bmartin's Blog

Hi everybody,
Tonight I am writing to you from Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. Tiberias was founded by Herod Antipas in 17 AD, and was named after Tiberias Caesar, the emperor of Rome (AD 14-37). Tiberias was the emperor when Jesus began His public ministry. The one thing you notice here right off the bat is it smells great. There’s a hit of pine (or something like it) in the air. I guess I’m not used to breathing fresh air.
We just came from the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth at 1,350 feet below sea level. The really cool thing though is you can float in the water. We had a blast swimming. It was of the most fun things that I have ever done. It’s wild. You just sit back in the water and you float. If I can download a picture I will. Jordan is right across the Sea with beautiful mountains in the background.
On the way here from the Dead Sea we cut through the West Bank and had to go through an Israeli check point. I told them my name was Tony Rizzo and shouted for them to leave me alone. After a few hours of questioning they realized that anyone named Tony Rizzo was not worth holding.(I just made that all up-except for the check point part.) There were no problems and again we all feel very safe.
This morning we visited Masada. It’s a natural mesa near the western shore of the Dead Sea. The name means “the stronghold”. Herod the Great fortified Masada surrounding the top with an 18 feet high wall. He built his winter palace here as well. When Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 70 AD, Jewish patriots fled to Masada where they took their final stand against Rome. It took the Romans three years to capture Masada. Everyone inside took their own lives to avoid slavery.
After Masada we stopped by Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. A small settlement existed here during the time of Christ. John the Baptist spent time here.
Well a big day is planned for tomorrow and we are all beat. It’s up at 5:00 AM and going all day. I would not trade this experience for anything!
See you soon.
Bill