Wow, what and experience. First we are so lucky here in the United States to have such wide open spaces. To be in a country that is the size of New Jersey is great because you can see most of it in 10 days but to understand the history of the country would take more than one life time.
We saw so much from what is there today and what was built thousands of years ago that has been unearthed, that it was truly mind bending. I can’t even say what my favorite site was as they were all so special and different. From Bethlehem’s cave where Jesus was born to the Garden tomb where he was laid to rest but didn’t stay, to the place where he was at the Sea of Galilee and where he delivered the Sermon on the Mount – it was all incredible.
Floating in the Dead Sea was like bobbing in Jello and looking out over the land from where the Dead Sea scrolls were found and Masada made me wonder what possessed people to want to build out there in the middle of nowhere – although it was quiet, until the Romans came.
Totally we saw Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, River Jordan, Dead Sea, Masada, Qumran, Mount of Olives, Kidron valley, Garden of Gethsename, Western Wall tunnels, Pool of Bethesda, Church of Holy Sepulcher, via Dolorosa, Christian Quarter, Jerusalem Old and New, the Museum of Israel and more.
Of course there was older historical events and places we saw as well as the new cities so the best I can say is pick up a history book and see how many times Jerusalem has been burnt to the ground and left in rubble and how many historical people lived there that are still known today. Of course we didn’t find the Ark of the Covenant when we were there but it didn’t seem that important by the end of the day as only a bed and sunburn medicine were high on our list.
If you get a chance to see and feel anything for yourself, do it, as you learn so much more employing all your senses than just reading about it.