After the barrenness of the desert by the Dead Sea, the Galilee was beautiful and reminded me a lot of some of the western states--mountainous (we actually could see a snowy Mt. Hermon in the distance), brushy, with green pasture-lands. We were lucking in coming during the rainy season. Later on in the summer, we were assured that the scene is much drier and brown.
The ruins on the hilltop were from the Hassassin, a group resisting the Crusaders. From their stronghold, they'd sally forth (I love terms like that!) and commit mayhem and murder.
We remember them mostly because their name came to mean "assassin".
This land has never had much peace, though it looks so peaceful now. 
Whether it was 3000 years ago and it was Egypt and Persia fighting over it, or 2013 AD and it's ... Egypt and Iran rattling their sabers, it makes one wonder why God gave this land to His chosen people,
the Israelites? So they would be "stirred up in remembrance" of their dependence upon God?
At Israel's northernmost edge is Tell Dan. And here is where the Jordan River comes together from numerous springs to begin flowing down towards the Sea of Galilee.
Crystal-clear water and rapids! A much better picture of a storied river.
It would be bigger down by the Dead Sea but much is used for agriculture.
The Hebrew means to go down from Dan--"yored Dan" or Jordan.
This is where the tribe of Dan settled after rejecting the area
the Lord had given them in the first settlement.
Before, they were a few miles southwest of Jerusalem (at Beth Shemesh,
where Samson was from--more about him later). Once they moved to the north, they immediately began worshiping idols and forgot their faith. A lesson I took from this: bloom where you are planted--
the Lord has his reasons for placing you where you are.
Among the remnants of Tell Dan. It was here a few decades ago that the first writing was found that mentioned the House of David, king of Israel--the first non-biblical support of the story.
Have I mentioned that there is always a church (if not three or four) on the site of anything associated with the life of Jesus? Franciscan monks have been given the duty of caring for any of the Catholic churches in the Holy Land. As the sight of a fully-robed monk isn't common anymore, I found it interesting, but also since I'm not Chinese, I didn't take anyone's picture. They always seemed to be on an errand--not just standing around waiting for their picture to be taken.
The ruins of Capernaum. Here Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus. Here, the centurion sent for Jesus to heal his servant, but didn't want the Savior to come to his home--possibly because he knew that for a Jew to enter a Gentile home would make the Jew unclean (and give rise for a long series of ritual cleansings). It was also here that the woman with a 12-year "issue of blood" was healed by touching Jesus.
I've always wondered why she was afraid when he asked, "who touched me?"
With her malady, she was in a constant state of "unclean". To acknowledge that would make whoever she touched also unclean. I can imagine there would be some who would be very unkind about such a revelation! She would have lived through 12 years without anyone touching her. No affectionate caresses. No hugs from family members. It is hard to imagine her loneliness
despite being in the midst of others, and her desperate need for healing.
(A couple of military planes were flying over, so I caught the second one in the photo--old and new).
This synagogue was built in the 4th century on the foundation of the one from Jesus' day--the one built by the centurion, who was a friend of the people.
We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, with a calm day. No tempest. No fishing nets,
But all very easy to imagine!
After the boat ride, we ate "St. Peters Fish" (tilapia) at a dockside restaurant. And I found a shekel in the mouth of my fish! Alice and I both were brave and ate the fish--though we're not usually fish-eaters.
I won't go so far as to say "delicious"--but it was about the best fish I've ever had.
Then a short drive part-way around the lake to the area many believe was near by the Sermon on the Mount. The mother of Constantine (Helene), in the 4th century went around and tried to identify key spots such as in Bethlehem, etc. She put the Mount of the Beatitudes in a spot several miles away, but the people kept coming back here.
There is a small, lovely chapel here that was built with funds given by Mussolini because his sister was a nun here. After World War II, all traces of his name were removed.
Eight sides, one for each of the Beatitudes, with the altar in the center. It was reverential.
How could something beautiful like this be funded by someone so violent?
If these had been written in his heart instead of just on the stained glass,
the world's history would be a little different.
I hadn't thought of it exactly this way, but under the law of Moses,
it took an ACTION to bring you under judgment.
But with the higher law Jesus brought,
intent or frame of mind bring you under judgment--the heart is where the gospel must be.
***
And by the way, our "ritual cleansing" is done weekly,
when we take the sacrament.
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