Monday, April 11, 2016

my trip, part 3 // Israel


the Road to Samaria
a Bedouin man waiting to sell us some scarves while we looked at the view


the view from the Mount of Olives!!

 I really badly wanted to have this post up in a timely manner, but I moved in with a friend of mine for a week while her parents were out of town, and we were too busy getting groceries and making meals and generally being adults, and I just didn't sit down with my computer all that much. Which was actually nice, but it means that blogging things DID NOT HAPPEN. Bad me. So, a recap! If you want to read the beginning of my journey, I talk a lot about airplanes and clouds and flight in general here. Or, if you'd rather skip to that and get straight to the time when I'm in Jordan (!!), you can read all about it here. :)


journaling in my favourite hotel

view of the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem



March 20/16   close to 2pm in Jerusalem, Israel!!!

Okay, I know I said that I didn't want to come to Israel, but the travel bug in me is revived, and being here is totally awesome! It smells like spring here, and Jerusalem is cleaner and less chaotic than Amman. Here there are no garbage bags lying by the road or caught in the brush, and unlike Amman, there are traffic lights everywhere! 

Our tour guide told us earlier today that while most people would say there are four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) there are really five - and once you've visited Israel, you've read them all.




palm trees??


contrasts... old pillars, normal modern street and cars and stuff. what.



March 21/16   back at the hotel, around 7:00pm

On contrasts - you can walk along the top of a wall that was built 500 years ago, and look out and see traffic lights and hear horns honking. You can stand on the Mount of Olives and know that Jesus was here too - but all you can see is a modern city. It's hard ... it's more of a contrast than Jordan, which showed its age, felt lived-in, was comfortable and loud and a little bit dirty, like that pair of jeans you'd rather wear then wash. Israel is old, too, but it's a clean and polished old; makeup done, clothes ironed, and a polite but distant smile on her face as you pass through. So far we've seen the face of Israel, but last week we got to know the heart of Jordan. 


no big deal, just drinking hot chocolate and wandering around Jerusalem


walking the market streets was one of my favourite parts of Israel.




Sea of Galilee!!!

seeing the hills Jesus would have looked at 2000 years ago was crazy.

I was here. what. even. is. my. life.

cool looking statue of St. Peter


 March 23/16   8pm at a cute little B'n'B in Tel Aviv

 Today, we hiked up a mountain! I had decided to wear a long skirt, which meant that I had to yank it up as we climbed, but it was so worth it! The view was outstanding, all of Israel spread green and pure below us. Last week, I loved Jordan as it wanted to be loved, with energy and passion and a little bit of brokenness, but that view sparked a few feelings of affection for Israel, too. 


our special little mountain.

no one was appropriately dressed, but whatever. you can hike in flip flops, right??



getting higher... we're almost level with the peak on our right now!

we were getting tired by this point, and it was starting to be hot.

we ran into some very nice Russian tourists at the top! they were so lovely.

one of my friends corrected me very firmly for saying that we reached "the top" ...

... because technically, there was more mountain above us. but we were CLOSE.

it's the thought that counts, right?
my cheeks got tired from smiling too much.

So I finish this journey with mixed emotions and strong feelings, but I can tell you this: I will never look at the world the same way again. I've seen things now, I've been places, and maybe I don't feel like a completely new person, but I'm not the same, either.

I kinda like it.

xx,
Olivia

8 comments:

  1. Ohhhh I just loved this journey! I'm kind of sad there is no more!! Reading your posts has made my longing to go to the Holy Land intensify quite a lot:) Those pictures of the shoreline- it literally felt as though it could have been snapshots from the Bible, it's so exactly how I picture the view!! Thank you for posting these!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nina, this comment made me so happy!! I'm so glad you enjoyed reading along! (if you ever make it to Israel, PLEASE let me know!!)

      The Sea of Galilee was one of my favourite parts of visiting Israel for that very reason! It was the same as it must have been 2000 years ago... no traffic lights or churches in the way.:)

      Delete
  2. The Sea of Galilee looks so gorgeous! It's one of those places that will probably forever be on my bucket list...it's so great that you got to go there. I've never been, but it does seem like Jerusalem would be much more commercial and touristy-feeling than Jerusalem. On an (almost) completely unrelated side note, have you ever read the book Habibi? It's about a Palestinian family who moves back to Israel, and they visit the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Sea of Galilee was really pretty!! And I loved that there wasn't a church standing on top of it as a monument. ;) And the hills opposite were so neat to look at...

      I've never read Habibi, but maybe I will now! I've started reading "Ben Hur" and it's SO COOL because so many of the places they talk about I can actually picture in my head!

      Delete
  3. It's been so enjoyable reading all about your trip, and seeing the photos, and hearing how God worked everything out! And the scenery along the way, and on the 'top' of that mountain is so pretty. It would be amazing to walk where Jesus walked. Has it made the Bible come more alive for you too?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us, Olivia. It was so neat to see and hear about such an incredible place and to experience it from your perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've really enjoyed reading about your incredible trip! Traveling never leaves us the same -- once you've seen a new part of the world, it sticks with you forever. I love it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi there I'm new to your blog and we have a lot in common! How cool you went to Israel! :D

    ReplyDelete

Comments from you make my day! ♥ True story.