We were lucky enough to take a trip to Turkey, Israel and Jordan while circumstances are relatively peaceful there. It was the trip of a lifetime! We went with our friends, Ronn and Wendy Gibb.
We started our trip in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosphorus River separates the Asian part of the city from the European side by a large bridge...quite fascinating!
We began our tour at the Hagia Sofia, a grand place of worship, meaning "Holy Wisdom", built in 360 AD and to this day is still among the grandest places of worship in the world. It's architectural brilliance has influenced the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Muslim world alike.
We next visited the Blue Mosque, which owes it's name to the exquisite tiles adorning it's interior. The mosaics and tile work were fascinating!
Later that day we visited the amazing Topkapi Palace, which sits on the Bosphorus River and from the 15th - 19th Century was the principal residence of the Ottoman Sultans.
What a beautiful place Turkey is, we certainly enjoyed sightseeing and spending time in the spice market. We want to try and get back some day!
We flew out from Turkey after just two days and then into Tel Aviv and gathered together all 88 of us on our tour. We met up with our tour guide, Dr John Lund, who was a great source of information throughout our trip!
That afternoon we drove directly to Tiberius and checked into our Hotel near the Sea of Galilee.
The Galilian hills were quite wonderful and Doug and I did several walks just enjoying the view.
In the morning we travelled through the Jezreel Valley into Nazareth, where we toured the re- constructed sites of the town where Jesus spent the first thirty years of his life.
We then bused down and visited Mt Tabor where the Savior was transfigured. A very sacred area.
That evening we returned to Tiberius and closed our day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, where we discussed Jesus walking on the water and stilling the storm.
The next day our journey continued North, where we visited Capernaum and the Mount of Beautitudes, where we discussed and pondered the great truths delivered by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
We returned that afternoont to our hotel near the sea of Galiee and went for a long swim in the Sea. We discovered that the Sea if Galilee is not much bigger than our own little 'Pigeon Lake' near our cabin here in Alberta!
This afternoon we went to the city of Bethelem, where we visited the Church of the Nativity, and saw the actual birth place of the Savior. We had a great discussion here of the wonderful accounts of the Savior's birth, and we concluded by singing several Christmas carols. It was so touching and beautiful. We then travelled that evening to Jerusalem...to be continued!
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