I love Medieval style architecture like this city gate built in the 11th century

You would think in a tiny country like Israel we would have done it all and be bored by now ! Well... There are plenty of places we didn't make it to and today was our last outing .

What is it that they always say ...Save something for next time : )

I picked the boys up at Daniel's after their long weekend away. Since we were in the Galilee we visited the Church of the Franciscan on the top of Mt . Tabor...Where according to Christian tradition, is the site of the Transfiguration of Christ, during which Jesus began to radiate light and was seen conversing with Moses and Elijah. I am a fan of the New Testament and I have really enjoyed these places. This mountain has a long biblical history and is mentioned in the Old Testament as well. Like most of the ancient cities in Israel... The city on Mt. Tabor has been conquered and destroyed and rebuilt several times ...

Israel ... Always an architectural Kaleidoscope...
Mason and me inside the Ruins of the 4th century byzantine church

Now time to clean and pack (oh the joys of moving) And hopefully visit our favorite beach one more time.

I am very excited about going home ! At the very same time I am sad to leave !!! Israel is a truly a special place . Each town has a uniqueness unlike the other ... We have all been talking about our favorite place and memory as we get ready to leave . Jerusalem and Jaffa are two that top my list ...But if you ask me tomorrow my answer might be different !

Eric and I are exhausted ... Moving takes a lot out of a person ! Whew ! We have been cleaning,packing getting ready for the movers all week and at the same time trying to visit with friends and hit those last few places we have been meaning to see !

The movers came today... now Eric and I can relax a little

Four more days to pack and organize for the big trip home

Caden and Mason are spending the weekend with their friend Daniel up in the Galilee (Daniels family use to live on our street but recently moved ) We spent yesterday with Daniel's parents sight seeing around the Sea of Galilee, the area most known for being associated with Jesus' life ... Ken and Tali were so nice to show us around (and take our kids all weekend ; )

Who says you can't hike in 100 degree weather

The Sea of Galilee

On our way home Eric and I stopped in Nazareth to pick up a few souvenirs...We have been there a few times (we love Nazareth) The church in the picture is the The Church of the Annunciation, one of the most important churches to Christians-this church is visited by many people from all over the world every year, as you could imagine -Funny sign out side on the main street !If you click on the picture you can see it better !

I am passionate about bringing my children to museums ...You get to pretend to be a naturalist ,an archeologist, an astronaut... or maybe a scientist or an artist! Learning has never been more fun!

But should you bring your children to a museum about the darkest period in modern history ?

The recommended age for visiting the Holocaust Museum is 10 and up (and even that is up to your good discretion) I decided to bring my boys ages 11 and 9...

Our friends and neighbors here have already personalized this horrific event for us . I figured visiting the museum would give an entirely different perspective,and it did ...we all learned alot

But as I write this ...I wonder if this was the best decision ? Mason (the younger one) didn't look at the exibits very close , he didn't seem very interested . He walked through the crowded museum quietly and respectfully. Caden on the other hand ... looked too close, reading everything ,the stories the documentaries,the grafic pictures, everything... and seemed to be very affected by what he saw. He came out of the museum in such disbelief - I didn't have many answers for him.

It was now time for ice cream therapy...

or a mythical Journey you get to choose ! Banias waterfall is a stop on a beautiful hike up in the northern part of the country. Banias is a special place for Christians because it is mentioned in the Bible as the place Jesus brought his disciples and asked them "Who is the son of Man" Matthew 16:13-17

I can see why he would choose such a beautiful place. Near by there is the Temple of Pan . The Greek god of shepherds and flocks. You know the half Goat half man, flute playing mythical God? PAN. The Temple of Pan dates back to 87 CE . As we moved on the trail along the spring we passed by an 2,000 year old Roman Bridge ,some crusader ruins from 11th century and a flour mill from the 14 century ...In ancient times this area was known as Caesarea Philippi-

Temenos to Pan and Echo, the mountain nymph, dated to 87 CE (yes we learned some new things today)

We see these kinds of Ruin's almost daily ...They are spread out all over along the Hwy's and in-between towns - There are many like this one that are not listed in the guide books. What was here ,what happened here , was this 3,000 years old or was it from the Middle ages ???