Israel & Jordan Top Ten (Part 1)

In the wake of our recent trip to Israel and Jordan I have been going over the places and experiences and trying to sort out what would be on my top ten list. This was my second trip to the "Holy Land" (the first was in 2007), and even though there were many repeat sites, I was able to absorb so much more the second time around.


10.   Falafel. 
So this may be a shallow favorite, but I seriously love this stuff. I know you can get it in America, but it's truly different. For those of you who have never had it, it's a deep fried chickpea mixed with garlic, parsley, etc, then stuffed in a pita with salad, dressing, and sometimes a few french fries stuffed in there. It's really good. Here is a video of a guy making falafel in a small Druze village near Mt. Carmel.  They make thousands every day at this place, and it was one of the best on our trip.  They let us into the kitchen to take a look.


Mt. Carmel Filafel from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

9.  Climbing the cliffs of Petra.

Since this was my first visit to Jordan, it was also my first visit to Petra, the Nabatean city that was carved out of the sandstone cliffs.  If you have seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you know the place that I am talking about.  It is really impressive to approach the city through the only entrance (the Siq) which is a 2.5 km walk through a narrow sandstone canyon with the cliff walls ascending up to 250 feet above your head, then to come around the  final bend and see the Treasury rising from the ground to the top of the cliff.  But what surprised me most about Petra was how big it was beyond that.  There are nearly 300 other carved tombs in the valley, but the treasury is the most well preserved.  There is a 3,000 seat theater carved into the rock which was expanded by the Romans in the 2nd Century AD, and so many cool places to explore.  We started climbing the cliffs to see one sight, and quickly discovered a trail or staircase that lead to another.  You could literally spend days exploring that valley and not see it all.  I even met some new Bedouin friends who invited me to join them for some traditional music.


Bedouins in Petra from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

8.  Visiting Bethany beyond Jordan from the Jordanian side of the border.

Here I am standing in Jordan, and the people on the other
side are standing in Israel.

The site along the Jordan River where John the Baptist was actually baptizing, and where he baptized Jesus, is a sleepy little spot along the river across from Jericho.  When the Bible says John was in the wilderness, it isn't kidding.  This spot is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  In 2007, when we were in Israel we visited this spot from the Israeli side of the Jordan (which serves as the border between Israel and Jordan in this area).  At that time our group needed a military escort, and when we arrived we could see just across the river, a Jordanian soldier with his machine gun standing guard.  The river is literally only about 20 feet wide at this point, the the soldiers on either side can clearly see what each other are having for lunch.  This time we visited the site from the Jordanian side.  There is a cool Orthodox church there, and down at the river you can see over to the Israeli side, where this time I could see the Israeli soldiers.  Cool site, because Jesus was baptized there, but also cool because of the political realities that are overlaid on it.

7.  Turkish Coffee.

Ok, time for a confession: it is currently the Lenten season, and technically I should be fasting coffee, since that's what I determined to do, but I made some exceptions on this trip.  Hey after all God desires obedience more than sacrifice (not sure how me drinking coffee works out as obedience, but it certainly would have been sacrifice to pass this up).  Living in the land of Starbucks, Ladro, Zoka, and a coffee shop on every corner, we Pacific Northwesterners pride ourselves on having the corner on the market when it comes to coffee, but until you have tasted  a good cup of Turkish coffee from the tent of a Bedouin, your list of coffee experiences isn't complete.  It is great to see the beans roasted over the fire right in front of you, then hear the coffee be ground in a musical fashion, and hear the symbolism of Bedouin hospitality in the traditions of coffee consumption.  I have always thought that coffee should be enjoyed as more than just a beverage, but as an experience--and this just confirms my thoughts.



6.   Wandering the streets of Jerusalem's Old City.

I love hanging out in cities.  I love walking through downtown areas, watching people, shopping, eating, and all that good stuff.  Jerusalem has all of those elements, but there is something about the Old City of Jerusalem that is unlike any other city.  You have all the modern accents of life in the city, but all right next to and mixed in with thousands of years of history.  You have churches, mosques, synagogues, shops, restaurants, museums,  archaeological sites, kids playing soccer, houses, apartments, all jammed into the most interesting city in the world.  It's almost as if you could imagine King David walking right next to the electronics shops, or Jesus and his disciples stopping at the Falafel stand, or playing soccer with the kids.  There are a number of things to see in Jerusalem that are worth seeing, but just being there is a feast for the imagination and senses.

Jordanian Farewell Dinner

So our last memory of Jordan is a great one....with the exception of the 5 airport security screenings that is!

