We spent our first day after arriving in Jerusalem not in Jerusalem but in the formerly little town and now city of Bethlehem.
Bethlehem, of course, is famous as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. It is one of the most important places in the entire Christendom. Continue reading
NOVEMBER 14, ISRAEL. It has been seven days since we left Manila to begin our Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and it the fourth day since we entered Israel via the Taba border in Egypt. Earlier in the day we begun our day-long journey from Tiberias City in the Galilee region to our ultimate destination, Jerusalem. Along the way we passed by the squeeky clean City of Haifa, the ancient Roman city of Caesaria, and the business and commercial capital, Tel Aviv.
By around 4 o’clock in the afternoon we finally reached the outskirts of the City of Jerusalem. But we were not to enter the city outright. Continue reading
Tel Aviv, in the present day, is Israel’s financial and business district. It is also the favorite target of military aggression by Israel’s enemies, precisely because of its economic and political importance.
Lying along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Tel Aviv has many beautiful beaches where a good mix of Jews and the expatriate community of Israel go to take a cool dip and a good tan. Continue reading
Our visit to to town of Caesaria along the Mediterranean coast of Israel is like taking a ride on a time campule. Caesaria used to be a proud, busy, and thriving Roman city built by Herod the Great (note to self: check if it is the same Herod who ordered the genocide of children in the original Christmas story).
It is not so much for our religious experience but rather a historical and cultural educational field trip for us to visit Caesaria. Continue reading
The big and modern city of Haifa along the Mediterranean coast of Israel holds at least four distinctions:
First, it is known as the cleanest city in Israel, and one only needs to drive around the city to confirm it.
Second, the most beautiful Jewish ladies live in this city, if statistics is to be believed. It is said that seven of the last 10 ladies crowned as Miss Israel and who represented the country in The Ms. Universe beauty pageant came from Haifa. Continue reading
The recent news of a bombing targetting Copts or Coptics in Egypt reminded me that just about two months ago I was in Egypt myself, together with my ex-exgirlfriend and my parents-in-law, visiting the coptic churches in Cairo. The thought that the bombings could have happened while we were there sends a chilling sensation down my spine. Continue reading
Best accessed from the present day city of Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee is at the center of the Galilee region of Israel. It is in the region of Galilee that Jesus spent most of his ministry, or at least the most-recorded part of his ministry.
The Sea of Galilee is most famous for the walking-on-water miracle of Jesus. Not many are aware though that it is not a sea but a fresh water lake and is the biggest source of fresh water in the whole of Israel.
