Jerusalem to Jericho & on to Galilee

From Jerusalem we headed north today to Galilee but not before we headed to the Mount of Olives for a spectacular view of the city and the opportunity for a group photo:

Also taking in the view was:

Soon we were heading out of the city and into the desert and on the road going down from Jerusalem to Jericho (the lowest city in the world at 1000ft below see level and the oldest city in the world). On the way we stopped at the Good Samaritan Inn - a kind of museum commemorating Jesus's most famous parable.

This is an official Israeli Government site and it was fascinating to read their leaflet about the parable of the Good Samaritan which argued that Jesus could not have possibly meant the Good Samaritan. Clearly there had been a mix up in the translation process and it should have really been the Good Israelite, they argued. (They were completely serious about this).

It's good to think that 2,000 years on Jesus's parable still has the power to shock and upset religious and racial sensibilities.

Anyway our group listened to the old, shocking version, straight from the Bible and recalled the East End preacher who having finished his sermon on the Good Samaritan, looked out at his congregation and said to them; 'so if you see a bloke lying in the gutter: pick 'im up'

Next up was a visit to the (surprisingly narrow) River Jordan where John the Baptist baptised and where Jesus was baptised. We recalled our own baptisms and all that baptism stands for as God's sign and promise to us.

Then we drove further north past trees laden with dates (above), and plantations of bananas in a scene that was increasingly green thanks to the ingenuity of the Israeli system of irrigation, before reaching our hotel on the shores of Lake Galilee where we will spend the rest of our time in Israel

Lake Galilee