So my trip is almost over :-(
It has been absolutely amazing here, I have 13 days left and cannot believe that I have been here as long as I have. I'm definitely ready to come home and see my family (John Nicks especially!!) my friends for sure, and the boy :-) but it will be bittersweet and I'll miss my life here in Greece. I'll write a blog once more when I get home to sum up the jet lag and culture shock...I'm gonna have a lot to get use to...food, people, culture..i'll have to get back into the fast paced life of the States but maybe I can have a little influence on my family and us not always get drive thru on road trips, and i'll try more to drink my coffee at home or at Starbucks instead of in my car...I'll also eat my waffles with ice cream and I'm gonna learn how to make gyros. Funny how in the beginning of my trip I had blogs about missing things from America, now its the things I'll miss about Greece!
We just got back from an overnight trip to Corinth. It was pretty cool. I loved being able to say that I was standing in the same spot that the apostle Paul stood. I saw the Bema where Paul was on trial in Corinth, I also saw the marketplace where Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla would have had a shop...it was really interesting and very faith building.
I think that the older I get the more this trip is going to hit me. Right now I know I have seen some amazing things that most do not get to witness but I still havent been hit over the head that I walked on the same street as Jesus, I stood in the footsteps of the apostles, and I have seen the Seven churches from Revelation...its a hard concept to accept but my faith has been strengthened greatly. I will be able to teach to others one day in a very different way than most. Its exciting to me but like I said it still hasnt hit me completely....I'm afraid right now I'm too focused on coming home haha I'm trying to remember to not wish it away though.
I know many will ask me my favorites when I get home, the food I loved the best, the best sites, the best people, the best countries....I know i'll be telling stories for days about the different thinks I have seen and I'm glad about this. I want everyone to know the wonderful things that have changed my life while I have been here. I do not mind at all telling about this trip and what it has done for me....
In 13 days I'll be in America with my family and friends, I'll greatly miss Greece but at the same time I'll be able to eat peanut butter and drink cranberry juice whenever my heart desires :-)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
turkish adventures with omer...
So I have been traveling across turkey for the past 10 days. Let me just say it has been absolutely amazing! I am in complete awe with this country. Never ever ever would I have thought that Turkey would be in all my life soo beautiful! I love the culture, the people, the food, and the TEA!
We started our trip out in London ... I fell in love with this city. The old part of the city is wonderful! We saw the blue mosque, the hippodrome, St. Sophia, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market, and took a river cruise on the Bosphorous. We also went to Topkapi Palace and saw the Kremlin and the 5th largest diamond daggar in the world! We ate lunch at the Pudding Shop (made famous by the movie Midnight Express!) And I love Turkish food and the Turkish people! Everyone is sooo nice in this country ... maybe its because I'm blonde though? The men were very friendly and yes I can now saw that I have been kissed by a Turkish man. Haha on the cheek of course! He said the blue eyes were his favorite and our tour guide then informed me that the fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes is rare and what they look for. Oh joy, I stand out majorly! Still in Istanbul everything was wonderful.
Next we made a cross country trip ... We went to soo many different cities! I will try to list them all but there are so many its hard to remember them all. We saw 6 of the 7 churches of Asia. We did not make it because it was too dark to Thyatira and we were running out of time in the day. But we went to Pergamum, Sardis, Laodicea, Philadelphia, Smyrna, and Ephesus. They each were cool in their own ways. We also saw Hierapolis and Aphrodisias. The limestone hot springs in Hierapolis were incredible! So beautiful! The sites have been amazing!
Ephesus was my favorite of all of them. It still looks just like a city and it was amazing to think that I was in the place of the apostle Paul. We even went to the theater mentioned in Acts 19 and sang. It was an awesome feeling. Another experience that I will never ever forget!
The trip was made by a wonderful individual by the name of Omer, our tour guide. Otherwise known as the Omer magnificent! The most caring man ever! He made sure everything was wonderful and he was absolutely hilariosu! He gave us all nicknames and had the cutest giggle! I LOVE OMER! He even took us out one night for Turkish dancing and taught us how to belly dance! Soo funny! He was wonderful.
The tea here is fantastic. I have never ever liked tea but then I was given the cutest little tea glass and saucer of red apple deliciousness and my hatred changed! I am hooked! So what did I do? I bought lots of boxes of it! Mmmmmmm. SOOOO good!
