Day 2

Well, we have wrapped up day two. We started our morning at 4:45; we skyped with the kids this morning, and they were glad to hear from us. It was 8:45 pm their time, so they were going to bed as we were getting up. I went back to bed when we were done talking with the kids. I stayed in bed until the last minute. We were at breakfast by 7 am and on the bus by 8.

We headed to Caesarea Maritima first. This was a fascinating place. We saw an amphitheater and what is left of Herod's palace. The theatre is still being used today. All of this sits on the Mediterranean Sea. Herod had great architectural ideas. We were able to walk in and on the ruins that was left of his palace. He actually had a fresh water pool put in on the edge of the sea. This pool was surrounded by the sea itself. He had massive aqueducts built to bring in fresh water to the city, and there are large ruins of these still in existence. When we visited the aqueducts we got to actually touch the sea water. Of course there were villagers fishing there just like another day, but for those of us who study the Bible and live so far away and are now seeing the Bible in color, so to speak, this was a thrill. We also learned that all of the sand dunes that we were seeing is sand that is is actually from the Nile river. The currents in the Mediterranean Sea move in a counter clock wise motion stirring up the Nile placing the sand along the sea coast. Of course, the wind also stirs up the sand reshaping the landscape constantly. I am actually bringing home a small bag of sand from Egypt, and I didn't even visit there.

The next stop of the day was to Mt. Carmel and of course we know the story of Elijah challenging the Baal priests. There was a very nice monastery and garden at the supposed sight that this event happened. I am having to keep in mind that some of the sights that we visit is a best guess or reasonable assumption that a certain event happened here instead of somewhere else.

Megiddo was the next sight of the day. Of course, this sight was of great strategic importance. Whoever had this city, had control over the entire valley of Jezreel. From where the city sat, they could see enemies coming from any direction and have plenty of time to ready itself for defense. Another historical significance was the fact that Josiah, the last of the good kings, was killed near this city. The city had such a defensive stance, and was well thought out enough, that King Ahab had a tunnel built under part of the city so that the people wouldn't have to actually leave the city to get water from the closest spring. We walked down 186 steps to reach the tunnel. We walked the tunnel and then ascended 85 steps to get out. It is amazing that these people were able to tunnel through the rock so far underground.

We then drove through Nazareth. The stop in Nazareth was a constructed Nazarene village. It was constructed in such a way so that the visitor could learn what life was like during Bible times. We saw how they terraced the land for farming, what a carpenter's workshop was like and what a rich man's house might look like. We also saw a wine press and an olive press.

We finally made it to Tiberias. We stopped up on a hill to look out across the Sea of Galilee. We took several pictures, but it was quite hazy. Tomorrow we will take a boat ride. We were warned about how quickly storms arise on the sea. We will be staying here for a couple of days.

If anybody is interested, I had oreos for lunch.

We are here!

We boarded a boeing 777 Wednesday night in Atlanta. We had a lot of anxiety over a 12 hour flight to a foreign country and leaving our children for 14 days. We actually had a wonderful flight. Samuel would have loved this--we actually had our own video screen and ear phones to watch our own individual movies or play video games. There were probably 75 movies to choose from. This occupied us for quite a few hours. Once we landed, we stood in line to get our passports checked. I actually have my first stamp-Tel Aviv, Israel. It doesn't seem real

We have finally made it to Israel. We landed at 5:15 pm Tel Aviv time which is 9:15 am in Athens, Alabama. Barry and I have been teasing each other about what day it actually is. We have concluded that yes it is Thursday and yes we have just flown 6500 miles today and we are on the other side of the world. Once the sun came up, we had the opportunity to see some amazing sights. I have to tell you that when flying over Italy, Italy really does look like a ladies boot. Very beautiful. We did fly over France, which I was looking forward too, but we couldn't see anything; the clouds were too thick. We made it to the Greek Islands and the water was spectacular! The water was so blue that the view looked like a water painting. Over one of the southern islands we saw a beautiful thunderstorm from its top side. I attempted to take a picture of it. We flew over Rome, the Aegan Sea and then the Mediterranean Sea. As we approached Tel Aviv, it was amazing to see what a metropolis Tel Aviv is. I always thought of this area not as modernized, but the coast is absolutely beautiful and the airport is very modernized and enormous.

We boarded our bus and drove for a while and reached the old city of Jaffa. We got off the bus and walked for a while taking pictures. We talked about Jonah leaving Jaffa to go Nineva to do God's work. From where we were, the coast of the Mediterranean was beautiful. We followed the coast to the city of Natanya. Our hotel room in Natanya has a balcony, so we opened the door so that we could hear the waves crashing. I can't wait to get some close up pictures from the balcony in the morning.

Still Getting Ready

Barry and I are still getting ready for our trip. I am glad to say despite being totally confused and excited, we now have clothes in our suitcases. I am reviewing spelling words, washing clothes, and smiling at my packing list. (I actually have several lists.)

We now just need to prepare for our 12 hour flight. We just have a few things to throw in our carry-ons and we are done. We will send the kids off to school first thing in the morning, wash the last few clothes, put the bags by the door and sit and maybe breathe for a few minutes. We will then wait for our neighbors to drive way over to our house and pick us up.

The drive to Atlanta should be interesting as I will remember things that I have forgotten, but can't do anything about, and I will probably be teased about falling asleep before I even get out of Limestone County, and I will participate in conversation about what fast food joint we will eat at at the airport before there is no more french fries and hamburgers for two weeks. As I think about this I am already laughing.

Can someone please pass me an oreo?

Getting Ready!

So, I have now officially entered the blogging world. I hope to post most everyday for the next couple of weeks. I am getting ready to embark on a trip of a lifetime. Barry and I along with Barry's parents, are leaving on a 13 day trip to Israel and Jordan. We will start our adventure with a 12 hour plane flight out of Atlanta. We will visit Petra, Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias, etc. I told my Bible class that I would be bringing them some rocks and as 5 and 6 year olds would, they thought that would be cool.

So far, I do have the most important thing packed, and that is the oreos. There can't possibly be any Britnell family vacation with out oreos, the family staple. Yes, other things are packed, but food is always on our minds, so that is where I started. Considering that I wouldn't find a Wal-mart right around the corner, needless to say, the shopping on our packing list has been a bit complicated. Clothes are slowly being packed, the house is slowly being cleaned, orders for good behavior expected from the kids have been slowly taken in, and finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is slowly being seen.

We are so looking forward to this trip and for all of those being left behind, we will be thinking of you. Some of you have seen through me that preparing the children for us leaving has been a bit overwhelming at times, but they are being left in great hands. We are very grateful to you all and when you get overwhelmed while we are gone, all I can say is "eat some chocolate", though you may have to sit in a closet all by yourself so that you don't have to share.

Although I am looking forward to posting every evening on the trip, I will not take any responsibility for any gramatical errors or such. We will be so overflowing with Biblical information, that I will have to be swift as not to forget.

I am sure that I will be totally exhausted by the end of the day, but at least I will have oreos.......