My Last Post

Well, this is my last post about my trip in Israel. It was loads of fun, but besides that, it was a great spiritual journey. It's really amazing to see the things you've been reading and hearing about your whole life right in front of you. It can like that for anyone who considers Israel as a Holy place, which is why I suggest that Israel is the place to go. It is also very gorgeous place with many wonderful sites, so if you just want somewhere beautiful to stay, stay in Israel. Here is a video that shows pictures of Israel and shows it's beauty wonderfully.
I could not for the LIFE of me get the video itself on this post(I spent over half an hour trying to get it work!) so I really apologize for that.
Here is the URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrSUbfK2ld0&feature=player_detailpage
And so, in conclusion, I would like to say that if you want a lightening, historical, and spiritual experience, go to Israel!

One of the many beautiful views in Israel!

Mount of Olives

My trip to the Mount of Olives

I went to the Mount of Olives today to visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Christ performed the Atonement. As I visited the Garden of Gethsemane, I thought: I'm touching Holy ground. It was an amazing experience.

Garden of Gethsemane

Speaking of ground, the geography of Israel is really taking a toll on it's environment. It's bad enough with only 13.68% of Israel's land being arable, and it's permanent crops only 3.2% of the land, but with the sandstorms during spring and summer, periodic earthquakes, and droughts, thing's are getting bad. There is limited natural freshwater, air pollution, desertification, and ground water pollution. Who knew how much the geography of a place could affect its environment in such an awful way?


Sandstorm in Israel

My religious journey in Israel!

Looking at the different sites from Biblical times in Israel

Well, I have to say, today has definitely been my best day so far!! I visited a lot of different sites in Israel today, mainly Jerusalem. Here are a few of my favorite places:


City of David

Of course there's the wonderful City of David! The City of David is the birthplace of Jerusalem. It's where King David established his city, and where the people of Israel's history is written out. Many people come here to see the physical connection of the Bible to the start of Jerusalem.



Garden Tomb

The Garden Tomb, the place of Christ's resurrection. It's such a sacred place. With the sunlight beaming down on the tomb, and the beautiful garden surrounding, it's a wonderful sight. This is one of the sights that many Christians go to when visiting Jerusalem.



City of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus

This map shows the city of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus Christ. It shows a lot of the major places Christ was in at the end of His life, such as the Garden of Gethsemane, Herod's palace, and the Pinnacle of the Temple. I like to look at it to and compare it to the modern day maps of Jerusalem, and see how much has changed since Christ was last on the earth. I wonder how much it will have changed by the next time Christ visit's the earth?

Errr... a few warnings

Some things you might want to take into consideration...

As much as I love Israel, I'd be lying if I said there was no conflict or dangers with traveling here.
Terrorism is a daily risk in Israel, but most tourists never even encounter one. And isn't it just as risky in the countries surrounding Israel? Anyways, here are some tips that I strongly suggest following:

• Outbreaks in Israel can occur anyplace, at anytime, but they mostly occur in areas with big crowds and during political protests, so stay out of crowds as much as possible.
• Be especially careful when you the visit the Old City of Jerusalem. Clashes tend occur around religious sites.
• Consider registering with the US Embassy in Tel Aviv when you arrive to Israel, and get the Embassy's contact number. They can help you if you are in a jam.
• Regularly check the news and monitor the media for possible protests.
• Watch for counterfeit goods, pickpocketing, and purse snatching. This happens in most countries, but because it's a foreign country, people will try to take advantage of you.
• STAY AWAY FROM THE GAZA STRIP AND THE WEST BANK!! They are both extremely unsafe right now, and you would be risking your life to go to either place right now.

Here is some more information about the Gaza Strip. It's not as much about it's danger as it is about the Gaza Strip itself, but it's pretty interesting. Tunnels in the border of the Gaza Strip that could potentially help the Israeli's in different war causes.

Gaza Strip:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/10/13/israel-tunnel-gaza-border/2976009/

I know this has made Israel look really awful, but keep reading my posts to see the beauty of Israel!

Israel for Dummies

The Basics of Israel's Culture

      I've been in Israel for a few days now, and let me tell you it is amazing! The sites! The sounds! The people! It's all incredibly beautiful! But let me give you the down-low on Israeli culture: A lot of it has been influenced by the same culture that is in the Old Testament from the Bible.

     For example, Israel's national language is Hebrew, a language that was regularly used in the Old Testament in areas such as Jerusalem, which is now Israel's capital. 

     But that's pretty broad, so let me give you another example: like in Biblical times, the currency of Israel is the Shekel.

     The food and cooking in Israel is also based on the content in the "Torah," which is composed of the first few books of the Old Testament, that the Jewish religion's beliefs are mainly based on. From the Torah, they came up with 'Kosher' (meaning acceptable foods) and "Non-Kosher" (not acceptable food). Some examples of these restrictions include certain animals not being eaten at all, as well as their produce, dairy can't be eaten with meat, and certain parts of animals can't be eaten. They have Kosher and Non-Kosher Markets in Israel, which I thought was pretty awesome.

     Anyways, that's it for today! I hope you've learned a little more about Israel and its rich culture!

An example of Holy Text in Hebrew