Israel Trip

Update: The trip is now over and it was a total blast. To view my online gallery of around 500 pictures click here.

Well, I left on the 18th and have been traveling around Israel now for about three days so far. Lots of cool places I've been able to visit and I've been taking all kinds of photos. My internet access and speed has been somewhat problematic and not very reliable. When a hotel says they have internet it doesn't mean broadband so the photos I have posted are a very small sampling of what I've taken so far.

So I sit in the grand court of a hotel in old town Jerusalem typing this. Hebrew and Arabs talking all around and I am drinking some kind of grapefruit juice. The internet is cool in that I can somewhat share it with you via this blog. So enjoy a few Israeli interludes I have had the past few days.


'A beautiful flower at Caesarea.'

The first place we visited was the Roman city of Caesarea built on the coast of the Mediterranean. The ruins were awesome and since there is so many fragments of antiquity they don't mind if you take pieces as long as they do not have certain features, so I grabbed a few of those.


'On top of Mt. Carmel overlooking the Megiddo Valley.'

We traveled to the top of Mt. Carmel which overlooks the Megiddo Valley. The future location of the battle of armageddon. While we were there the Israeli air force was flying jets through the air space so that was cool too.


'Steep stairs going down into an underground tunnel.'

In the Megiddo Valley was the 'Tel Megiddo' an ancient city that has about 26 layers of various ages built one on top of the other over time. To get water to the top they had to build a tunnel going straight down and out to the natural spring below. The picture above shows this access way. Of course it would have been san stairs back then.


'Zimbabwe gentleman.'

Met this Zimbabwe gentleman at Nazareth of all places. He was the founding pastor of a Church and their members were traveling in Israel right now. Very nice guy.


'Sunrise on the Sea of Galilee.'

Got up at about 5am to watch the eclipse then watched the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee. Too cool.


'St. Peters fish for lunch.'

When in Galilee eat like the Galilians. I am not a big fish person but I had to try it. It tasted pretty good but was very bony.


'Ruins at Capernaum.'

Up on a hill overlooking the shore of Galilee is the ruins of the apostle Simon Peters home. Next to that is the ruins of the first century synagogue. Hard to take a bad picture at this place.

In between all the cool pictures of the various locations we are visiting I am also capturing a bunch of great ancient textures I'll be creating a set with. Of course I am getting all kinds of strange looks though when were at a famous location and everyone is taking a picture of the main attraction and I am standing facing a wall or bending over and taking a texture picture of a wall or cool mosaic floor etc. LOL

Will try to post more later in the trip.