its communal leaders. The Druze are Arabic-speaking citizens of Israel who serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Members of the community have attained top positions in Israeli politics.  
 Picture in the restaurant where we had lunch.  

While everyone was still eating their delicious falafels for lunch, I went outside for pictures.
This house not inhabited.  Not sure if it's still being built or deserted.  It's a beauty.

While guarding the bus, Rami our driver patiently waiting for the group to finish their lunch, 

Wild red poppies everywhere.

Another empty house.

Driving up to the Monastery.  1200 feet above sea level.

Next stop.
Standing on top of  Mount Carmel. According to the Books of Kings, Elijah defended the worship of Yahweh over the god Baal.  He called upon the fire from God to conquer the prophets of Baal.

Overlooking the city of Haifa with the Mediterranean Sea and Jezreel  Valley on either side. 

All of Israel can be see from this roof top of the monastery.

Some wildflowers are exquisite.  What are these Amanda?

Elijah's Victory

The statue at the Carmelite monastery reflects the Lord's victory over the prophets of Baal.  Shortly after fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, altar and even the water, Elijah had the prophets of Baal slaughtered at the Brook Kishon.   1 Kings 18: 38-40

Chapel on the monastery.

Lots of goats by the side of the road.  

Tombs discovered when the road was constructed.  Generations were buried in the same tomb.  Their bodies were folded to keep all the bones together. 

Stop at Tel Yizre'el
Carob Tree.  Carob pods are usually processed in their country of origin. They are both dry and wet cleaned and kibbled (coarsely ground) to separate the seeds from the pulp. The seeds are then processed to produce locust bean gum.  This is a natural product used as a gelling agent, stabilizer or emulsifier in ice-cream, dessert fruit filling and salads. 

Gorgeous huge thistle on Mount Gilboa.  

 Standing on Mt. Gilboa  11 Samuel 1 was read. 

Mount Gilboa is on the southeastern side of the Jezreel Valley.  King Saul felt forced to commit suicide on these slopes when facing certain defeat by the Philistines.  In light of Saul and Jonathan's deaths, David cursed the mountain: "O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings" (2 Sam 1:21). 

Showing how large this cactus is, careful not to move too far back into the cactus,
or tumble down the hill into the Jezreel valley below.  

Still on Mount Gilboa

Another one for you to identify Amanda.
It is a Desert Spike.  Thanks Amanda.   

Jewish girls skiing on plastic.

Garlic Flowers

Anemones

Fennel

Small Irisis

  Gilboa Iris. 

Poppies

Still on Mount Gilboa

Cyclamen

Iris

Wax-flower

Fig tree

Black lava flow blocks are Basalt

"House of Sham" in Beit-She'an destroyed by an earthquake,
rebuilt, and destroyed a second time by another earthquake. 

Universal sign

Beit-She'an destroyed by earthquake.

Jordan River  The Bible records that Elijah divided them when he smote the waters with his mantle,  Naaman the Leper who was captain of the armies of Syria dipped seven times in the Jordan River and "his flesh came again likened to the flesh of a little child, and he was clean" (II Kings 5:14). John the Baptist prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah when he baptized them in the 
waters of the Jordan River (Matt 3:5) . 
Jesus Himself was also baptized by John in the Jordan River near Bethabarah (John 1:28-33).
 The river is formed by the merging of three streams at the base of Mount Hermon which are 250 feet above sea level. It descends extremely rapidly to the Huleh region and dividing again into several streams. Before it descends into the Sea of Galilee it drops 850 feet with extremely rocky banks. From the Sea of Galilee The river descends south on a windy course for 104 miles into the Dead Sea, although the straight distance is only 65 miles.

Israel in New Testament times. 

Hot springs in the city of Tiberius.  152 degrees when it comes out of the ground. 

Sea of Galilee
We arrived at the Hagoshrim Kubbutz in upper Galilee around 6 pm. 

A Kibbutz is small society of people who live together communally according to socialist principles.
Kibbutzim were first formed in the land now known as Israel in the early 1920s by Russian immigrants. These societies were established on the principles of social equality - where each member of the Kibbutz (a Kibbutznik) is to be treated as an equal. This means they work together collectively for the good of all. As the work load and benefits of the Kibbutz are shared by all members, each Kibbutznik's contribution is considered equal. Although a small percentage of the country's population lives on a kibbutz, they are an integral part of Israeli Society.
Pictures of our kubbutz will be on tomorrow's blog.  We are here for 2 nights.