After spending Wednesday and Thursday resting and generally by myself (reading, journaling, listening to sermons, etc), I was up for a day out in the Golan Heights last Friday (November 19th) before returning home to Jerusalem. After the quiet peacefulness of watching the sunrise, I packed my bags and went in search of breakfast.
Cheery breakfast table :-)
Breakfast set up in the spacious kitchen (the all-important cereal and toast not in the picture, but they were available!) Yes, that is a person's arm--the results of trying to operate a camera before being fully awake. :-)
After breakfast (consisting of the aforementioned important cereal and toast!), I joined the Beit Bracha family a second time for devotions in this cozy corner.
The wonderful Beit Bracha family!
These new friends welcomed me into their family with open arms, warm hugs, and bright smiles. I even got to help them clear tables after meals and set up for the next meal. :-) I was immensely blessed during my time with these wonderful people despite their threat to kidnap me and keep me at Beit Bracha! :-)
Stephen and Zach had Friday off, were considering driving up to Katsrin, and thoughtfully asked if I would like to join them. But before we took off, I had a request. I had heard that there was a small herd of goats living near Beit Bracha, and I wanted to see them! I've missed an entire kidding season and show season now. Even though I wasn't in the middle of the goat raising operation back home anymore, I still miss them! (And I lost my Queen this month--it's the end of an era . . .) The boys took me to see the goats and enjoyed how it made my morning! :-)
The "Beit Bracha goats"
Branches from olive trees were tied up around the pen and supplied in the feeder for the goats to snack on
This poor guy had been described to me as looking like a creature out of Stars Wars--when I saw him, I had to agree.
After a visit to the goats and a tour of the Beit Bracha facility, we were off to Katsrin. The first stop was an Imax-like video of the Golan. We spent the 20 minutes before it started perusing the attached coffee/gift shop. After browsing the wines and chocolates for sale, the boys found the lotion/scent aisle. There were many samples to try, and trust me, they tried them! :-)
After the video, we moved to a room with a large model of the Golan Heights for a 3-D presentation of the geography and history of the Golan. It was fascinating to see history retold on a model instead of simply by words or videos. This method gives one a sense of geography, distance, direction, and location, especially in relation to the '67 and '73 wars. It was a great stop!The Golan is a rocky plateau lying to the east of the Sea of Galilee; it begins at Jordan's northern border and extends north as far as Israel's northern point (Metula, Kiryat Shmona). Measuring approximately 40 miles north-south and 7 1/2 miles east to west, the Golan Heights average 3,300 feet above sea level (though the extremes differ from 9,000 feet above sea level to 660 feet below). The Golan covers approximately 690 square miles, is the source of a large percentage of Israel's agriculture production, and is also the source for 15% of Israel's water supply. Largely due to these factors as well as its altitude, the Golan territory is fiercely disputed. From Israel's founding in 1948 until the Six-Day War of 1967, Jewish settlers in the valleys were frequently harassed by Syrian forces on the hills. During the 1967 war, Jewish forces captured two-thirds of the Golan. The past forty years have seen continued disagreement over this territory (especially between Israel and Syria). Interestingly, this disputed area makes up almost 6% of the total area under Israeli law but only 0.65% of Syrian landmass. For more info on this fascinating territory, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights.
Upon leaving Katsrin, we traveled west in the direction of Rosh Pina as Stephen wanted to show Zach and I an old tank bridge left from the Six-Day War. Apparently, it had been washed out earlier this spring, but it was still worth seeing.
Our route took us off the normal trails; the views of the Golan were breath taking!
The Golan plateau soars high above the Sea of Galilee, but it also boasts a deep valley--the valley through which the Jordan River runs before emptying into the Sea of Galilee. I'm not sure this picture does the valley justice, but believe me--it's deep!
The Jordan River running through the Golan (north of the Sea of Galilee)
The tank bridge Stephen wanted to show us lies in the Jordan River Valley (obviously, since it's crossing the Jordan River!). Here, we're about halfway between the top of the plateau and the river valley, glimpsing the bridge.
And here it is! Stephen was pleasantly surprised to find the bridge had been rebuilt since the last time he was here. I doubt the sound of the rushing water and the sight of the sun sparkling off the water would ever get old.
Standing on the bridge looking across to the east
The south side of the bridge
Looking upstream (north)
Looking downstream (south to the Sea of Galilee!)
After spending a little time at the bridge, we drove back up out of the valley, back to the top of the Golan plateau. The views were spectacular, and I was reminded of our Sunday afternoon drives years ago when Dad would take us out just to see scenery (I don't remember liking those much at the time (-:). Not all my pictures turned out since we were moving, but this one did. Here is the Golan plateau opening out to the Sea of Galilee basin.
After the stop in Katsrin and the fantastic drive up and down some of the Golan, it was unfortunately time to return to Tiberias and catch the bus back to Jerusalem. Stephen and Zach dropped me off in perfect time, and I had about ten minutes to stretch my legs before getting back in a vehicle . . .
Bus station in Afula--is it just me or does this look somewhat like a Sonic drive-in??
I kept my camera out on the journey back--here are some glimpses of the Israeli countryside . . .
The Jezreel Valley in the north (and this is only part of it--imagine more behind and before, plus at least the same amount on the other side of the road!)
The Judean wilderness (closer to Jerusalem in the south)
This may look like only rocky hills to you, but let me explain why I started getting excited when I saw this . . . In the north, the landscape is largely black, basalt rock. In the middle of Israel (near Jerusalem), the rock turns to white limestone. When I saw this hill come into view, I knew we were in the right region and getting closer to home!!
And that's the last of the open, country scenes . . . :-) This was the parking lot of traffic headed into Jerusalem.
We eventually got there, and the bus schedule must factor in traffic jams like these as we arrived at Jerusalem's Central Bus Station right on time. It was a little different than when I left because the sun had set and Shabbat had begun. The bus station is located in the heart of Jerusalem's Jewish New City, so everything was shut up tight. Even the traffic lights were blinking. The taxi drivers were there circling like vultures, but I chose to save my money and walk back to the Old City. It's a long schlep--40-45 minutes (and factor in a backpack and small rolling suitcase), but I did enjoy the walk. It was really quiet and a nice bridge between the quiet of Galilee and the noisy chaos of the Old City.
Sunset in Jerusalem Friday, November 19th
All in all, it was a spectacular holiday--thanks to Christine for making it possible, to the Beit Bracha family for making my time there such a pleasure, and Stephen and Zach for a great day Friday!
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