Untitled from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

A Few More Israeli Days & a Jordanian Sunset

So we didn't have good wi-fi access the last few days, so here are a few pictures from our recent adventures from the Dead Sea, Qumran, Masada, Beit Shean, and a few more.  We currently are in Amman, Jordan and are headed south to the city of Petra, which I am quite excited about.

As we left the Galilee region we stopped at the peak of Mt. Arbel for the view.   I  wonder if this could be one of the mountain tops that Jesus often retreated to in order to pray.

The ancient ruins of Beit Shean are cool.  Here I am at the Roman restroom.. not the most comfortable, but you get the idea.

Sandy and Talia looking over the ruins of the ancient city of Jericho....and the walls came a tumbling down.  

Looking down on the Roman city for Beit Shean from the top of the Ancient city, where Saul and Jonathan's bodies were hung after their deaths, until the men from Jabesh Gilead came to resue them and treat them with respect.

Talia and I on the balcony of our hotel room overlooking the Dead Sea.

And a few more pictures:

A Bedouin roasting coffee for his guests...us!

Our first Jordanian sunset....beautiful.

Galilean Adventure

So we had a pretty cool day today. We visited the mount of Beatitudes, Peters house in Capernaum, and a few other places around the sea of Galilee, then we went for a boat ride on the sea. We had a cool time of prayer and worship. I shared from Mark 6 which is where Jesus walked out to the disciples on the water...and right in the middle of our ride the wind and waves got crazy and the weather took a crazy turn.

Here is a video of sandy leading a few songs.


Untitled from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

Then on the way to Nazareth we hit some crazy rain and hail. Here is the view from our bus.

Untitled from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

Final days in Jerusalem

Here are a few last pics from Jerusalem.  We had such a great time in this amazing city.  We had a free afternoon on Tuesday and explored some more of the Old City and made it back to the hotel just in time for dinner.  I can't wait to vet back to this city soon!

More Jerusalem Fun

This is me standing in front of the Western wall of Jerusalem.  It is considered the most holy site for Jews since it is closest to where the Temple stood prior to its destruction in 70 A.D. just as Jesus prophesied. 

My ladies standing in one of the streets in the Jewish Quarter of the city.  Such a cool place.

Here is Talia in the Upper Room, which is not the exact room,  however it is built over the site where the original stood.    It is also the site where the 120 waited and received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.  We spent a few moments praying there.  It is a pretty cool place with so many people from all over coming to see and pray there.

What a cute girl!

Monday Night Adventure Ben Yehuda Style

So written headed out last night for a visit to the always exciting Ben Yehuda street.  It was especially exciting since everyone was celebrating Purim (the holiday that marks the deliverance from Haman by queen Esther).  We even met some new friends who wanted to join in our picture!  Gotta love it.

It was a bit crazy down there.  Everyone was partying and lighting fireworks, and having a good time.

Israel Days 1-3

Our arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport.  Don't let the smiles fool you....we were tired!  That is a lot of flying, but glad to be finally in Israel!  

Sandy, Talia and I standing out front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.  It was a great visit to Bethlehem to see the church that was built 1700 years ago (then destroyed, then rebuilt, etc) that marks the spot where Jesus was born.

We had a moment of prayer inside the Grotto that marks the very spot where Christ was born to the Virgin Mary.  What a true show of the humility of the Son of God, to be born in a cave.

The view from the top of the Mt. of Olives.  You can see the golden Dome on the Rock which stands in the place where the Jewish Temple used to be until the Romans destroyed it in 70 AD.  What a cool city Jerusalem is.

Sandy and Talia standing at the edge of the pool of Siloam.  Doesn't look much like a pool now, but this is the place where Jesus placed mud on the blind man's eyes and healed him.

We spent some time praying in the private garden at Gethsemane where Jesus prayed the night he was betrayed.  

Ready to board

Here we are at seatac ready to board.  Just think...after 23 hours of flying and layovers we'll be there in Jerusalem!  Oh and a moment of confession: since we had to be at the airport at 3:30 am i broke my Lenten fast and went for a nice cup of coffee.  Remember, God wants obedience more than sacrifice!

New Blog Layout and Forthcoming Exciting Content

I know, it's not much of a post to talk about things that you are going to do, but I thought I would send out a heads up about Sandy and Talia and my trip to Israel and Jordan.  We will be posting videos, pictures and thoughts throughout the trip, and if you wanted to follow along feel free.

It is an exciting thing to see with your own eyes, to feel with your own hands the very places where the stories of the Bible were born.  It is quite a faith building experience to put real places and experiences on things that you have only believed in without seeing.  We feel quite blessed to be leading this tour and hope that there will be many to come...who knows, maybe you may join us on a future trip to the Holy Land.