Day Three: Mightier than Nimrod

The small platoon rose early and broke camp at the crack of dawn.

...Or perhaps a bit later...

The cool breezes and quiet plash of the waves on the shore were so peaceful that even once wakened, the adventurers paused in their campaign to enjoy the waters and ate a companionable breakfast together.

Soon after breakfast, however, they packed everything up and squished back into the car, intent upon bringing yet another fortress under their dominion.

Though they were determined in their missions, a sign appeared and sent them on a detour. (You know, sort of like an omen, but actually, more like street sign.) The hexagon pool seemed to be calling them. Adventurer #3 who remembered in past days expressing a desire to visit the hexagon pools was overjoyed when, on a whim, Adventurer #1 turn the car off the main highway and down a dirt road in pursuit of said pool.

This hike too the pool, though backwards by most standards (what is the deal with always going down and then back up here?) was short, the geologic formations were entrancing, and the water was cold. Not feet-numbing cold as Adventurer #3 was accustomed to in her mountainous home, but pleasantly chilly when compared to the warmth of the day.

The wildlife was even amenable to having pictures taken.

The adventurers even tried out their parachuting technique, jumping from some rocks into the pool. It might need a little more work.

After having enjoyed the pool and a bit of lunch, the team of 5 continued on their way, refreshed and ready for battle. Passing through a small village, they took stock of their rations, and, realizing the imminent possibility of starvation if more food was not attained quickly, they paused to purchase provisions for the remainder of their journey.

Continuing on their way, they soon caught sight of the objective of their quest: Nimrod's Castle. Hastening to climb the hill it was situated upon, they soon came face-to-face with the walls of the fortress. Working as a well oiled machine, they quickly scaled the walls, dispatched the guards and soldiers, and took control of the fort.

They surveyed their new domain.

They spent some time becoming intimately acquainted with the north east tower and with the more illustrious personages who inhabited their castle (i.e. rock hyraxes).

Then, with the hour growing late, they started to make their way back to their campsite, pausing only for important things like ice, hot chocolate, and firewood (which was gathered with the sole purpose of making their ride back to camp just that much more squished and uncomfortable...but ended up being useful for cooking their evening meal as well).

Again this night there was great enjoyment in the sea and around the fire as the friends rested and played and talked together into the night before quietly dropping off to sleep.

Day Two: Cair Paravel and Beyond

Friday morning at 8am on the dot (or perhaps a little after the dot) the five adventures were on their way, continuing north along the coast. They knew where they were going but not how to get there. Turning in search of information they suddenly saw the object of their desire: the Baha'i gardens, in all their manicured glory. It turns out that the five adventurers have mad luck like that. It also turns out that only a couple levels of the gardens are open to tourists not on a tour, so the five adventurers only managed a view at the bottom...

...and from the top.

Perhaps it as just as well. Worn out from their adventures the previous night, the five stalwart companions were in no shape to climb thousands of stairs that morning.

Instead, they continued in their journey northward. Once, they encountered and Israeli Napoleon, who fortunately allowed them to pass unchallenged. However, he did charge them to go to Acco and to conquer where he had failed. They did.

With the city firmly beneath their feet, the ravenous friends set out in search of sustenance. Adventurer #1 followed his nose to the falafel, which was quickly consumed.

Filled and happy they continued their exploration of this newly conquered city. Tyranny was not their objective, but before their benevolence was known some of the natives jumped off the city walls into the Mediterranean in an attempt to escape.

Fortunately no lives were lost and the natives soon returned to the city, basking in the favor of their new rulers.

However, like Alexander the Great, the army of five felt the need for new challenges, new land to conquer, and so they move onward, heading west and north into the hills in search of a rumored stronghold in the land: the Crusader Castle Montfort. Riding swiftly (i.e. trudging) they crested a ridge and paused to enjoy the breath-taking view and to form their plan of attack.

The castle was deserted, but as they began to wend their way through the trees and overgrown shrubs and rocky passages they began to wonder if they had somehow made their way through a wardrobe door and arrived at Cair Paravel.

Meanwhile, however, a battalion of orcs (*scream*)

arrived at the castle and attacked the adventurers five. The orcs were soon vanquished, but in the battle the five were separated, thus accounting for the difficulty they had in all arriving at the vehicle at the same time.

Leaving Cair Paravel behind they traveled through Archenland and the most magnificent mountain and valley view any of them had seen in this country, and so they left Narnia behind.

That night they encamped at the Sea of Galilee, bathing in the cool waters and roasting meat over a roaring fire.

There the group of five was joined by five more adventurers (Joshua, Bethany, Seth, Emily, and Steve). The ground was hard and rocky, but as Adventurer #1 was heard to say, "The rocks get softer the longer you're here." None of the adventurers struggled with sleeplessness that night.

(we love JUC!)

Day One: In the Shadow of Herod

Thursday, October 1, 2009, started out in a normal way, with occasional "Rabbits" greetings being exchanged. Little did the five adventurers know what would befall them this day.

Adventurer #1, Cameron, pick up the car from the rental agency that morning with Adventurer #2, Ian. Number 1 picked up Adventurer #3, Alana, and her adventure gear in the early afternoon and went to the school where the picked up #2, #4 (Liz), and #5 (Christiana). By 4:45 they were all packed like sardines in the car and ready to begin their adventure.

They headed west out of Jerusalem, and then north, trying (and failing) to avoid traffic. They were headed for Haifa, but it was getting late and they were getting tired. Suddenly, a road sign appeared, indicating that Caesarea Maritime was near! Perhaps this would be a good place to spend the night, they thought. They drove to the aqueduct and extracted themselves delicately from the car, checking to make sure every limb was still attached to its original owner. Once everyone was again standing on their own too feet, the intrepid explorer proceeded to the beach. It was mostly deserted. As they looked around they noticed several signs, all in Hebrew. In fear and trepidation they wondered if said signs forbid camping. No answer to this dilemma was forthcoming, alas, as none of them had extensive knowledge of modern Hebrew.