Tea was not the only great thing, all of the food was wonderful! Turkish pizza is to die for and Turkish delights are quite heavenly! (Do not worry, I bought to bring home some of those too!) The food here has been incredible and plentiful, let's hope the pants will still fit!
Another thing that happened was the Turkish bath. If you dont know what this is, its a Turkish bath, literally a bath. One of the most awkward experiences of my life, since I thought I was getting a massage, but at the same time of the greatest experiences. My room mate and I decided to try it out one night in Istanbul and this tiny little Turk named Telluk bathed us. Its a long story, if you want to know just ask Dad! haha I'm sure he would be glad to fill you in!
I also saw how Turkish carpets were made and went to a Turkish sheep skin leather factory and fell in love with a beautiful jacket! Best purchase of the trip by far!
Again, everything in Turkey is amazing! Its absolutely beautiful in sooo many ways! I would suggest everyone try to come to this country at some point! A great place, LOVE it.
Headed back to Greece tomorrow. Only 22 more days and I'll be home! Time to buckle down on school work!
Enjoy.
Friday, October 16, 2009
sunsets and parents
Yesterday it poured down rain here. Felt like a hurricane and we even had hail. For just a few minutes I felt like I was at home haha....good ole hurricane weather! So the rest of the day was nasty and cloudy and cold. THey had us scheduled to go to Cape Sounio which is on the ver tip of the Athens coast line. In the ancient days it was a very famous place to go and many pilgrims/tourists came here. It is the location of the Temple of Poseidon and one of the most famous places to go for a sunset. So we were all excited thinking that we were going to see this magnificent sunset.........well we were way wrong! Due to the rain and bad weather, it was very cloudy and the easiest way to put it is that the clouds ate our sunset. There wasnt much to see, a tad bit of a disappointment for us all.
After Cape Sounio we came back to the hotel and I was unbelievably excited for the rest of the night.....why? MY PARENTS WERE COMING!!!!
It had been a long day for them since they missed their connecting flight in Paris but after 30 hours of traveling they made it to Glyfada. I am soooo excited that they are here! Now they can taste a little piece of how my life has been the past 3 months. I'm going to try to show them everything.....the ice cream waffles, the shops, the Plaka in Athens, gyros and souflakis, the grocery store I go to, church, Mars Hill, possibly a real Cape Sounio sunset, an island tour, and the list goes on and on and on.....They have no idea what they are in store for! I probably wont post much since I'll be with them.
Miss everyone tons!
Enjoy.
After Cape Sounio we came back to the hotel and I was unbelievably excited for the rest of the night.....why? MY PARENTS WERE COMING!!!!
It had been a long day for them since they missed their connecting flight in Paris but after 30 hours of traveling they made it to Glyfada. I am soooo excited that they are here! Now they can taste a little piece of how my life has been the past 3 months. I'm going to try to show them everything.....the ice cream waffles, the shops, the Plaka in Athens, gyros and souflakis, the grocery store I go to, church, Mars Hill, possibly a real Cape Sounio sunset, an island tour, and the list goes on and on and on.....They have no idea what they are in store for! I probably wont post much since I'll be with them.
Miss everyone tons!
Enjoy.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
sorry to leave ya hanging!
the last post ended before I got to finish typing out the rest of the Israel trip. Our internet here in Glyfada is pretty ridiculous and sometimes it will cut out and we wont have it for the rest of the day. So now I actually have internet, dont have any tests to study for, all my clothes are washed, and I can finish up my blog.
So after we left St. Anne's (where we sang) we toured the rest of Jerusalem. We saw the church of the holy sepluchre (spelling??) and we went to the western wailing wall! Let me tell you about our adventure to the wall....have you ever been to a concert where the people are packed in all around you, or have you ever been on the subway or in a very crowded spot??? well multiply that times 10 and then add fast walking to the mix and thats what you get when you walk through the streets of Jerusalem at night....absolute mayhem. I grabbed the shoulder of the person in front of me in our group and held on for dear life. I literally had no choice in where I wanted to go. I was just led there by a sea of people....
okay i have another confession to make, I have been a ton of places and havent blogged once. Things have gotten soo hectic here and I'm trying to get a lot of school work done. The first part of this blog is what I had begun to write but just havent had a chance to finish so here is what I have decided......I am not going to play catch up any longer. It is wayyyy to hard. I am going to start from today and just move forward that way I wont feel soooo bogged down. If you would like to know more about my trip to Israel or to Crete and Patmos (which we did go to I just havent been able to write about) then please email me. I could talk about it for DAYS! Again, it was wonderful!
