challenge day 8: travel

i guess i haven't been to a lot places, but it's still hard to pick a favorite.  that word is so exclusive.  i guess that isn't actually the challenge, but if i talk about one place it would have to be my favorite, right?  i guess i'd have to choose israel as my favorite trip though.  it included a two-week tour of the life of Christ and it was awesome!  i've seen lots of cool stuff, but none of it compares to walking in the steps of Christ.  not even close.

like here.  these are the remaining steps of the temple in jerusalem, one of the places where we can be almost certain that Jesus walked.  as you all know, i'm a history buff and seeing stuff that has survived history that i read about just gets me all wound up... like here in jerash (jordan)...
 

 

or walking through a natural corridor that reveals something amazing...

that's petra.  you probably saw it in transformers 2 :)

and even better than those things is hearing the familiar and beloved teachings of Jesus from beside the sea of galilee, at the traditional site of the sermon on the mount.

or seeing a fishing boat excavated from the shores of the sea of galilee, believed to be over 2000 years old and likely the same kind from which Jesus calmed the storm.

but, quite possibly my favorite part of this trip was the VIEW from our room of two nights.  we only stayed in one place other than jerusalem fro more than one night, and that was tiberias with a view of the sea of galilee.  it was amazing!

these are only a few highlights from one of my most memorable trips.  we got to take a boat out on the sea of galilee, swim in the red sea, float in the dead sea, and visit some of the more famous places in israel like megiddo, masada, nazareth, bethlehem, the mount of olives, mt carmel, and mt. nebo.  and lots more.  if you'd like to see more, visit my shutterfly photo blog.  (it's been acting kinda funny, so if you see just a list of pictures, try visiting later!)

i plan on going back with my hubby and doing a tour of the life of paul next time (greece, turkey, israel).  i can't help it.  i love history.  and i love Jesus.  this was just a great experience.  also, if you EVER have the chance, GO.  don't let money be your excuse, this is a priceless journey!