Wanting to stay, they got back in the car to explore a little further. Alas, their lust for adventure lead them into mis-adventure. In their heavily loaded car, they forgot to take notice of the softness of the sand over which they drove and shortly became stuck. Adventurers 2-5 tumbled out of the car and pushed. Good progress was made and solid ground was but 20 feet away when an even softer section of sand was reached and the car spun out and high-centered itself, simply out of spite. Pushing availed nothing. The adventurers started digging around the tires and searching for things to put under them, still to no avail.

Growing more hungry and more tired by the minute, they finally paused to eat a meager meal of pita, hummus, and apples. Then the digging commenced in earnest. The tires were propped up by pieces of wood they had found and then they attempted to clear out the sand that the car was resting upon. The hour was growing late and things were beginning to look more hopeless when they made their final attempt. They again pushed with all their might, and this time the car moved, much to their excitement and relief. Even the magical garden gnome found by #4 and #5 in their wanderings shouted for joy when the car reached firm ground.

Time had not passed slowly in all their diggings, however, and it had now become quite clear that they were too tired to try to find another camping spot, whether or not this one was legal. They found a stretch of sand near their car, to watch, lest it be towed away in the night, and bedded down, stretching out their sleeping bags under the nearly full moon, in the shadow of Herod's Aqueduct.

Sleep was coming quietly when a jeep roared past, down the road they had failed to pass through. During the night several vehicles passed, some within mere feet of their sleeping place, most of them blaring loud Israeli pop. It was probably not the most restful night any of them had ever had. Nevertheless, the stars and moon and roar of the ocean made it pleasant.

In the morning they awoke to a sun nearly invisible because of the haze. The car had not been towed away during the night and they were able to pile into it for day two of their adventure, after admiring the hole they had dug themselves out of by the morning light.

A few pictures...

...From Yom Kippur.

Would it be bad if I said that my favorite day here in Jerusalem is probably Yom Kippur? It's just so peaceful. The eternal din of engines and horns and sirens is finally silenced as everyone, religious and secular Jews alike, take a day to rest and reflect. It's a little magical. The smell of flowers is noticeable as the odor of exhaust dissipates. Children ride their bikes down the middle of the street, laughing together. Groups of people, families and friends, dressed in white, forsake the sidewalks in favor of walking on the street.

It was a good day to explore a little and take some pictures.

When I went to the library a little later I was surprised by how silent it was. Every little noise I made seems to make a racket. Then I realized that there was no ambient noise of traffic and horns floating in. It made a huge difference.

Alas, the city has now returned to its normal noisy state...until next year...

Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls

Every now and then it's really nice to get out of the city for a little while. I mean, I do enjoy Jerusalem...it's so different from any other place I've lived, and there are so many layers of history...Nevertheless, I find I'm still rather a country girl at heart, and I always enjoy visiting a few of the less inhabited locations around the country.

One such opportunity came this Saturday. For student activity day we headed north to the Golan, to the Gilabun Nature Reserve. As hikes go it wasn't all that strenuous or exciting, but it was still a pretty cool place to visit. It has:

1. Remains of a Syrian military base (you know, barracks and trenches and such)

2. Remains of a village (named Dvora, I believe) which dates back at least to the Talmudic period and was probably inhabited until about 50 years ago. Remains of a Jewish Synagogue are found in various buildings in secondary use.

3. Two waterfalls, Dvora and Gilabun, one of which is supposedly the second largest in Israel.

4. Pools under the waterfalls in which one can swim and cool off.

5. Bramble bushes with tiny black berries that taste like...blackberries. Go figure.

6. Popsicles at the end of the hike. (Thank you Dr. Wright!)

And to top the day off, our bus had a minor break-down by the Sea of Galilee...so it felt like a staff trip, and Larissa and I got to dip our feet in the lake as we waited for the bus to be fixed. What more could one ask?

Sallah Shabati

Tonight at Middle Eastern Movie Night we watched Sallah Shabati. The main character is played by Chaim Topol, of Fiddler on the Roof fame. Besides being an informative movie, giving a glimpse of life in Israel in the 50's for many of the immigrants, it was rather hilarious. I found myself giggling in numerous places, probably annoying the other people watching who apparently took it very seriously. (Sometimes, I think there is something seriously wrong with either mine or other peoples' senses of humor. Oh well, what can you do?) I think, though, that one of my favorite parts was knowing just enough Hebrew to begin to understand some of what they said. It made reading the subtitles more entertaining as I thought, "Hey, that's not quite what they said." Or "They skipped translating that line!"

Speaking of Hebrew, on the way home tonight two ladies asked me for directions in Hebrew. Apparently I'm starting to look like I belong here? The funny thing was, I think I actually understood where they wanted to go, and I think I actually pointed them in the right direction. Hopefully, anyway. :)

In other unrelated news, I now have a phone, so if you want to call me or be called by me, let me know and we can work something out. :)

A recurring thought

As I live here in Israel, hear stories, and talk to people, the desire and need for peace in this conflicted region is clear. However, daily it also becomes clearer that peace is complex. As I talk to my flat-mates, I find their words reflecting my thoughts: there will never be peace...apart from Christ. Only in Christ will Israelis and Palestinians both be able to let go of their victim-hood and their demands long enough to truly live at peace.

There is work being done and progress being made by organizations working to reconcile believers from both sides. One such organization is Musalaha. Here's an encouraging article I read on it, too. It's good to know that the whole Christian community hasn't forgotten about "us" here.