Superficial Joy

Well, this is our last "event" day of the trip! It doesn't officially end until tomorrow night, but tomorrow is basically a travel day back to Amman. Today's activities: Meet at 8 a.m. to tour Petra! Although we met early, we were still walking in with a multitude of people from cruise ships that port at Aqaba. There were zillions of people! I had to fight myself to maintain a positive attitude and not get snarky. I really don't like crowds. The local guide we have had since our arrival in Jordan had a family emergency and was unable to guide us through Petra, but his replacement, Hussein, was good. Honestly, I only absorbed about 50% of what he said, as his accent was thick, he talked fast, and I was trying to stay out of the crowds.  What I got was this: Petra  is super old (4000 B.C. ish) and was the capital of the Nabataeans. Later the Greeks moved in and even later the Romans came. Much was destroyed by an earthquake in the 300

This trip continues to be amazing! Blogger and Google Photos don't cooperate, so here is the link to the slide show for today with comments. Today's itinerary: Sea of Galilee boat cruise.  This is actually a big lake, but it is where Jesus did about 75% of his teaching, according to our guide. Visit the Deganya Kibbutz. A kibbutz is unique to Israel and is a settlement in which people live communally. When I was here in October for my friend's birthday party, I had the honor of staying in a kibbutz where part of her family still lives. It was not the same kibbutz, but a special experience. The closest experience I can relate it to is permanent summer camp. You walk everywhere you need to go, you drive through a gate to get in and out, and everyone lives very close together in small quarters.  Travel to Nazareth , where Jesus grew up. Shockingly to me (or just exposing my ignorance) is that Nazareth is the largest Arab town in Israel--approximately 70%!  Sudden

Today we began our first full day with the entire tour. On the itinerary: Hebrew lesson from our local guide, Orr.  Walking tour of Jaffa , the oldest part of Tel Aviv.  After lunch, a walking tour of Tel Aviv, especially Rothschild Blvd, the main street. I am in the Amman airport and cannot get the pictures to upload to my blog. Sorry!  Here is the link to the pictures from Day 4 (with commentary!). I really enjoyed Tel Aviv. Our hotel was right on the ocean along the Promenade . And it felt really good to be back with my dad after not seeing him since summer. How quickly I revert back to my old habits when around family!!