Okay, for those of you who need to bone up on your Bible history, here’s little primer. For the rest of you, just bear with us for a second, please.
The parents of Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth. Nazareth is one of the little towns in the northern part of The Holy Land near the Sea of Galilee. It’s where Jesus grew up. But Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is down south of Jerusalem, because Ceasar had ordered everyone to go to their hometowns to be counted in a census. Which is why Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem when Mary was pregnant. And because everybody and his brother were traveling all over the place, all the B and B’s were filled. So our Lord was essentially born out back somewhere.
Capernaum is also a little town up in Galilee, right on the shore of the lake. It’s where Peter lived and where Jesus went to do his ministry after being baptized by John. Most of Jesus’ first Disciples and Followers grew up, and lived, and worked in this area. End of primer.
Somewhere on this hill Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount which famously began with the Beatitudes. (see previous post). This photo, from near the top, looks west over the Sea of Galilee. Across the water is the Golan Heights. This area is so beautiful.
A church has been on this site since the 4th Century and this is what it looks like today.
This was a very moving start to the day for me. So I am very well and hope you all are too. Thanks for being out there. 🙂
aka, Always worth another read aka, My first good cry
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
The first stop today for our merry little band of pilgrims was the Jordan River. We visited the site of the Baptism of Jesus. In this photo it’s evident that the river level is up from what is “normal”. You can tell on the left side of the photo where the edge of the river typically is. And conversely, there have been times when the bleacher area has been mostly underwater. So why is that important?
No one really knows the exact spot where Jesus was baptized. The Jordan River almost assuredly looked different back then. But we do know with some certainty the area where John the Baptist preached and baptized people, including Jesus. So this site is thought of, and visited, as a likely spot where the baptism of Jesus took place. And the tour guides are quite forthright about that. More on how they talk about the various historic sites in a later post. I won’t presume to speak for others, but for me the exact spot doesn’t matter. Jesus was baptized in this area before he started his life of ministry. We share that baptism with Him in our own lives.
This is the town of Madaba in Jordan. It is known that at one time this area was a large Bedouin camp that was perched on a hill. Then a very important archeological discovery was made quite by accident. A large mosaic map of The Holy Land, that was the floor of some 6th Century structure, was uncovered while a site for a Greek Orthodox Church was being developed in the late 1800’s.
And this is a taste of how Madaba looks today.
And here are the two sections of the map that survived the centuries right where they are. They are still a floor. It’s hard to get a perspective from the photos, but these map sections are in a protected area that is sixteen by five meters. It is thought that the original complete map was about twenty one meters by seven. But that’s only part of the story. The map eventually became key to a revitalization of mosaic art in the Arab culture.
The current Jordanian Royal Family, specifically Queen Noor, eventually took up the cause and a School of Mosaic Art was founded in Madaba.
The school became a springboard for the Queen to establish a non profit organization dedicated to getting people with physical impairments involved in the preservation and practice of mosaic art. How’s that for combining benevolent leadership and a heart social justice. We were treated to a lecture about how the stone is processed into usable pieces, and then cut and turned into beautiful works of art. The gentlemen who gave lecture, as well as the artists we were watching create, were in wheel chairs.
Okay, change gears.
If you know your Old Testament history, you know that Moses led the Hebrew People out of slavery in Egypt. It took them forty years of violent, wandering hardship to reach what today is the state of Israel. Moses never got to enter and live in the Promised Land. He only got to see it from atop Mount Nebo before he died. He lost favor with God and that was his sacrifice for doing so.
With allowances for the passage of time, and some imagination, this is what Moses saw as he gazed north from Mount Nebo.
Mount Nebo is also an important historic and archeological site. Our group celebrated Mass in what was both a Chapel and a museum of foundational ruins of one of the oldest churches in the history of mankind.
This sculpture of Moses was dedicated during a visit by the Pope in the Jubilee Year of 2000.
And below is a stone that was excavated in the area, still nearly in it’s upright position. It was the rolling doorway of a monastery, and is similar to stones that were used to seal tombs.
It was truly a varied day of learning and inspiration.
This way to The Siq. In Arabic, Siq means canyon, or more accurately, gorge, implying narrowness.
Ever since I left Petra yesterday, and all day today, I’ve been scratching my head wondering how I was going to right about Petra. It seems to me to be a complex place with a unique place in history. It is at once, an ancient trade center, an archeological tomb center, and a long history of the people who lived and came here literally “written in the rocks”. And if that wasn’t enough, from a natural beauty viewpoint, it was extremely reminiscent for me of some of the areas I’ve camped and hiked in Utah.
Petra may have had permanent inhabitants as early as 9000 BC. It lies along the route that came to be known as The Kings Highway. The road connected the four kingdoms as a commerce route and pilgrimage road to Mecca. Aside from it being the busiest trade center of its time, it was unique in its access. It was a city with only one way to get in and out, though The Siq.
