Tuesday, September 30, 2014

31 Days of the Holy Land


Welcome to 31 Days of the Holy Land**
 
Scroll Down to read Day 1.

Click the links below to read the other days.  I'll be adding a link each day for 31 days. 

Day 2:   Tel Aviv
Day 3:   Caesarea Maritima 
Day 4:   Mount Carmel 
Day 5:   Megiddo 
Day 6:   Mount Precipe and Diamonds
Day 7:   Tiberius and The Galilee  
Day 8:   Sailing on the Sea of Galilee 
Day 9:   The Jesus Boat 
Day 10:  Mount of the Beatitudes 
Day 11:  Capernaum  
Day 12:  Tagbha -The Loaves & Fishes
Day 13:  St. Peter's Fish 
Day 14:  Caesaria Philippi
Day 15:  Baptism in the Jordan River 
Day 16:  Beit She'an
Day 17:  Arrival in Jerusalem 
Day 18:  Jerusalem - The Old City Area
Day 19:  King David's Tomb  
Day 20:  Jerusalem Beauty
Day 21:  The Upper Room 
Day 22:  The Mount of Olives 
Day 23:  The Lions Gate and the Power of Prayer
Day 24:  The Tomb of Yeshua?  
Day 25:  The Garden Tomb
Day 26:  The Cardo
Day 27:  Temple Mount or Bust?
Day 28:  The Western Wall  
Day 29:  Bar Mitzvahs at the Western Wall
Day 30:  Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls  
Day 31:  Swimming in the Dead Sea
Bonus:
Masada
Israeli Art I Loved  
Tour of the Western Wall Tunnel
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly  
My New Igbo Friends


My friend, Shelby and me in Israel - a dream come true.

This was my second trip to Israel, and Shelby's first.  Shelby is a member of our congregation, and she and her husband blessed me with the gift of this trip.  Ever since my first trip in 1996, I've prayed to return to the Holy Land, and am so thankful that His answer was "yes". 

After twelve hours of travel, our plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, then we traveled by bus to a hotel on the Mediterranean Sea, where we spent our first night.  

I was very excited to be in Israel during the week of Hanukkah, and what a delight to see this menorrah set up in the lobby!  In Israel, G-d's Feasts and Festivals are honored, and I really like that.



The menorah has oil in small cups, which are lit for eight nights during the holiday, and the card has the prayers for lighting the menorah.  Since it is traditional to eat donuts during Hanukkah, these treats were available for free to guests.  


We arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon, so there wasn't time for seeing much of the surrounding area.  Our tour guide introduced herself, went over our agenda for the week ahead, then hosted our group (fifteen of us) to a sea-side restaurant nearby. 

We visited a wonderful restaurant with the most beautiful buffet of food I've ever seen.  Israel is famous for her olives.  These are some of the many types grown there in the area. 

 Aren't these breads beautiful?  I love the way they are displayed.
There were so many vegetable dishes and salads.  All were prepared in unique spices which I really enjoyed.

 Israel is also known for the beautiful fruit grown there.  In addition to these, were dried and fresh figs, pomegranates, persimmons, grapes, and more:  the candy provided by Adonai, right? 

 I fell in love with the painting on the ceiling of the restaurant, and would love something like it for my bedroom.  I could lie in bed and imagine myself at the beach.  

Israel is famous for citrus, and these artificial tress and oranges set a delightful atmosphere for dining, as we looked out over the Mediterranean Sea.  On the wall in the back is a greatly enlarged black and white photograph of an orange grove, with the oranges in bright color.  


My next post will be about our first full day in The Wonderful Land; but before we take off for Cesarea Maritime, I'll have to show you some other wonderful things I saw in the hotel the next morning. 

**I am joining The Nester's 31-Day writing challenge. 

******

6 comments:

  1. How wonderful. Israel is on my bucket list. I look forward to following your travels.

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  2. What a beautiful place to eat.

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  3. Very nice place, I would love to visit one day.

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  4. Going to the holy land has always been a dream of mine. Great series

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  5. What a great trip to make! I enjoy the trips to far away place through others eyes!

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  6. I loved seeing the photos. I so hope that one day I am able to also take this trip. Thank you for taking me there through your words & photos!

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Thank you so much for stopping by today and taking the time to leave a comment! I read each one of them and love to respond back to those who visit! Blessings to you.