We started our tour today at Independence Hall where David Ben Gurion declared Israel a state on May 15, 1948. Written on the lobby wall of this building is scripture from Amos 9:34 "And I will turn the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them..." In 1908, 66 people bought the desert wasteland just south of the port of Jaffa and began to build the city of Tel Aviv. 104 years later, over 3 million people live in Tel Aviv - that's almost half the population of Israel.
We then traveled to the biblical garden of Neot Kedumim. Over 600 acres of land is devoted to the plants that have been identified in the Bible. We walked through just a small portion of the gardens. I'm sure we could have spent all day exploring these gardens.
This is what the gardens look like. The hills beyond the garden are what the land looked like when it was purchased in 1964 (barron and uncultivated). In the distance you can see the city of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Ocean.
We learned that ...
the Almond tree is the first to bloom and the last to produce ripe fruit.
the Olive tree is also called the Tree of Light and the Tree of Life.
the species of Sage (known as Moria) looks like a menorah when young and only grows in Israel.
Hissop means humility.
This is a picture of a 1,700 year old olive press.
We ended our day at the old port of Jaffa. Below is a picture of the Mediterranean Ocean taken from Jaffa. In the distance you can see Tel Aviv and Haifa.
It just wouldn't seem right if there wasn't a whale in Jaffa.
Ari (always dressed in white) teaches our group in a courtyard.
I remembered last time we were in Israel there was a bride and groom having their picture taken on the streets of Jaffa. And then we passed 3 couples getting married so I took a picture of one of the brides. They were all so beautiful. Don't you just love the stone streets and the doorway she is standing next to?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.