Israel / Palestine, Friday, February 25

The Cardo in Bet She'an

The tel at Bet She'an

In Bet She'an

This morning we left St. Margaret's Guesthouse in Nazareth where we have stayed the last two nights. It was originally built as a monastery and is a beautiful building. We drove to Bet She'an, an excellent example of a Roman city. The site was occupied since about 3000 BC, and the tel is quite high. What remains today is the ruins of the Roman city destroyed in 79 AD by an earthquake. There were many areas to esplore including the cardo and large theater. Dick climbed the steps to the top of the tel for a view over the Roman ruins and east into Jordan.

Farmland in the Jordan Valley

As we drove to Jericho, we watched the landscape become much more barren, had the hills of the Judean wilderness off to the right and the "no man's land" toward the border with Jordan off to the left. Many vegetables and fruit are grown in this area. After lunch in Jericho we explored the tel. There are many layers as this area has been inhabited for about 10,000 years.

St George's Monastery

As we headed to Jerusalem we took a short side trip to view St. George Monastery. It is built in the side of a cliff and is quite a spectacular site. As we went "up to Jerusalem" we drove through the Palestinian section of Bethany, quite a drepressed area. Next we arrived at the Mount of Olives for our first view of Old Jerusalem. It was cold and windy here, a big change from the "sunny and seventy" weather we have been experiencing. As we approached Bethlehem we passed through the checkpoint into the city. We are now behind the separation wall. We will stay at the guesthouse at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem for the next four nights.