Yes, I know Israel is not in Europe.

However, we will allow it to be a member of the "Tour de Europe" phrase for now since most of the places we will be this month ARE actually in Europe and "Tour de Europe/Mediterranean/Middle East" was a bit too long of a title.

After Rome, Brian and I have hopped on a Mediterranean cruise that reaches all the way to Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Greece... yeah, super awesome I know. First let me just say that this ship is incredible... the Babe Ruth of baseball the Marilyn Monroe of Hollywood, the Paul McCartney of Rock and Roll, the Ferrari of luxurious automobiles, and so on... 

I am not a huge Cruise advocate and was a bit hesitant at first, mainly because I can be a bit of a germaphobe and cruises are just LADEN with germs... germs having massive germ parties... everywhere.

BUT it just so happens that this ship is brand new and I just couldn't find any other way to see this many great places within 2 weeks time without being completely exhausted and worn out from too much traveling... so the cruise it was. And to my pleasant surprise everyone is so ridden with paranoia about the all too famous swine flu that there are hand sanitizing stations on every corner of this ship, and let me tell ya, the old people are making mad dashes for these things as if the big bad swine monster is nipping at their ankles!!!  Brian and I have been sharing many laughs at the expense of the old people... of whom basically RULE this ship.

Anyway, on to the good stuff.

Israel... to visit, was a dream of mine I never expected to come true so soon. Touring the Holy Land is something you are supposed to do when you are over the age of 50 :)... but we were so fortunate as to have beat the norm by 25 years. Israel brought to the surface so many incredibly deep unexplainable emotions for me. It has only been 4 days and I am just beginning to sort them out. Some good, some bad.

Being immersed in the heavy politics of the country definitely added to the queue of thoughts in my head... Why can't these people be at peace with each other? Most of the modern world has learned to live with differences, what is keeping these two religions from living in freedom with one another? If you are a Christian as I am then you probably have heard the token explanation as to why, but I believe there is so much more than what one sentence or paragraph can tell.

I also couldn't help but ponder the role the church has played in Israel. I was surprised to find that upon each holy or sacred site a cathedral or church had been built. When visiting places such as the supposed birthplace of Jesus, a massive cathedral stands directly above the cave in which he was born... and at the place he was crucified an even larger one commands your attention and respect... same thing is found at the place of the garden of gethsemene, and the place of the miracle of the loaves and fish.  I couldn't help but begin thinking about this concept... what's with all the churches? I almost found them to be a distraction from the true beauty of what took place on the ground they stand. I found them to be not far off from idols themselves. What is so important about a bunch of stones and brick? Yes they are breathtakingly beautiful, but I found people marveling at their beauty rather than remembering why they are there in the first place........ so lots of thoughts to sort though there, probably not suitable for this blog.

One of my favorite parts of visiting Israel was the the Sea of Galilee. It's beauty isn't in sight for me, but in history. The idea that this very Sea has been the center of life and prosperity for cultures for thousands and thousands of years, just fascinates me. Seeing this place sparked a frenzy in my imagination, I couldn't help but Imagine life at that time... and the idea that my eyes were seeing the very same unchanged sight that Jesus did was SO much more rewarding than taking part in a "This is the SUPPOSED sight of where Jesus spent 3 days of his life" lecture.... or walking the halls of cathedrals with the names of benefactors carved in the walls.

One of the more beautiful experiences was being able to read the passage of the "beatitudes" from the sermon on the mount in the book of Matthew on the same hill Jesus preached the very sermon... I did get a bit emotional... it was very moving to hear the words while sitting on the very ground they were spoken.

I definitely think this trip was more thought provoking that I had anticipated. I am so intrigued and moved by the life of Jesus Christ.... its all the stuff that came after that gets me thinking.

What better place to think than in Israel.

 The Sea of Galilee

 the location of the "sermon on the mount"

 the ruins of a 3rd century AD Synagog in the city of Capernaum

 Bethlehem

 The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

 Jerusalem 

Laying my hand written prayer in the cracks of the Western Wall in Jerusalem

 the Jordan River 

So, right now Brian and I are thousands of mile away on a boat somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea being rocked to sleep.

About a year ago after we returned from Africa with awesome $400 vouchers from United for switching flights, we began dreaming about what our next adventure would be. Each year we have been married we have tried to take a trip to somewhere far far away, and this year it just so happens that our yearly trip is well,... huge, no... enormous,...this trip is like the travel channel... on steroids... we began saving up for it early this year and just kept adding destinations and extending our time and booking adventures that I was afraid we would lose our US citizenship and thought it best that I stopped the madness and ended it at 1 month. ;)

We will be gone for one month, and will have hit 6 countries, well 7 including Vatican City. Yes, yes, its a bit overwhelming and may seem out of control, but not for us... travel is what we do best as I like to say.

Our first stop was Rome, and I was so in awe of the grandeur and extravagance of this anceint place that my brain barely could keep up with all of the sensory overload.

We blitzed the city in 2 days and I think we did pretty great considering the time we had.

The wall surrounding the Vatican

St Peter's Square

entering the gallery of the maps in the vatican museum 

the spectaular Sisitne Chapel.. "NO PHOTO NO PHOTO"... oh but I was taking photo!!

He started this portion of the wall many years after he completed ceiling... you can see his artistic style evolve throughout the paintings over the many years.

St. Peter's from Castel Sant' Angelo

St. Peter's

Castel sant' Angelo- one of the oldest castles in the world- built in 139 AD. This was definitely a highlight of Rome to me... I loved imagining life as royalty living inside it's walls.

inside the castle

an ancient prison cell

in the castle courtyard

view from the top

The incredible Pantheon, an ancient pagan temple converted into a church... built in 27 BC.

incredible marble interior.... the only source of light comes from the open air hole in the ceiling. 

ah yes, the Gelato was fabulous!

love this...

and of course the magnificent Trevi Fountain

breathtaking.. I literally had to remind myself to breath upon laying eyes on this wonder......they say the Coloseum was able to be filled with water for the reinactment of famous Sea battles.

NO MERCY!

finishing off our Roman stay with a romantic dinner

Next stop.... ISRAEL!

Stay tuned!