This past week we went to Northern Greece. I had 12 hour days every single day. Our bus driver got us lost many times in Thessaloniki but it was still a great trip. Exhausting but great! I saw Mt. Olympus, Philippi, Berea, Thessaloniki, and some other great places. Again, If you would like to see pictures or know more about this then let me know through email. If not when I get home (this is to my family) you will see and hear everything! I can talk for days which all of you know!
The people that are here from Faulkner are wonderful! I am growing so close to each of them. We have started a Sunday morning girls devotional and its really great. This trip has been amazing for my faith and I am learning so much and growing in a way that would have never happened in the States. It is great. There are a couple of girls here that I have especially grown close to and that I will keep as close friends once I go home.
Here's a side not for ya, I am loving the Greek culture. My favorite thing is how chill they are about everything. Sooooo laid back. Here is an example for you. My room mate and I went to Starbucks the other day to study for class. We needed to get out of the hotel and have a change of scenery. I had been sick for a few days and had finally started to feel better so we headed out. First of all, the guys here must not see blondes much. I feel so awkward all the time cause I am constantly stared down. Yes I am an American blonde girl and to them that is rare. My room mate is as well so when we go in to town there are two blonde American girls. It can get pretty frustrating. But thats not the point of this story, the point is everything is so relaxed. When we got to Starbucks we stayed for about 4 hours. This whole time everyone else, the other Greek civilians, stayed the same amount of time. They sit for hours here and just talk talk talk talk talk. I LOVE it. Why do we not do this in the states??? It has officially given me a strong loathing for our American love for drive-ins. I have not seen a single drive-in here in this entire country! Even when we are on the road and we stop at gas stations there are tables and chairs and restaurants or cafes inside. Our tour guide would stop at a gas station and say okay we have thirty minutes here! Thirty minutes at a gas station???? In the States (at least in my family) if you even get to stop on the road you are lucky but when we do its 5 minutes of run in and run out. I have also noticed that no one here walks around with coffee in their hands. In the states (and I am unbelievably guilty of this) everyone, everywhere has a Starbucks cup in their hands. Here it is uncalled for. You walk by a coffee shop and people are sitting at tables drinking coffee. Never, ever do they get up and walk away if they arent finished. And even if they do finish they sit and talk to their friends for hours. I think this is the reason why they dont have psychiatrists and therapy here. They talk their problems out. America is wonderful and I miss it greatly but maybe we should take some advice from other countries and SLOOOOOW DOWN!
They also have waffles here :-) mmmmmmmm. And what do they do with their waffles?? They scoop out 3 giant scoops of sweet, dairy-filled ice cream and then they pour chocolate or caramel or strawberry syrup allllllll over it! Talk about a diabetic coma! It is absolutely heavenly! I could eat one every day of my life, blow up like a balloon and still be happy! hahaha When I get back home I will not limit my waffles to morning breakfast. It is possibly the best dessert there is. If you are reading this, take my wise advice and try it tonight. Make you a waffle and cover it in ice cream. You will NOT regret it! haha
My parents are coming here on Friday! You do not even know how incredibly excited that I am! I have missed them soooo much and can't wait to show them my life here. Its crazy to think but this is my home! I have struggled majorly with homesickness but I do love it here. I love Greece and in a way it has become my home. The other day I actually had to foreigners come up to me and ask me directions on how to get to a certain part of Athens. I knew exactly how to get the them there and that was my sign, I am officially Greek. At least a 3 month foreign Greek. Sadly, I can't speak much Greek but they do speak English so I have been okay.
I'm ready to see everyone and I miss home. I could list you a whole paragraph on what I miss. Coffee at any time of the day, the dollar, Zaxby's, ranch, peanut butter, my own car and going wherever I want without waiting for a tram, my family, a boy, my friends, Lindsey Gay's goofy self, Faulkner, having a regular schedule, biscuits, a meal without cheese in everything, making myself a meal without having to include Nutri-grain bars and Pringles, going to the grocery store and knowing what I'm buying, mailing things from my house after 2:00 pm, my puppy that just turned 5!, Peyton's Place with John Nicks, American television shows, the radio in my car, an English speaking mall with prices in dollars, the seasons, falling leaves, wearing jackets and boots, not waking up to naked old men on the beach, plugging my things straight into an outlet without having to find my converter, using my debit card without it taking an hour to go through, Charmin toilet paper!, leaving my room and the electricity staying on, peach cobbler, poppyseed chicken, Chick-fil-A, Halloween, my bed, talks with my parents at the dinner table, and even though the list continues, I'll spare you. Don't get me wrong its great here but there is never anything better than home sweet home (and i dont mean my hotel room!)
