I just realized that when I posted my photos, I failed to give permission to download. I’ve updated the posts, and now you can select photos from each gallery and download a high resolution copy to your computer.
Sorry about the misunderstanding. Enjoy!
Ken
We’re home! Hard to believe History on the Move 2010 is now history!
All of us are home now, adjusting to the time zone and the pile of mail waiting for us. It was a demanding, amazing journey.
Here is the last post of photos – from Buchenwald and the Wartburg Castle.
This will be a short post. Thank you for your faithful log-ins and comments… we’ve really enjoyed sharing your notes with the whole team on the bus and in transit.
Yesterday, we visited Weimar, Germany’s cultural center. Up the hill is an unmistakable tower, visible for miles and miles. It marks the concentration camp where tens of thousands lost their lives during the Nazi regime – Buchenwald.
Then on to Wartburg where Luther hid from the Roman Church in hot pursuit. Luther’s excommunication triggered upheaval; and as the church battled, he translated the New Testament for the first time from Greek into common German.
After a final farewell dinner in Frankfurt, Dennis our guide and cheerleader, we bunked at the Holiday Inn Express for the night and made an early departure (5AM) for the Frankfurt Airport.
I’m writing from the gate at Charles DeGaulle in Paris. So far, everything has gone smoothly and we should be arriving home at our various destinations pretty much on time.
You’ll notice the current count is 1,747 hits. Wow! We’re gratified to know that so many have been following our progress. It has been the journey of a lifetime.
Early yesterday morning, we shared our impressions. I wish you could have been there to hear the stories. When we get home, be sure you’ll hear more.
Check back with us when we can get the final photos online. Feel free to share the links. You’ll also notice that you may download the files to your computer if you would like to make photos, etc.
Blessings!
Our wake up call came at 4AM. We were on the Air France flight on time for Paris later that morning and caught our connecting flight for Berlin. Our bus and guide were waiting for us at the Berlin Airport.
On the way to our Leonardo Hotel in the city, our guide introduced us to the rich history of Berlin. We saw the skyline from atop our cruise boat on the River Spree under a clear blue sky and a setting sun.
The next day, we drove down the autobahn to Wittenberg where our young guide and none other than Martin Luther met us at the historic Palace Church. We learned about the transformation of Martin Luther, and how his Ninety Five Theses triggered a Reformation circa 1520 that would be a paradigm shift for all of Europe. Our guide paid special attention to the former nun who became Luther’s wife and partner – Katharina.
Today we visited Erfurt where Luther earned his ordination and his doctorate before moving to the professor’s chair at Wittenberg. Then on to Weimart, the cultural center for the arts, music, literature, drama, gardens and palaces.
We enjoyed world class cuisine at the fine Leonardo Hotel of Weimart.
PHOTO GALLERIES: Berlin | Wittenberg | Erfurt and Weimart
Just a few minutes to post from Paris. We’re on a connecting flight to Berlin. Our wake-up call came at 4AM in Tel Aviv. We went through Israel’s legendary security checks to board our Air France flight to Paris.
I’ve connected (free!) at Charles DeGaulle. Our flight is delayed by about 45 minutes (so we’re told).
I’ve uploaded the final collection of photos from our last day in Israel. Enjoy!
The Ein Gev Kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee gave us our first opportunity for a swim… But that came later.
First thing in the morning, we stopped by Capernaum where Jesus set up headquarters for his three year ministry. Here he would call his disciples, several from their nets and fishing boats. Up the hill, he would preach his Sermon on the Mount, feed the five thousand and heal the sick. He also made a resurrection appearance here. We explored the ruins, and found time to pray.
Afterwards we headed north for the Golan Heights, scene of battles and bloodshed. Now there are National Parks, including the Tel Dan and a Canaanite city ruins, currently under excavation by Israel’s archeological team. We found springs bubbling and rivers flowing, dancing over rocks. The lush green Hula Valley is one of the world’s premier bird sanctuaries, a stop off for millions of migrating birds every year.
Back on the shores of the Galilee, we boarded a boat and cruised the same waters where Jesus calmed the storm and walked on water. Peter, too. We read the New Testament passages that corresponded to our journey.
That evening, as the sun set, we gathered on the beach, prayed and two took a stand for Christ in the waters of the Galilee by baptism. None of us will forget. After the baptism, we took a long, cool swim. (Photos of the baptism will be posted later.)
