This was our last morning at Tiberias and we decided that we HAD to go for a swim in the Sea of Galilee before we left. This is about 6.30 am (for those who know me well, know that 6.30 is not in my vocabularly!!!) and the water was very warm. It is very hot over here (I'm really glad I packed all my thermals and down jacket!!) about 33-34 degrees. Then we went on one of these boats across the Sea of Galilee which both of us found very moving. This is where Jesus walked on the water and told the disciples to drop their net over the other side of the boat. (Colin Y thought of you today - 153 fish!!) The crew know how to pluck the heart strings - first they play the national anthem and raise the Australian flag on the front of the boat - then they play Christian music liek Shout to the Lord and Blessed be the name (and Elvis singing Amazing Grace) I found myself singing along and then the tears came with the reality of what happened here!

This photo was taken at Capernaum which is an ancient fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. It is home to a Byzantine-era synagogue as well as the house where Jesus healed a paralytic and St. Peter's mother-in-law. It is an amazing thing to be walking around such historical sites.

As we travelled into the West Bank, the country side changed dramatically, with the stark desolate hills dotted with Behouin camp sites. It was quite alarming to see the devasation of this land. Then we travelled through jerusalem (stunning!) to Bethlehem (we were speechless - too hard to describe! and pictures really can't tell the story), Then there's the wall between Israel and Palestine - TOTAL INSANITY!