Matt & Steph - Day 5

Another trip towards the Sea of Galilee and then on to the Golan Heights area. Matt actually sat down last night and worked up a plan of attack. I was a little overwhelmed with everything on his list, but it turned out to be more than manageable. We drove out to the Sea of Galilee and stopped at a place called the Horns of Hittim, it was basically a nice view of the Sea through these two cliffs. I enjoyed the view and it was something new to see. Then on to the Mt. of Beatitudes which commemorates the spot where Jesus may have preached the Sermon on the Mount. Steph loved this place with all the flowers around the church. From here we headed North to Tel Hazor which was the biggest city (40,000 people) in Israel to be conquered when they entered the land. Next stop was the Banias Waterfalls. This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful spots in the Golan Heights. There were a few school field trips taking place so it was a little crazy, but the waterfalls were beautiful. We had our picnic lunch over by the Greek temple of Pan (built by Herod's son Philip) which was later known as the Biblical site of Caesarea Philipi. Then on to Nimrod's Fortress. Matt and Steph enjoyed this site for about an hour and a half while I rested in the car and enjoyed the beautiful fall day. On the way back home we stopped at Tel Dan which had ancient mud brick gates that date back to the time of Abraham. They had just closed so we were only able to see through the fence, but this was one of Matt's favorite spots. Maybe Ken and I will go back for a visit. It looked like there were some great hiking trails there. Tonight we are resting up for one more busy day... then Steph and Matt will be on there own in Jerusalem before heading back to the states.