I'll try to write again soon....Love and miss everyone greatly!
Enjoy.
So after we left St. Anne's (where we sang) we toured the rest of Jerusalem. We saw the church of the holy sepluchre (spelling??) and we went to the western wailing wall! Let me tell you about our adventure to the wall....have you ever been to a concert where the people are packed in all around you, or have you ever been on the subway or in a very crowded spot??? well multiply that times 10 and then add fast walking to the mix and thats what you get when you walk through the streets of Jerusalem at night....absolute mayhem. I grabbed the shoulder of the person in front of me in our group and held on for dear life. I literally had no choice in where I wanted to go. I was just led there by a sea of people....
okay i have another confession to make, I have been a ton of places and havent blogged once. Things have gotten soo hectic here and I'm trying to get a lot of school work done. The first part of this blog is what I had begun to write but just havent had a chance to finish so here is what I have decided......I am not going to play catch up any longer. It is wayyyy to hard. I am going to start from today and just move forward that way I wont feel soooo bogged down. If you would like to know more about my trip to Israel or to Crete and Patmos (which we did go to I just havent been able to write about) then please email me. I could talk about it for DAYS! Again, it was wonderful!
This past week we went to Northern Greece. I had 12 hour days every single day. Our bus driver got us lost many times in Thessaloniki but it was still a great trip. Exhausting but great! I saw Mt. Olympus, Philippi, Berea, Thessaloniki, and some other great places. Again, If you would like to see pictures or know more about this then let me know through email. If not when I get home (this is to my family) you will see and hear everything! I can talk for days which all of you know!
The people that are here from Faulkner are wonderful! I am growing so close to each of them. We have started a Sunday morning girls devotional and its really great. This trip has been amazing for my faith and I am learning so much and growing in a way that would have never happened in the States. It is great. There are a couple of girls here that I have especially grown close to and that I will keep as close friends once I go home.
Here's a side not for ya, I am loving the Greek culture. My favorite thing is how chill they are about everything. Sooooo laid back. Here is an example for you. My room mate and I went to Starbucks the other day to study for class. We needed to get out of the hotel and have a change of scenery. I had been sick for a few days and had finally started to feel better so we headed out. First of all, the guys here must not see blondes much. I feel so awkward all the time cause I am constantly stared down. Yes I am an American blonde girl and to them that is rare. My room mate is as well so when we go in to town there are two blonde American girls. It can get pretty frustrating. But thats not the point of this story, the point is everything is so relaxed. When we got to Starbucks we stayed for about 4 hours. This whole time everyone else, the other Greek civilians, stayed the same amount of time. They sit for hours here and just talk talk talk talk talk. I LOVE it. Why do we not do this in the states??? It has officially given me a strong loathing for our American love for drive-ins. I have not seen a single drive-in here in this entire country! Even when we are on the road and we stop at gas stations there are tables and chairs and restaurants or cafes inside. Our tour guide would stop at a gas station and say okay we have thirty minutes here! Thirty minutes at a gas station???? In the States (at least in my family) if you even get to stop on the road you are lucky but when we do its 5 minutes of run in and run out. I have also noticed that no one here walks around with coffee in their hands. In the states (and I am unbelievably guilty of this) everyone, everywhere has a Starbucks cup in their hands. Here it is uncalled for. You walk by a coffee shop and people are sitting at tables drinking coffee. Never, ever do they get up and walk away if they arent finished. And even if they do finish they sit and talk to their friends for hours. I think this is the reason why they dont have psychiatrists and therapy here. They talk their problems out. America is wonderful and I miss it greatly but maybe we should take some advice from other countries and SLOOOOOW DOWN!
