February 23 - Woke up in the ancient town of Tiberias.  Tiberias was founded sometime around 20 BC in the Judea Province of Rome by Roman-Jewish client king Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, who made it the capital of his realm in Galilee.  It is also the largest city on the Sea of Galilee (which is actually an average size lake).

Our first stop was a trip to visit the Golan Heights.  The Golan Heights is an area measuring 454 sq mi that borders Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan. The area is hilly and high and allows observation of the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River and Mount Hermon.  This area had been a part of Syria until it was used in the Six Day War as a firebase for Syrian shelling of Israeli territory.  The Israeli's counter-attacked and took possession of the area.  Since then it has been debated as to whether or not it will be used as a bargaining chip in any peace deal with Syria. 

Whatever happens, it is a beautiful area and one does not need to be a military strategist to see its value. 


Views of the Sea of Galilee from the Golan



Abandoned Guard Tower in Jordan across the border

Me on the Golan

We also had an opportunity to view the old minefields between Israel and Jordan.  These are a big problem as this ordinance has stayed in the ground for a long time and is still a danger, especially to kids and hikers.  Also, with the recent trouble in Syria, you get a sense on how close this all is to Israel and its population as we can clearly see Jordan and Syria from the Golan and Lebanon is just over the next range.





Syria from the Golan

More to come...