Galilee Field Trip

July 15, 2007
Today we left with the students on a 2-day field trip to the Galilee. Our first stop was a monastery and overlook into the Jezreel Valley @ Megiddo (or Armageddon) where the final battle between the forces of good and evil will take place on the earth. Excavations here in 1925 revealed 20 cities superimposed one on top of the other at the Megiddo tel. The oldest of these cities dates back to 4,000 BC. We stopped at Nazareth to view the Basilica of the Annunciation – it is the 5th church built on the spot where the Angel Gabriel stood when he prophesied to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive a child. This church has large mosaic panels on its walls of the Virgin Mary from many different countries. I actually liked best the one from the USA. It wasn’t a true mosaic, but was made of metal foil - her dress billowed out and looked more regal than the flat-looking Mary’s of the other mosaic panels. (see picture above)

We visited a recent “dig” in Sepphoris where we saw the former main roads made of big stones with wheel ruts still in them from many centuries ago. The uncovered buildings had large mosaics still visible on the floors. We also climbed up to the Arbel caves and saw a beautiful view of the valley and farm fields into the Sea of Galilee. We then drove to Ein Gev (a resort on the Sea of Galilee) and stayed the night. Bob and I, and Joanie and Larry Lee sat on the beach of the Sea of Galilee, in a hammock, at sunset with a warm breeze – very nice memory.

The next day we drove to Akko (Acre), a prosperous seaport of long ago and saw the Crusader buildings with their enormous halls (picture is to the left); Bob was really taken with them. We walked thru its Shuq market on our way out to the sea where the students had great fun trying to walk onto the rocks and back without getting sprayed with the waves that lick over them. Needless to say, some got drenched. We drove thru Haifa on our way to Caesarea, then home.