As you work your way down into Petra the gorge gradually becomes more and more narrow. It is likely that over the centuries many people died in this area from flash flooding. The ancient Nabataeans dug a two thousand meter tunnel, (seen below right), near the entrance to the gorge to divert water during rains.
It gets to its narrowest point right before you burst into a large plaza area dominated by what is known as the Treasury Facade. It’s not really a treasury but a tomb.
It became an archeological tomb center because the sandstone in the area was relatively easy to cut chambers into, and to decorate with carvings and great stone facades. The wide variety of tribes and cultures who were drawn to this area is evidenced in the varied designs and styles of the stone carvings and facades. Nabataean, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and Byzentine are all on display.
Not all tombs were regal. Some were just simple burial chambers carved into the rock in groups. Kinda like condos for corpses. (Yikes did he just write that?) Those of you who have followed me for awhile know I’m not without my irreverences. 🙂
As the area opened up near the city of Petra, an amphitheater was built into the rock. You can see what remains in the right side of this picture.
And in this one on the right.
Petra is like no other place I’ve ever been, Utah notwithstanding. I’ve just made a few historical comments for context. If you’re interested you can certainly go on line and see a lot more photos and learn much more about it’s history, and the variety of cultures that impacted this unique area.
And of course you can do all of that and then go yourself. It is something to behold and a great hike in and out.
With the exception of a couple of minor mis-steps, one of which turned out to be kinda funny really, our group is doing well and enjoying the ride.
And of course, I am well and hope you all are too. 🙂
Our first two nights were spent at The Movenpick Spa and Resort on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. Movenpick is a Swiss based company and I heard it means mountain peak, but I’m not sure if that’s true. The place is very nice and in this part of the world, the Arab people are known for their hospitality. The buffet meals rival any of the great ones I’ve experienced with my kids in Mexico.
This is the patio area just outside my room and below a flavor of the grounds. We could not have asked for a nicer place to start our trip off right. At night, across the Dead Sea from us, are the lights of Jericho, and higher and further on in the Judean hills, Jerusalem.
Ok, here’s my disclaimer. I’m not at all thinking that these comments are earth shaking, brow raising, or even useful. They are just the thoughts that were running around in my head as we made our way from the airport in Tel Aviv into Jordan.
If the 13 hours in the air didn’t do it, I could tell right away that I was a long way from home, just from the airplanes. With the exception of our own Air Canada plane, I didn’t see one plane on the Tel Aviv tarmac that was familiar to me. When I’m at the airport in Guatemala for example, the planes I see on the tarmac there make it look like any of the smaller airports in the US.
Hey, I warned you it wasn’t going to be earth shaking.
On the bus ride from the airport to the Jordanian border we skirted Jerusalem making our way through the Judean Hills. This area is not mountainous, but dramatically hilly. The road runs between the city and the Mount of Olives. A familiar Biblical site, I was surprised how big the Mount of Olives is. The Gospel accounts tell us that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives numerous times, and if he made his way out of the Old City to the top of the mount, that would have been quite a hike.
I was pleasantly surprised at seeing many things that linked to the images in my head of familiar Bible stories. Like the houses. The building techniques have changed for sure, but the buildings are all still constructed of stone and mortar. Being a land of few trees, it was true then and is still true today.
Scattered in the lower hillsides are vineyards and orchards of olive trees. And there are shepherds.
Sheep, goats, and camels, Biblical critters for sure, still dot the hillsides. As we made our way from Israel into the Palestinian West Bank, the Bedouin culture is still in evidence. The Bedouins no longer live in tent villages. Today they live in little clusters of shacks, but the sheep and goat herds are still key to their existence.
I was surprised at how few guns, and how little military and armed security were in evidence. I expected to see a lot, but instead, not so much. It’s all relative of course, but I just thought there would be a lot more. Sadly, the image I had in my head was that the whole region of the historic Holy Land was like one giant police state. I think there is a lesson in there somewhere.
The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on our planet. Jericho is the lowest city. The drop out of the Judean Hills to the Dead Sea is abrupt. In somewhere around twenty miles the descent is from 2400 feet above sea level, to 1400 feet below sea level. The landscape and buildings become more spartan as one leaves Jerusalem for the countryside. The transformation from hill to valley reminds me of the Badlands in South Dakota, a barren, rocky terrain, but completely without colors.
Then suddenly the border, and the guns, boots, and berets. Now the last thing in the world I want you to think is that things didn’t feel friendly. On the contrary, everyone we’ve encountered has been very nice. But remember spartan?
Here’s the Visitor Center and Department of Tourism Office. Friendly people doing silly repetitive rules, but without an inviting headquarters.
And a little park next door with barbed wire preventing anyone from just strolling over.
It’s been a long two days. I’m punchy and crashing, so I’m going to stop. But I’m well (and hope you all are too), and happy to be embarking on this experience.
