19 July 2011

Our days are numbered in Galilee...didn't we just get here? I feel as if all my mornings begin in the exact same way. I wake up, pull my hair into a ponytail, eat breakfast, and either get on the bus or go to class. So, you can imagine what I did this morning, I'm sure. It wasn't anything special. With breakfast finished, I went out to the bus so that we could make our way to the ancient city of Hazor. Hazor, the capitol of the greatest of the southern Canaanite city-states, was conquered by Joshua, became one of Solomon's "chariot cities", and was refortified by Ahab before the Assyrians destroyed it in the Eighth Century BC. Located north of the Sea of Galilee, it was built on a hilltop with an excellent water source.. From this hilltop vantage point, the inhabitants of Hazor controlled the north to south trade route between Damascus and Megiddo and the northwest to southeast route from Sidon to Beth Shean. Archaeologists found at least two temples at the stie - one of "standing stones" and a broadroom temple similar to the acropolis temple at Lachish. My favorite part of Hazor was standing on one of the guard towers and viewing the Upper Valleys of the Galilee in their entirity. Hazor really did have an advantage over its attackers because it was built on a hill.

After leaving Hazor, we returned to the buses to drive to Dan. Canaanite Laish, with a gate from Abraham's time, became Dan when the tribe of Dan conquered it, setting Israel's borders "from Dan to Beersheva." Archaeology has yielded evidence of the Danites' conquest, of the "House of David", and of Jeroboam's idolatrous altar. The ancient city of Dan is located in the midst of a nature reserve. It was absolutely beautiful to walk through the trees near natural springs in order to get to the tel. Plus, it was cool underneathe the cover of the trees' branches! Once we reached the tel, Brother Judd refreshed our minds with the history/significance of Dan in biblical times. Jeroboam's Kingdom (Israel) grew out of a tax revolt against King Solomon. Even though the tax revolt may have been motivated by righteous desires, it soon ended in idolatry for the newly established Kingdom of Israel when Jeroboam established idolatrous altars in Dan and Bethel. This idolatry has been contributed to the downfall of the Israelite Kingdom. Once Jeroboam constructed his altars and golden calves, idolatry had become the permanent ruler of the Israelite Kingdom until it was destoryed by the Assyrians in 721 BC. At the tel, we climb up to the "High Place" to take some pictures of golden calves and idol worshippers...the students, ourselves, became the golden calves and the worshippers. It was also at this point that Ashley began making up cheers about each of the sites we visited; this is what happens when the daughter of a varsity head-cheerleader is let loose! Haha :) At the top of the tel, we were able to look out into Lebanon and see the remains of a tank and a bunker used in the 1948 and 1967 wars. It was cool to have two separate histories from two separate times in the same place.

Banias (or Caesarea Philippi) was the location of our next stop. Situated at Mt. Hermon's foot, Banias guarded a major trade route from Tyre to Damascus and one of the Jordan's sources - the Banias River - which runs down to a spectacular waterfall. It was this waterfall that was the reason for our visit. The trek to the waterfall took us down various switchbacks, stairs, and pathes, but we eventually made it to the water! The water was raging, but it was beautiful. Covered by tree branches, it was relatively cool as the falling water misted the air, but as more and more people invaded the small space, it heated up quickly. I took a few quick pictures, and then went back to the bus to await the departure to our next destination: Nimrod Fortress.

The Nimrod Fortress, built up by Crusaders, was destroyed in 1219. The surviving castle represents a complete rebuilding by Ayyubid and Mamluk Muslim rulers in the mid-13th Century AD, but the rebuilders did incorporate feature typical of Crusader engineering and architecture: massive piers, pointed arches, and pointed vaults. To get into the castle, we did the obvious; with swords and shields in stands, and with Brother Muhlestein as our leader, we stormed the castle by running up its main ramp and through its main gate. Sword fights broke out, yelling occurred, and the castle was conquered. It was the perfect way to get us excited about the castle...well, some of us. Kymberly, who had spent the past summer studying in Wales and visiting castles every other day, wasn't looking forward to exploring another castle. But I dragged her along with me anyway! We began by making our way down to the dungeons, where we discovered a bunch of bats! I don't think I like bats... After making our way back up to the sunlight, I notice something in the distance: The Keep! And off we went. On our way to the Keep, we were attacked by Josiah and his followers. We sought for cover, but it was too late. We couldn't outrun them, and they had us outnumbered. We were given the choice to join their ranks or be killed. Unfortunately, I really wanted to go up to the Keep so we didn't join their ranks. The way to the Keep was steep and hot, but we eventually made it; the view was beautiful and the wind felt amazing! From the Keep, we travelled back down to the main gate of the castle (passed Josiah and his men). On our way, I grabbed T.C.'s hand and dragged him with us because he had been sitting on a rock in the same place since we got there! We visited another dungeon (where I acted out the part!) and then had to go back to the bus. On the way to the bus, I got a much needed Mango popsicle. It was just what I needed to help get me through the day.

Our last stop was at an overlook into Syria, one that had been used heavily by the military during the Six Days War of 1967. The bunkers, the bomb shelters, and the artillery units were fun to explore. We stayed at this site long enough for Brother Judd to explain a bit about it and for the students to take pictures, and then we got back on the buses to head back to Ein Gev.

As the night wore on, bonfires were lit on the beach and our true characters broke out. There is just something about the firelight that brings out the true selves of people. Sister Huntington provided supplies of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. Yeah, that's right: S'mores! I haven't eaten a S'more since my senior year of high school. I have missed the taste of gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate in my mouth. Yum! I didn't last long at the bonfire and began falling asleep in my chair, so I decided to head up to my bungalow a little earlier than usual (10:30pm) in order to catch up on some sleep. By midnight, I was wide awake...so I got up and headed down to the beach to stare off into the water for about an hour. It did the trick, and I was able to fall quickly back to sleep.