June 14 - Up early, as always and on the bus by 8:00 AM.







We started off the day with the Mount of Beatitudes.  We were the first ones there and it was so peaceful in that area and the grounds are so well kept.  It was a great way to start the day.



Our next stop was Tell Hazor which is mentioned several times in the Old Testament.  It was burned by Joshua and the ruins of an ancient Canaaanite Palace and worship center have been uncovered. 






Next we went to slip and slide over the rough stones of Dan. We arruved at the cultic site where Jeraboam set up an altar with a golden calf to keep the Israelites from going to Jerusalem to worship.

 

The kids explored the army bunker left over from previous wars

 We continued our hike to Abraham's gate which was the gate to Lacish - later renamed Dan.  Abraham entered the city when he rescued Lot and his family.

Our busy morning continued as we hiked to Banias falls

and finished the morning at Caesarea Philippi where Peter made his confession to Jesus that he was the Son of the Living God.  This area was also referred to by the Jews as "the Gates of Hell".

We then proceeded to a Druze restaurant for lunch and followed it with a trip to the Golan Heights overlooking the Valley of Tears which was the site of a famous tank battle in the Yom Kippur war in 1973.

It looks like everyone was pretty tired as we headed back to the hotel

for dinner and a swim in the Sea Of Galilee.