A Week of Adventurous Excursions

Why hello there all of my fans...I have not updated this thing in a couple of weeks on account of travel. Yes, that's right, the Jord-man is becoming cultured. No. Anyway, this past week was one of excursions. I met up with a tour group from my hometown area and bummed along with them for about three days. These days were quite jam packed of adventure. Here is a list of the places I visited: Qumran, the Dead Sea, Masada, Ein Gedi, Jericho, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem (pictured below). The first four places were accomplished on day one, while Jerusalem took the remaining two days. It was incredible. There is so much to see in Jerusalem--from the Pre-Canaanite ruins, to the Israel of David and Solomon, to the Herodian Era under Rome, to the Byzantines, to the Turks and Muslims, to the Crusaders, to the Ottoman Empire, to modern expressions of piety from many hearts and perspectives. As can be seen from this simple list, Jerusalem has indeed, in the figurative sense, been the cross-roads of the world--both ancient and modern. It is beyond words, so I will stop striving to convey the experience through them.
This past weekend was also spent in travel to two main places: the first was Beth She'an, also known as Scythopolis under the Roman Era (pictured with my beautiful head). It was also amazing, especially for a Roman History lover like myself. Monday was spent at the Sea of Galilee, swimming my cares away. Anyway, I wish you could have all experienced it, but that just isn't realistic is it?