Today (Wednesday) we drove from Magdala (amazing hotel next to a 1st Century synagogue) to the bottom of the Dead Sea, so it is our only “travel day.” But that doesn’t mean we didn’t stop a few places.
First, we toured Scythopolis (or Beth She’an), which is one of the best archaeological sites in the Holy Land. Our tour guide did some digging in the market area and filled out heads with all sorts of random ideas. It’s a fantastic site and Kris took some good pictures, and here you see the main road through the middle, paved in basalt but with pillars that were imported from ancient locations.
On our trip down the Jordan rift valley we talked about the Samaritan woman with a big hat tip to our colleague, Lynn Cohick, and also to Caryn Reeder’s new book. We had a picnic lunch in the wonderful valley of En Gedi and then as an entire tour group worked our way up the valley to David’s waterfall (not pictured). Ah, that place is fun and we spotted numerous ibexes with some very young ones learning the ways of life. (And some spectacular birds, including the “spectacled bulbul”!)
Which tour groups in the Dead Sea area don’t end up bobbing around in the Dead Sea? These are two brothers in our tour group laughing it up as they lounge atop that buoyant water.
What a great day!
Enjoying the photos, Kris! Caryn Reeder’s book on The Samaritan Woman (along with Lynn’s teaching) are both so eye-opening. I love seeing the insight and depth of a woman we’ve not appreciated enough.