They also have waffles here :-) mmmmmmmm. And what do they do with their waffles?? They scoop out 3 giant scoops of sweet, dairy-filled ice cream and then they pour chocolate or caramel or strawberry syrup allllllll over it! Talk about a diabetic coma! It is absolutely heavenly! I could eat one every day of my life, blow up like a balloon and still be happy! hahaha When I get back home I will not limit my waffles to morning breakfast. It is possibly the best dessert there is. If you are reading this, take my wise advice and try it tonight. Make you a waffle and cover it in ice cream. You will NOT regret it! haha
My parents are coming here on Friday! You do not even know how incredibly excited that I am! I have missed them soooo much and can't wait to show them my life here. Its crazy to think but this is my home! I have struggled majorly with homesickness but I do love it here. I love Greece and in a way it has become my home. The other day I actually had to foreigners come up to me and ask me directions on how to get to a certain part of Athens. I knew exactly how to get the them there and that was my sign, I am officially Greek. At least a 3 month foreign Greek. Sadly, I can't speak much Greek but they do speak English so I have been okay.
I'm ready to see everyone and I miss home. I could list you a whole paragraph on what I miss. Coffee at any time of the day, the dollar, Zaxby's, ranch, peanut butter, my own car and going wherever I want without waiting for a tram, my family, a boy, my friends, Lindsey Gay's goofy self, Faulkner, having a regular schedule, biscuits, a meal without cheese in everything, making myself a meal without having to include Nutri-grain bars and Pringles, going to the grocery store and knowing what I'm buying, mailing things from my house after 2:00 pm, my puppy that just turned 5!, Peyton's Place with John Nicks, American television shows, the radio in my car, an English speaking mall with prices in dollars, the seasons, falling leaves, wearing jackets and boots, not waking up to naked old men on the beach, plugging my things straight into an outlet without having to find my converter, using my debit card without it taking an hour to go through, Charmin toilet paper!, leaving my room and the electricity staying on, peach cobbler, poppyseed chicken, Chick-fil-A, Halloween, my bed, talks with my parents at the dinner table, and even though the list continues, I'll spare you. Don't get me wrong its great here but there is never anything better than home sweet home (and i dont mean my hotel room!)
I'll try to write again soon....Love and miss everyone greatly!
Enjoy.
Monday, September 21, 2009
the rest of the holy land....
So now I'll finish up our trip to Israel, yes I am still mad at myself for not blogging the whole time I was there. Its hard to play catch up when I have sooooo many new things to say but I will try to remember everything!
We got to our Hotel in Jerusalem, called Shalom, and I was very surprised at how nice it was! It was very modern and had great food...they actually had Ranch dressing there believe it or not! Maybe to you all back home this isnt a big deal but to those of us over here, its like heaven on Earth. You would be surprised at all the foods that we take for granted...Here's you a list: peanut butter (especially the crunchy kind!), maple syrup (all they have here is honey), cranberry juice (still having trouble finding it on a regular basis), brewed coffee (now let me explain....I know in an earlier blog I wrote about how amazing the coffee is here and I'm not contradicting myself but here you cannot find coffee in a pot, plain and black. They only really sell the fancy stuff like lattes and cappuccino's) and chips and salsa (my favorite and its rare here, very very rare here). So if you eat any of these foods while you read this, take an extra bite for me please!!
I am going to rewind a bit, hope you dont mind, and tell you about getting to our hotel in Jerusalem. Now earlier in the day we had been at Bethlehem seeing the church of the nativity. I didnt realize that in order to get to Bethlehem you must go in to Palestinian territory. THerefore, when you leave Bethlehem you come back in to Israel and you must pass through border control. Well we stopped at border control in our giant tour bus and we are all in the cab goofing off, listening to music, reading, whatever and then we are told to get our passports out. Next thing I know this scary looking men are walking on to our bus with dark sunglasses and AK-47's.....a tad bit freaky if you ask me. Sure they were there for our protection but they werent helping us out till we were on their side of the border and we unfortunately were not. They told our bus driver that we couldnt pass through and they made us turn around and head back in to Palestinian territory, how lovely! AAfter driving for a few minutes we found another cross point and this time made it through safe and sound, Shalom Israel!
But like I said the food was good, we were tired, and sweaty and we had another big day planned so it was off to bed for us all.
The next day was pretty great! It was packed with things to do. We started off the day going to the Shrine of the Book and seeing the copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls, it was pretty cool but not my favorite. Next we headed to the Old City of Jerusalem. We walked in through the Damascus gate and I'll try to explain this as best as possible. We go from a very modern "New York-ish" city to a village looking town with millions of people, street vendors selling toys, clothes, and food, we are walking on cobblestone streets and I couldnt take my eyes off all the things to see. If you like to people watch, this is the place to do it. Culture shock. After working our way through the crowded gate, I felt like I had jumped in a time traveling machine and was somewhere back in the 1st century. A very weird feeling. Here I was standing on the very street that Jesus walked on while carrying the cross to Calvary. Its been a week and I still can't quite grasp that concept. It was a wonderful thing to experience, something I will never ever forget!
