TRIP TO THE BIBLE LANDS (5)

Other Bible Lands Experiences

The trip had been advertised as a “Journeys of Paul” trip.  Indeed we did visit many of the places where Paul traveled, but there were also many places we didn’t make. I’ll only mention a few.  I don’t want to turn this into an extensive travelogue.

·        Jerusalem  - The Garden Tomb was most impressive, but it’s probably not where Jesus was buried.

·        Jacob’s Well -  It’s one of the few authentic holy places.  It’s an ancient well and located in the right place.  You can also see Mount Gerezim and Mount Ebal in that area.

·        Meggido – Fabulous runs, one of the unforgettable sites.

·        Nazareth – It’s a modern city, not too much left that’s of Biblical significance

·        Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, and the Jordan River. Great experience, and yes there is enough water to immerse in the Jordan.

After four days we headed north, first to Antioch, then to Tarsus.  We visited Ephesus and the Isle of Patmos.  All of this was magnificent, especially the ruins at Ephesus.  I had the privilege of reading the speech of the town clerk  at the theater in Ephesus (Acts 19:35-40).  Patmos was not really one of Paul’s stops, but of course John wrote Revelation from there, and it was one of the most impressive places I visited.  At the time there were only seven motorized vehicles on the island, so we did sightseeing from the backs of donkeys.  That was something to remember. We visited the ruins at Philippi and walked down to the river where Lydia was baptized.

As we prepared to reboard the Fiesta, I saw a man selling fresh peaches.  Two Americans approached him and asked, “How much for two peaches.”  In broken English he said, “One Amettican Dollah.”  They paid him and walked away with their peaches.  I still had some Greek currency I needed to get rid of.  I asked, “How much in drachma?”  He said “seex drachma.”  At the time it took 37 cents to make a drachma.  I  handed him the drachma, and he  handed me six peaches.

We ended the trip at Athens with a side trip to Corinth.  I wasn’t through with my trip troubles.  That experience awaited me in Athens.