This is just a short preface piece to give some context to the posts I’ll add over the next 10 days or so.
Today, actually yesterday, I began a pilgrimage trip to Israel and Jordan. The Holy Land, until last year, wasn’t really on my radar. But then, while on a retreat last year, a group of friends were all planning on going on this pilgrimage together. The tour was being led by their pastor and they began to “sell” me on joining in. Which I’m very happy to report, I did.
Until now our group has been making it’s way from MSP to Toronto, Toronto to Tel Aviv, and then a bus ride over to the Jordanian border to our first hotel, which is really a resort on the east bank of the Dead Sea. The part of getting here I least looked forward to was the ten hour flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv. It turned out to be not so bad when compared to my expectations. It helps when you can kill the first 6 hours with dinner and two movies.
So, I’m here/we’re here, and I’m looking forward to getting back to some photography and writing.
He came to me today. There was no sound. Like He was already there.
There was no movement save for the opening of my eyes. The still small voice. “Sometimes when your eyes are closed, you hear only you”.
Today the wind is my instrument. Our gaze will meet in the movement of my creation.
The poem is in the trees. The leaves touched by their friend, the wind. The song on the glittering water hides the mysteries in its depths.
A leaf bounces across the tips of the grass, swept along. No control of its path to an unseen destination. The journey is a gentle taunting, imitating my life. Sometimes. I’ve learned to find trust at the end of sometimes.
He came today to push me out into the deeper water. It was more like a nudge. The deeper water I’ve learned is where I learn. I turned to look in the direction of the nudge. On either side of Him, like sentries in each hand, were the oars.
“You won’t need these”, He laughed. Just trust.
Today the drifting is peaceful, the surface calm. The wind but a breath across my cocoon. But what of the days when the deep water gets angry?
With the silence unpierced, the so still, small voice brushed my drum. Unmistakable. “Ask Peter”.
He came to me today. There was no sound. Like He was already there.
Bud and I hiked to the top of Bodenburg Butte which is another great hiking spot right near Palmer where Steph lives. By comparison this one has a considerably higher degree of difficulty than the hike we took at Thunderbird Falls. In the middle of the hike the Forest Service has installed intermittent flights of stairs because it’s so steep. On my brother’s Fitbit App it said we went up, in that section, the equivalent of 74 stories. But in spite of workout, the view from the top is something else. As I’m fond of saying, it was worth the trip.
In the photo to the right is the view to the northeast. That’s the Knik Glacier way off in the distance and it’s the Knik River you see in these photos.
Being right up near a glacier on the water, even a relatively small one, is one of the coolest things I’ve experienced. No pun intended. It’s another one of those things I’ve seen that the still camera just can’t do justice to, partly because you can’t hear it or feel it’s effect on the immediate environment. As the boat glides ever closer, at some point it slips into an envelope of noticeably colder air. And you are chilled by the thermal upheaval of wind that it creates around itself. The sounds it makes are spooky in a way, even when it’s not calving.
Our arrival to the harbor was greeted by the presence of the MS Westerman that had come into Seward early in the morning. And this harbor master was having breakfast on top of one of the markers as we were leaving.
For as busy as it is, even this late in the season, Seward is not a very big place. This is a view of almost the whole town from the water. Again, note how low the tree line is on mountains in a maritime climate. I also learned that the effects of permafrost this far north contributes to this.
Seward is located at the waters end of Resurrection Bay and the land rises sharply from the shoreline everywhere you look. It also descends sharply below the water line. There were times when the captain would note that below us it was about 900 feet deep and only yards away forty feet.
Our captain, by the way, was originally from South Africa, went through a long litany of places he had lived, and vessels he had guided in his life, too numerous for me to possibly remember. The important part was that he eventually sailed into Alaskan waters, fell in love with the place, and that’s where he stayed.
This would typically be the first view you would get of any glacier in this area. The one we got up close and personal with was the Holgate Glacier. I don’t have others for comparison, but as I said, it’s pretty amazing. One might get lucky and catch a photo of a huge chunk breaking off, but in my view at some point you have to stop looking through the camera and just enjoy the experience.
This is also true of the wildlife you see. On this trip we saw eagles, puffins, sea otters, sea lions, big jelly fish, orcas, dall sheep, and some sperm whales. They were a long way off, but we could tell they were there because they were blowing sea water and snot out their “noses”. These are only a few of the many pictures I took hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, but as I say, you can’t forget to just enjoy.
Toward the end of our cruise we sailed up close to Fox Island. These old mine shafts go hundreds of feet back from the shoreline and Seward was still a long ways off. To think about what it took to get the gold out and back to where you could cash it in, is crazy to think about.
I think I mentioned in an earlier post that this boat tour was worth every penny. If you get the opportunity here, or anywhere similar, I’d certainly recommend it.