Next we went to the ruins of the fortress where Pilate had Jesus on trial and gave Him over to the people to be crucified. Leaving there we walked on through the old city out the gates to Bethesada. I saw the baths where Jesus healed the paralytic man and I also so the Catholic church here St. Anne's. This church was amazing! In looks? no. It was a very "plain Jane" kind of building but the acoustics inside were phenomenal. You arent allowed to talk in this building, only sing; so we did and we did and we did. If you were to ask me what is the best experience of your trip, I would say singing in St. Anne's Cathedral. Was there any significance to the site? No not really but when I was singing the songs that I have grown up singing such as Greatest Commands, It is well with my soul, and These are the days of Elijah, all I could focus on was God. There arent enough words in the English language to describe those feelings. To be sitting there in the city where Jesus died for my sins and to be singing to the Lord about how great He is, I was speechless and amazed. It was incredible. I was crying and shaking and had goosebumps. How great is our God!!
We got to our Hotel in Jerusalem, called Shalom, and I was very surprised at how nice it was! It was very modern and had great food...they actually had Ranch dressing there believe it or not! Maybe to you all back home this isnt a big deal but to those of us over here, its like heaven on Earth. You would be surprised at all the foods that we take for granted...Here's you a list: peanut butter (especially the crunchy kind!), maple syrup (all they have here is honey), cranberry juice (still having trouble finding it on a regular basis), brewed coffee (now let me explain....I know in an earlier blog I wrote about how amazing the coffee is here and I'm not contradicting myself but here you cannot find coffee in a pot, plain and black. They only really sell the fancy stuff like lattes and cappuccino's) and chips and salsa (my favorite and its rare here, very very rare here). So if you eat any of these foods while you read this, take an extra bite for me please!!
I am going to rewind a bit, hope you dont mind, and tell you about getting to our hotel in Jerusalem. Now earlier in the day we had been at Bethlehem seeing the church of the nativity. I didnt realize that in order to get to Bethlehem you must go in to Palestinian territory. THerefore, when you leave Bethlehem you come back in to Israel and you must pass through border control. Well we stopped at border control in our giant tour bus and we are all in the cab goofing off, listening to music, reading, whatever and then we are told to get our passports out. Next thing I know this scary looking men are walking on to our bus with dark sunglasses and AK-47's.....a tad bit freaky if you ask me. Sure they were there for our protection but they werent helping us out till we were on their side of the border and we unfortunately were not. They told our bus driver that we couldnt pass through and they made us turn around and head back in to Palestinian territory, how lovely! AAfter driving for a few minutes we found another cross point and this time made it through safe and sound, Shalom Israel!
But like I said the food was good, we were tired, and sweaty and we had another big day planned so it was off to bed for us all.
The next day was pretty great! It was packed with things to do. We started off the day going to the Shrine of the Book and seeing the copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls, it was pretty cool but not my favorite. Next we headed to the Old City of Jerusalem. We walked in through the Damascus gate and I'll try to explain this as best as possible. We go from a very modern "New York-ish" city to a village looking town with millions of people, street vendors selling toys, clothes, and food, we are walking on cobblestone streets and I couldnt take my eyes off all the things to see. If you like to people watch, this is the place to do it. Culture shock. After working our way through the crowded gate, I felt like I had jumped in a time traveling machine and was somewhere back in the 1st century. A very weird feeling. Here I was standing on the very street that Jesus walked on while carrying the cross to Calvary. Its been a week and I still can't quite grasp that concept. It was a wonderful thing to experience, something I will never ever forget!
