The Sea of Galilee

Hooray!  We finally have a car and we are off on a day trip to finally see this amazing land we have heard so much about.  The kids have the first two weeks of April off of school (Passover and Easter), so Kevin took some time off as well.  Many of the following pictures were taken on the drive to Galilee.  

When we went to Jericho in January, I was struck by the difference in scenery between Jerusalem and the area just to the east.  Jerusalem is surprisingly green.  Israelis love flowers, which I love too!  I have pictures of the green that I will try to post in a February or March post, but for now, here is what I have.

The hills are so brown and desolate, especially compared to Jerusalem.  

There are actually specks of green right now since we just finished a super rainy winter.

On the sides of the hills, there are little bedouin communities.  

How on earth they survive is a mystery to us.

Pottery shops along the side of the road are a big business.  

Camels are not uncommon.

The fields are beautiful and provide a sharp contrast of green.

We passed a number of palm tree farms.

The flowers are incredible.
There are quite a few bushes like this that are flames of color.

In contrast, military is a fixture of life here.  

All Israelis serve for 2-3 years in the army after high school.

Getting closer to the Galilee, I felt right at home.  The area reminds me of northern Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Utah.

Before playing, we had a quick lunch here.  

We forgot Truman's shoes so he had to wear Grant's and it was a bit tricky to walk.

There were stairs leading down to the water.  At the bottom, there was a small beach of dirt and rocks for the kids to stand on before they were in the water.

The Sea of Galilee.  

It is beautiful.  There are so many amazing stories that happened here.  

Lots of food for thought.

Kevin had been looking forward to swimming in the Sea of Galilee 

and the kids quickly followed.

We forgot Walter's swimming suit so he had to use his shorts.  He worked hard to keep them dry for awhile, but eventually the shorts became the swimsuit.

 Maya wasn't feeling great, but she graciously enjoyed the day with us.

Poor Truman was relegated to riding around on my back while the other kids played.  He was a good sport.

Margaret, always the lover of detail, found lots of beautiful little shells.  

She scooped them up by the handfuls.

Grant surprisingly had no fear and walked out clear up to his chin!

Kevin swam out to what he thought was a stick.  He quickly turned around when he discovered it was a giant bee.

It was a happy day.

Afterwards, we drove to Nazareth but my camera ended up in the truck.  I can't get over how many hills there are and Nazareth is in the top of some hefty hills.

On the way home, we found a McDonalds with a play place.  The kids were delighted.  They even had cheeseburgers!  This was an absolute treat for all of us and we readily ordered a bunch.  (Jerusalem is very kosher, which means no meat and dairy in the same meal.  Sad for us.)

We put about 250 miles on the car round trip.  Things are not too far apart, but it takes awhile to get around (think hills and curves).  There was a lot more effort in walking around 2,000 years ago than I ever imagined.