The Orient Express???

For those of you who have read this at the Bridge Bible Fellowship blog, my apologies - this is a repeat. Just skip directly to the pictures.

I’m writing this sitting on a train ride along the Nile river. All I can say is, “Whoa!” This train ride has to rate among the top 5 all-time unique experiences of my life.

After waiting at the Giza station for over an hour, watching all the local people get on and off their trains, ours finally arrived.

Our group all had our own car, which is a sleeper car. Two per compartment, which is great. The train is old, like say 1950’s-ish, maybe 60’s-ish. The bathrooms are, let’s say, “interesting.” After an airline-style dinner of two kinds of “meat,” our compartments were converted by our attendant into two-bunk sleepers. Not bad, I’d say, if you like sleeping sideways on a train moving forward and rocking side-to-side.

The train went all night. We left Giza around 8:30 pm Thursday, and arrived at Luxor around 6:30 am Friday. After a wake-up knock on our compartment door, and a breakfast that consisted of 4 different kinds of bread and some cheese and some coffee, we disembarked at Luxor.

Later on that Same Day

This has been another very full day. We visited the Valley of the Kings, where the tombs of some of the major Pharaohs of the Egyptian Empire have been excavated, including King Tutankhamen (King Tut), and Rameses II, who it is believed is the Pharaoh of the Book of Exodus in the bible. After a couple of other stops, then to our hotel to freshen up, we went to the Temple of Luxor, which I have to say, is truly amazing on a human and architectural scale. The glory doesn’t go to God, though - it was built by the Pharaohs of the time to honor themselves.

Back to our hotel, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner on the hotel patio overlooking the Nile.

Tomorrow, we go to the temple of Karnak, then back to Cairo where we’ll visit the great pyramids and the sphinx, spend the night in our hotel there, then begin our travels back home.

This has been one of the longest trips I've ever taken, and it has almost come to a close. I'm not sure I'll remember how to function once I get back home, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. For those whom I've been missing (you'll know who you are), I'll be seeing you again soon, God willing.

Love,

Larry

On to Egypt!

Harold striking a regal pose on our boat going across the Sea of Galilee

After a fond farewell to our trusted and beloved guide Mickey yesterday afternoon, and getting dunked in the Jordan River by Pastor Paul (my second baptism, just so I can say "I got baptized in the Jordan"), and one last night at our beautiful room on the Sea of Galilee, it's off to Cairo.

It's a short flight to Cairo, where we'll visit a museum and the old Coptic city, we'll be taking a train to Luxor. I'm typing this from Ben Gurion Airport waiting for our flight, enjoying a Latte with Mari and the rest of our group. I hope to post more pictures later today if I can find the time.

It's a little sad to be leaving Israel, especially our last place where we stayed in Galilee.

Here's a photo of the Dead Sea, where we were a few days ago. You gotta go there and experience what it's like to float on the water there. I couldn't stop laughing!




And another shot of Mari and me standing on the shore

Finally, I got a few photos posted

I know this is not a momentous occasion for anyone else, but it is for me. This is the 11th day of being in Israel, and the first I've been able to post any photos.

You can see my photostream here.

We are now at the Sea of Galilee, and I'm almost caught up with editing my photos on the computer. I've been organizing them in folders according to each place we've been, so at least I'll remember which place each photo was taken at.

I thought this was going to be a "vacation." I was so wrong. This is a "study tour," which is much different. "Vacation" implies rest. That is not what is happening on this trip. We have left our hotel early every morning, had a full agenda every day, with lots of walking, and returned nearly exhausted every night. Then we get up the next day and do it again.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have it any other way. If I went at the pace of my own choosing, I would not have learned a fraction of what I now know about so many things. Our tour guide, Mickey, is a fount of information... historical perspective, biblical perspective, political perspective, archaeological perspective... in fact, he has a perspective on anything we can ask.


This is Mickey, doing his thing - explaining in detail about Be'er Sheva, a site where Abraham made a pact with Abimelech thousands of years ago.

The days have been so full, and the internet connections so spotty, that I couldn't find any time to post pictures or even text on most days. In fact, I'm getting really tired right now, as it's 12:22 am.

Mari and I are in a resort on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. If our hotel room were any closer to the sea, we'd be in a houseboat. It's literally a few steps away from our front door.

Signing off for now, going to go get some sleep.

