Saturday - by Alex

Today we went to Megiddo and Beth Shean. Beth Shean was my favorite of the two. It was very interesting to see the ruins of the Roman-Byzantine city, because they are so well preserved. We sat in a huge theatre, capable of seating 7,000, and took a bunch of pictures. Then we seized the opportunity to climb some more. All of the kids were feeling unchallenged by the flat terrain we were moving across, so we decided to climb up a hill, in order to get a better view. JR and Kate were a little whiny about the prospect of climbing more stairs, but the youth in our group urged them on, since, after all, today was our last day of touring!

I am, of course, joking about that last part – as lazy teenagers we have been less than thrilled at the notion of exercise, but once we get to the top of a mountain, whether it be Masada, or Herodion, or Tabor, we are always very happy that we made the trek.

Megiddo is the place where John predicted that the war to end all wars in the ‘last days’ would be. (Armageddon.) Fun fact: Armageddon is derived from Har Megedon, meaning the mountain of Megiddo. At Megiddo, we climbed 183 steps down a shaft into a tunnel that was used to supply water safely to the city, so that the citizens could drink without having to leave the security of the walls. Then we climbed 80 steps back out of the tunnel, and headed to lunch, after making a stop to look out at the entire Sea of Galilee from the Golan Heights, which was one of the most breathtaking views I’ve seen in Israel. The Golan Heights was taken by Israel from Syria in the 1967 War, and is still a point of contention to this day. We made a stop at a bunker along the roadside, a reminder of the conflicts in this land in the last 40 years.

After lunch we headed back to the Convent, and hung out very quietly for a while. Now we’re heading to Hannah’s home town, a place that I can’t pronounce and therefore will not even try to spell. Hannah’s going to Turkey, so we’re saying good-bye to him tonight after a dinner we were graciously invited to attend at his church.