On our third day in Jerusalem, we made our way into the Palestinian territory. Our guide was a Palestinian Christian who took us to a spectacularly secret hideaway for Herod in the first century called the Herodium. Here’s a brief description from Wikipedia - Herodium or Herodion is a volcano-like hill with a truncated cone located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Jerusalem, and it is part of Gush Etzion Regional Council. Herod the Great built a fortress and palace on the top of Herodium, and may have been buried there. Herodium is 758 meters (2,487 ft) above sea level.
From there, we visited the birthplace of Jesus (according to Constantine’s Christian mother, Helena) in Bethlehem. About six of our group was rejected by a Greek Orthodox priest for exposed knees. Dr. George did his best to change the black robed cleric’s mind in Greek, but the priest would not yield. Ha!
The visit went well anyway. We were hosted by another friend of George’s who also owned one of the premier souvenir shops in town. We were all moved by the visible signs of tension as we crossed over through the high security wall that separates the Palestinian territory from Israel proper.
Then on to the massive archeological dig of Roman ruins at Bet She’an, which is mentioned by name in the Old Testament. The bodies of Saul and his sons were put on display by their Philistine conquerors to prove that the King had been eliminated. This did, however, open the door for King David’s reign.
Finally, the Galilee. We checked in to the kibbutz late afternoon.
Yad Veshem is emotionally charged. It tells the story of the Holocaust in graphic detail. WWII opened the door for the British and the United Nations to approve the establishment of a permanent home for Jewish refugees who suffered such horror. We were deeply moved as we wandered through the halls of the museum which stands as a testament to those who suffered, and those who survived.
From there, we visited the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the model of the city in small scale from the first century – the time of Jesus. It gave our tour of the Old City new perspective, as you will see from the photographs. It’s a short walk into the Shrine of the Book where Jerusalem houses the findings of the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran. This is a special interest for Dr. George and the Museum of Biblical and Sacred Writings.
From there, we visited the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem and got a sobering update on Israel’s current challenges from Media Director David Parsons. Then on to the House of Translation, where some close friends of Dr. George’s (also former professors at the Jerusalem University College and partners with the Hebrew University) operating out of a new Finnish log cabin. Wow!
As we approached the Holy City, our guide, Hila, played some appropriate music. As the music swelled, so did our hearts as the Old City came into view: the walls, the towers, and of course, the unmistakable Dome of the Rock golden and glistening in the afternoon sun.
Our hotel, the Prima Royale, welcomed us with refreshments and room keys. We settled in for the evening while some of us wandered over for a look at the nearby King David Hotel and on over the the Jaffa Gate for our first look. It was a party atmosphere, with light shows and drama everywhere we turned.
For our first day, we boarded the bus for the legendary overlook on Mount Zion, near the famed Hebrew University. We walked down the Mount of Olives to the “Teardrop Church” and on to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. From there, we visited the Jerusalem Archeological Museum just inside the “Dung Gate” and at the corner of the old Herodian Wall. We saw some of the destruction from the Roman devastation of 70 CE.
We spent an emotional time at the Western Wall, where several Bar Mitzvahs were in full swing. You’ll find my personal favorite photo of the day when a mother embraces her thirteen year old son just after his obligatory reading of the Hebrew. You’ll see the Rabbi and the sister looking on.
Then after lunch in the heart of the old city, we visited Christ Church (the oldest Anglican Church in the Old City), the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and finally, the Jerusalem University College where Dr. George served as President for five years. We were welcomed warmly by the President’s wife.
On Tuesday, June 8, we crossed over from Egypt to Israel after our journey though the Sinai peninsula. We bid farewell to our Egyptian guide, Adel. We had no choice but to lug our own baggage over the border for the thorough Israeli checks. For a few minutes, we feared we had a lost passport… but it was found.
We stayed one night in the beautiful resort town of Eilat on the Red Sea. After traveling along the desolate coast, spotted with beautiful resorts on the deep blue waters, we enjoyed the evening and the cooler breeze.
The following morning, we set out for the Dead Sea with an unforgettable stop at Masada, then on to the spring and waterfall at Ein Gedi where David had a close encounter with King Saul in a cave. After a stop at the Dead Sea where some of our gang put their foot in the salty waters, we moved on to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered right about the time the nation Israel was born.
Then on to Jerusalem. Stay tuned.
