Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes and the Golan Heights

 The history and sites are overwhelming. There are so many names of places you have heard of and try to remember what happened there. We visited Capernaum where Christ lived much of his life. The Apostle Peter lived here and some of the foundation of his home are still visible. In this country the history is so old you can put a shovel anywhere and find a city. New cities have been built over old ones. 

 It is lovely here sitting on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. 

 An ancient rendition of the Arc of the Covenant. 

 The Mount of Beatitudes is considered sacred and you should not show up dressed inappropriately or be disrespectful. 

 The ancient city of Tel Dan is an important archaeological site. So many things happened here. This is where Jeroboam erected a golden calf. It is a beautiful area with many springs flowing into the river

  Every where are signs marking the areas with mine fields. This area has been at war for centuries. 

 The water systems we saw are ingenious. 

 This is where the Greeks settled. They named an area after Pan the God of Shepard's and nature. 

 High up on the hill is the Castle of Nimrod. All of these sights changed hands many times in history. 

 We drove across the the Golan Heights. I was surprised at how different it was from what I thought. It is a beautiful area of land between Syria and Israel. They have fought over it for years. It is currently in Israel. We stopped to look out at Syria being right on the border. We could see the UN building. The sign above was caught at the last minute pleading for peace. 

 Back on the bus we saw the helicopter and black smoke ahead and wondered what trouble we were heading into. It tuned out to be a truck burning for some unknown reason. Nobody came to help and the helicopter disappeared. After sitting for a half hour we turned around and headed back to the Sea of Galilee. 

Another beautiful sunrise on the Sea of Galilee, this time more golden in color.