Next we went to the ruins of the fortress where Pilate had Jesus on trial and gave Him over to the people to be crucified. Leaving there we walked on through the old city out the gates to Bethesada. I saw the baths where Jesus healed the paralytic man and I also so the Catholic church here St. Anne's. This church was amazing! In looks? no. It was a very "plain Jane" kind of building but the acoustics inside were phenomenal. You arent allowed to talk in this building, only sing; so we did and we did and we did. If you were to ask me what is the best experience of your trip, I would say singing in St. Anne's Cathedral. Was there any significance to the site? No not really but when I was singing the songs that I have grown up singing such as Greatest Commands, It is well with my soul, and These are the days of Elijah, all I could focus on was God. There arent enough words in the English language to describe those feelings. To be sitting there in the city where Jesus died for my sins and to be singing to the Lord about how great He is, I was speechless and amazed. It was incredible. I was crying and shaking and had goosebumps. How great is our God!!
Friday, September 18, 2009
summing up the Holy Land
So I know it has been a while since I have posted and I apologize. Last Sunday I left for my trip to Israel and I couldnt take my laptop so I have had no way to post anything. But I'll try to hit the highlights of the trip without being too boring.
On Sunday we got to Israel and lets just say I was dumbfounded. Nothing at all like I had pictured growing up as a child. Yes there are some sandy areas but believe it or not Israel looks just like America except theres lots of ancient ruins everywhere. I was very impressed with the security at the airport. We were sectioned off in to groups and twos and questioned over and over about who we were with, where we were going, if we knew anyone in Israel, if we had packed our own bags, etc...I think the guy was flirting a little bit with Sarah and me and so we got off pretty easy on the interrogation part. After many bag screenings and security check points we made it to the gate, safe and sound. Maybe America should consider adopting this, it made me feel safe.
After landing in Tel-Aviv we drove to Ceasarea Maritime. This was my first shock point of the trip. Stepping off the bus all I can see is miles and miles and miles of clear blue water. Absolutely beautiful. I wasnt sure what the significance of this place was at first but after walking through the ruins I learned that this is where Paul was brought to trial a few years before his death. I stood in the exact spot that Paul was tried and I saw what is thought to be the prison that he was kept in. I saw the port, (made by Herod the Great), that he was shipped out of headed back to Rome. Standing there, I realized that this trip was about to become more to me than just tourist sites....
After leaving Ceasarea Maritime we headed to Tiberius to check in to the hotel just in time for dinner. From my hotel room I could see the Sea of Galilee!! I think my jaw stayed dropped for a while. It was wonderful. A big group of us decided to walk down to the sea (about a 20 min. semi-sketchy straight down hill walk) and have a devotional. We walked through the market and found beautiful dresses and jewelry and of course I had to buy a few things! We got to the beach for the devotional and just sang for hours. It was awesome. Right in front of me was the exact water that Jesus walked on. It was the same water that Jesus had touched along with Paul and the other apostles. The Bible was coming to life for me. It was a long day and rest was definitely needed.
On Monday we had an early start. We were headed back to the Sea of Galilee to take a boat ride across to the other side. Before I tell you about this I want to tell you about our tour guide, Walid. He was wonderful. I hope that we left a good impression on him. He became our grandfather for the short time we were there and I will definitely miss him a whole lot. He had a goofy accent that was mixed with Texan, Southern, Greek, Hebrew...haha can you imagine? He's a great person and I hope to see him again. Okay, enough of that. The boat ride was super cool. We took the path that was typically taken in Bible times. We sang on the boat and read scripture (Matt. 14:22 and 8:23). This was one of the greatest experiences of my life. There I was sitting in a boat fashioned like boats in Jesus' time, reading scripture about how he walked on this very sea (which actually looks like a lake). It was unreal. I will never ever read the Bible the same. Its hard to describe the emotions.
After getting off the boat we actually went to a museum and saw a boat that was found in the water that dates back to 2000 years. They say it could be one from Jesus' time period. We also went that day to Capernaum. Before we got there I was thinking that we would be going to this modern day city but the bus pulled up to a narrow street, dropped us off and we walked in to this city of ancient ruins. It was really cool to think that Jesus had walked these exact streets. We also saw Peter's house there in Capernaum and the synagogue that Jesus went to. Later on that day we went to the site of the sermon on the mount and the place where the 5,000 were fed. It was all really cool.
The next day was extremely busy. We went to Cana and saw the site of the 1st miracle, we went to Nazareth and saw Mary's Well and the catholic church of the annunciation, and in Bethlehem we saw the catholic church of the nativity. I was shocked at how elaborate these churches are. Million and millions of dollars must have been spent to errect these buildings. Sometimes it almost felt like it was too much but I have to remember that there are people who have this as a part of their belief. The buildings are important to them. It was very eye opening to me.