Houston, We Have a Problem

That's the message I keep getting when trying to upload my photos. Every hotel I've been at so far (I've lost count, but I think it's been 4 hotels in 5 days or something like that), the internet connection keeps timing out. So by the time I get 5 percent through a photo upload, the connection times out, and the photo doesn't make it. This is SO FRUSTRATING.

So I'm going to have to resort to text only. Too bad, because I'm not so good at writing, and I was so hoping to be uploading photos as the main chronicle of this trip. The places we've been and the things we've done have been absolutely incredible, and my means of communication is by photos. I was only going to write simple explanations of the places we've been as an adjunct to the images.

That said, and the fact that I'm limited to text, here goes.

Have you seen the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?" That's the one where Sean Connery plays father to Harrison Ford, and they're trying to find the Holy Grail. Remember when they get the grail and they run out of that place and it's this huge temple-looking thing that's carved into a mountain? We were there.

Know the place in the Bible, in 1 Samuel 23 where David is being pursued by Saul and he's in a cave and cuts off a corner of Saul's robe as he was tempted to kill him but he doesn't? We were there just today.

Know the place in Exodus where God tells Moses to speak to the rock so that water would come out, but instead Moses strikes the rock twice with his staff? Water comes out anyway, but God tells Moses that because of his disobedience he will die without entering the Promised Land? We were there.

We've floated in the Dead Sea (you gotta try that). We went to Masada, where the Jews held one last stand against the Romans in 73 AD. We went snorkeling in the Red Sea. We went to Be'er Sheva, where Abraham made a pact with Abimilech. We went to Mamshit (Memphis), a major Nabatean station on the ancient spice route.

Now we are in Jerusalem for five days, at an outstanding hotel (except for their internet service). Tomorrow we're going to Bethlehem, to an underground tunnel system being dug by archaeologists, and a couple other places of major significance like the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane.

I have to end now, but I'll keep trying to post photos if I can.

- Larry

God's Country

Today we have visited some sites from Old Testament History: Be'er Sheva, Tel Arat, and Mamshit. More to come.

Greetings from Paris

I'd post a picture at the top of this message, but the computers in Charles DeGaulle Airport don't seem to want to let me do that.

It was a very long nonstop flight from LAX to Paris, but we're all here. One bit of bad news, though - one of the members of our team broke her ankle just prior to the trip. Cheryl apparently will have to undergo surgery to repair it, and as a result she was not able to make the trip. Her mom, Rosella, is staying with her. So we're down two. Pray for rapid healing for Cheryl and maybe she can even join us midway through the tour.

Now I can officially say I've been to Paris, but not really. Being in the airport is not really being in the city. Too bad we didn't schedule a couple extra days here.

View the church's blog at http://blog.bridgebiblefellowship.org/

Next leg: Paris to Tel Aviv. I have a few technical details to work out before I can post more photos, but hopefully I won't be stopped by them.

Almost Ready

OK, I finished up everything at work as best I could so it would be easy for my co-workers to fill in the gaps in my absence, I went to Peter's AWANA year-end ceremony, hung out with some friends at the church, came home, finished up the karate booklet, had a family meeting and prayer time, and am starting to assemble the stuff I'm going to pack. Dentist appointment in the morning, have to go to two banks, Rachael and Peter have to be dropped off, and hopefully I'll find a little time to pack my suitcase and get my camera gear together. Oh, and maybe I'll even get a little sleep.

My packing priorities are maybe a little different than some people's.

Priority Number One: camera gear. I want to bring just enough so I can be creative with taking pictures without being bogged down with too much weight and bulk. I have a great camera backpack for most of the stuff, plus a tripod bag for a tripod, light stand and umbrella.

I got this lightweight carbon fiber tripod especially for this trip. Sure is lighter and more compact than my other one.

Priority number two: Bible, and maybe another book to read along the way, if my luggage weight limit allows for it. [Oh, I just had a guilt pang.] Bible should be priority number one. Caught myself, there. I wasn't considering NOT bringing a bible - that's been on my mind since beginning to plan this trip. After all, we're going to places where many of the events written about in the bible took place - how could I not bring a bible? In fact, I ordered a lightweight bible especially for the trip - I hope it shows up on time, otherwise I might have to bring a heavy one. Plus there's a bible in my Palm Pilot. So I'm covered there.

Priority numbers three and four: clothes and toiletries, and after that, a few odds and ends.

Gotta go to bed - sleep is calling me. 'Bye.