After finishing all of the blog posts from our trip to the Holy Land, I knew there would be a bunch of stuff that I didn’t have time to share. So I went through the nearly 1000 photos I shot and have picked out a few of my favorites from things we saw and experienced that you weren’t able to see in the original posts. I’ll give just a brief explanation of each. So glad we could take you with us!
Before
After
These two shots we took on the Mount of Transfiguration. This is what it might look like if I underwent a transfiguration!
Gus and Michelle at Church of Transfiguration
Church of the Transfiguration
These two shots are from the Church of the Transfiguration – one outside, the other above the main altar upstairs…a beautiful mural.
View from Mt. of Transfiguration
The Mount of Transfiguration is one of the highest mountains in the area. To give you a bit of perspective, this shot is from near the top of the mountain, looking down on Nazareth. A beautiful view, indeed…
Annunciation grotto
Inside the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth is a small grotto that is the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary lived. It is here where the Angel Gabriel came to announce to Mary that she had been chosen to bring the Messiah into the world. This small altar, which is inside a gated area, marks the spot. Pretty amazing, eh?
Renewing our vows
While we were in Cana, Michelle and I had the blessing of renewing our wedding vows. While I posted a picture of this momentous occasion on Facebook, I didn’t include one on the blog. Here is the happy couple. (Photo courtesy of Lino Rulli.)
View from hotel balcony
When Lino and I recorded the radio show in Galilee, we did so from the balcony of our hotel, which overlooked the Sea of Galilee. While we described this location on the show a number of times, I never included a picture. This is what we saw while doing our radio shows. Nice work if you can get it!
Goats
At some of the locations where we were, there were sheep and/or goats roaming around. Being an animal lover, I had to get a shot of some of these cute little goats that were hanging around Magdala.
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is magnificent. Aside from Tiberias, which is a very modern city with plenty of high rise hotels and shops, much of the area probably looks much like it did during the time of Jesus. Here is one of my favorite shots of the Sea of Galilee.
American and Israeli flags
Most all of the Christians that I know in the USA are great supporters of Israel. While we were on the Jesus Boat in the Sea of Galilee, our boatmates were all Americans, so they flew the two countries’ flags. I thought the shot of the two flags flapping in the breeze side by side was cool.
Dancing on the Jesus Boat
As it turns out, our boatmates were quite the dancers! Here’s a shot of the gang dancing around on the Jesus Boat. Big fun!
Caves at Shepherd’s Field
I never knew that caves were so popular in the Holy Land, but they are…or at least they were. So the next couple of shots are of some of my favorite caves. The first is part of a small series of caves at The Shepherd’s Field, where the angels came to announce the birth of the Messiah on Christmas night. Lino and I actually spelunked through these caves.
Pater Noster cave
The next cave is at Pater Noster on the Mount of Olives. It is in this cave that Jesus may have taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer – the Our Father.
Church of St. Mary Magdalene
As you stand atop the Mount of Olives, just below you can see the beautiful gold tops of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. The view from up there is truly breathtaking.
The Old City of Jerusalem
Much of the Via Dolorosa winds through the Old City of Jerusalem. I don’t think it looked like this during Jesus’ time, but now it is a series of narrow walkways and stairs with small shops along both sides. If you ever make it to the Holy Land, the best time to go through the Old City is early in the morning, before the streets are packed with tourists. You may even find a bit of alone time to pray the Stations of the Cross.
So there you have it – our first pilgrimage to the Holy Land! Before we even flew home, Michelle and I vowed that we would return. I learned so much, and can’t wait to go back and learn and experience even more. I hope you found this blog to be helpful; that you felt as though you made the trip with us in some small way. Pray for peace in Jerusalem! Shalom!
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