We also went to Megiddo, where one of Solomon's palaces was built. We saw the valley of Armegeddon and a Canaanite altar that was 5000 years old. That was my favorite part to see what the Old Testament talks about. Very interesting.
The next couple of days were very busy as well. We moved on in to Jerusalem and this was my favorite part of the trip. I will do another post just about Jerusalem and our trip back to Glyfada.
Enjoy till next time.
On Sunday we got to Israel and lets just say I was dumbfounded. Nothing at all like I had pictured growing up as a child. Yes there are some sandy areas but believe it or not Israel looks just like America except theres lots of ancient ruins everywhere. I was very impressed with the security at the airport. We were sectioned off in to groups and twos and questioned over and over about who we were with, where we were going, if we knew anyone in Israel, if we had packed our own bags, etc...I think the guy was flirting a little bit with Sarah and me and so we got off pretty easy on the interrogation part. After many bag screenings and security check points we made it to the gate, safe and sound. Maybe America should consider adopting this, it made me feel safe.
After landing in Tel-Aviv we drove to Ceasarea Maritime. This was my first shock point of the trip. Stepping off the bus all I can see is miles and miles and miles of clear blue water. Absolutely beautiful. I wasnt sure what the significance of this place was at first but after walking through the ruins I learned that this is where Paul was brought to trial a few years before his death. I stood in the exact spot that Paul was tried and I saw what is thought to be the prison that he was kept in. I saw the port, (made by Herod the Great), that he was shipped out of headed back to Rome. Standing there, I realized that this trip was about to become more to me than just tourist sites....
After leaving Ceasarea Maritime we headed to Tiberius to check in to the hotel just in time for dinner. From my hotel room I could see the Sea of Galilee!! I think my jaw stayed dropped for a while. It was wonderful. A big group of us decided to walk down to the sea (about a 20 min. semi-sketchy straight down hill walk) and have a devotional. We walked through the market and found beautiful dresses and jewelry and of course I had to buy a few things! We got to the beach for the devotional and just sang for hours. It was awesome. Right in front of me was the exact water that Jesus walked on. It was the same water that Jesus had touched along with Paul and the other apostles. The Bible was coming to life for me. It was a long day and rest was definitely needed.
On Monday we had an early start. We were headed back to the Sea of Galilee to take a boat ride across to the other side. Before I tell you about this I want to tell you about our tour guide, Walid. He was wonderful. I hope that we left a good impression on him. He became our grandfather for the short time we were there and I will definitely miss him a whole lot. He had a goofy accent that was mixed with Texan, Southern, Greek, Hebrew...haha can you imagine? He's a great person and I hope to see him again. Okay, enough of that. The boat ride was super cool. We took the path that was typically taken in Bible times. We sang on the boat and read scripture (Matt. 14:22 and 8:23). This was one of the greatest experiences of my life. There I was sitting in a boat fashioned like boats in Jesus' time, reading scripture about how he walked on this very sea (which actually looks like a lake). It was unreal. I will never ever read the Bible the same. Its hard to describe the emotions.
After getting off the boat we actually went to a museum and saw a boat that was found in the water that dates back to 2000 years. They say it could be one from Jesus' time period. We also went that day to Capernaum. Before we got there I was thinking that we would be going to this modern day city but the bus pulled up to a narrow street, dropped us off and we walked in to this city of ancient ruins. It was really cool to think that Jesus had walked these exact streets. We also saw Peter's house there in Capernaum and the synagogue that Jesus went to. Later on that day we went to the site of the sermon on the mount and the place where the 5,000 were fed. It was all really cool.
The next day was extremely busy. We went to Cana and saw the site of the 1st miracle, we went to Nazareth and saw Mary's Well and the catholic church of the annunciation, and in Bethlehem we saw the catholic church of the nativity. I was shocked at how elaborate these churches are. Million and millions of dollars must have been spent to errect these buildings. Sometimes it almost felt like it was too much but I have to remember that there are people who have this as a part of their belief. The buildings are important to them. It was very eye opening to me.
We also went to Megiddo, where one of Solomon's palaces was built. We saw the valley of Armegeddon and a Canaanite altar that was 5000 years old. That was my favorite part to see what the Old Testament talks about. Very interesting.
The next couple of days were very busy as well. We moved on in to Jerusalem and this was my favorite part of the trip. I will do another post just about Jerusalem and our trip back to Glyfada.
Enjoy till next time.
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