This year, many foreign families where we live have had difficulty getting a one-year visa. We are one of them. After six months of dealing with this, the country where we live denied our one-year and we were asked to leave the country. We decided to use this exit as a time to get away and enjoy a vacation.
We are blessed to have friends in Jordan and haven't seen them in years so we gave them a call. They were so helpful in getting us a cheap place to stay and show us around the city. We had such a great time reuniting our families again after eight years!
The Tower of Hercules
A different view from what we see in our city. Amman is a city of hills with lots of small square apartment buildings.
The Jordan River...just feet away from the Israeli border. We were able to see the site where many scholars would say Jesus was baptized.
Floating in the Dead Sea (Jordan). It was really amazing to experience this. Merril tried to help Isabel float but she just couldn't understand why she didn't need to kick her feet to stay afloat! The water is so salty that if you even touch an eyelash with your wet hand, it is like pouring salt into your eyes. I am pretty sure Merril's eyes were on fire after helping the kids.
Just relaxing in the Dead Sea...Look, kids, no hands!
Jerusalem
After crossing the border by bus from Jordan to Israel, we finally made it to Jerusalem! What an amazing city! The Dome of the Rock is in the background and the Western (Wailing) Wall is just below it.
We hired a guide for our family and spent several days in the city exploring inside the old city walls. We stayed at a guesthouse inside the city walls and had a wonderful experience. The steps behind us are some of the original steps from 2000 years ago!
Original Street of Jerusalem...where shops, fruit markets, animals to be bought for the yearly sacrifice would have been.
The Women's Side of the Wailing Wall...If you look closely, you can see written prayers stuck in between the cracks of the wall.
Merril and the boys walking away from the Wailing Wall. Maybe you can spot them in their hats.
Christian Quarter of the old city
The Garden Tomb
"He is not here, for He has risen!"
Posing with some soldiers
Traveling outside Jerusalem was a huge highlight of our trip. We visited Nazareth, Capernuum, Tiberias, and the Sea of Galilea.
The Sea of Galilea
