Day 15: Galilee Field Study (Day 2)

Here goes Day 2 in Galilee! So it was definitely foggy and rainy when we woke up, but Aubrey made a great point. Rain definitely happened during Biblical times, especially during the rainy season. So this just gave us an even better outlook and experience! I am also happy for the land, because it seriously needs the rain.

The first stop of the day was Hazor. This city was very wealthy and had everything it needed during its time - it was the largest Canaanite city in the Levant. We talked about the many battles fought here, and also a lot about archaeology and how they date different sites. It was pretty interesting! Again, lots of ruins to look at.

Our next stop was Dan. This was definitely an experience. It was very rainy...and muddy. We walked along the Spring of Dan, which feeds into the Jordan River. It was so majestic and loud! It sounded like thunder. I absolutely loved it. Aubrey told us how the spring lets out 22 1/2 gallons per second! Crazy. I loved walking along the spring, and just thinking of God's majesty. Next we walked by a mud-brick gate, that was most likely from the time of Abraham! We also passed the city where the King's throne was located, and people would be judged for their actions here. There was also a very random find here...a Winnie the Pooh tree! Accompanied with a sign and everything. That was strange. For the majority of the time, we were walking on wet rocks along the spring under beautiful greenery.

Pita and hummice.

Our next stop was Caesarea Philippi. Here, spring water came out from Mt. Hermon that led to the Jordan River. This was a wild and forested region, and a great spot for pagan worship due to its location and the resources it provided. There was a cool stone pathway that we were able to walk across. This led up to a giant cave, where people would sacrifice goats into the water...weird. At this site were a bunch of different places where people would perform pagan worship. It was also at Caesarea Philippi where Peter confessed that Christ is the living Son of God in Matthew 16. I always enjoy reading Biblical passages on site.

On the way to our next site, we made a pit stop at Gemela's, a lady that made excellent fruit juice! I tried half pomegranate juice and half orange juice mixed together. It was absolutely delicious and much better than I had expected! Hopefully all that vitamin C will help prevent me from getting sick...a lot of people are getting colds on the trip. I am very grateful for my good health!

Our last stop of the day was Ben Tal, which translates to "Son of the Dew." We drove up the hill, but ended up not getting out of the bus because it was too rainy, foggy, and windy. Ben Tal is a dormant volcano that made the basalt in Galilee from the eruptions. At this site, we talked about how Paul passed by this way and was the first apostle to the Gentiles who crossed the border of Israel.

We made our wake back to Ein Gev, and played a little euchre before dinner. Delicious again...especially the chocolate cake :). Fun conversation with friends to conclude the evening. A rainy day...but fun as always!