Abel Beth Maacah and the Golan Heights

The temperature was promising to climb to 109 degrees today at the Sea of Galilee. We left around 7:30 a.m. for Northern Israel. We want to see Bob's archeological dig at Abel Beth Maacah. (See 2 Samuel 20 for the story of the wise woman of Abel Beth Maacah.) Stephanie opted to stay behind and enjoy the resort.

Our first destination was 45 minutes away. It was a viewpoint so we could get our geographical bearings. We drove by the gate into Lebanon to get up to the viewpoint. That is how close we are to Lebanon. Bob pointed out the tell below of Abel Beth Maacah.

In the distance we could see Mt. Lebanon.  Beirut is just on the other side of the mountain. To our East was Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights.

As we were coming down from this high point a man was riding his bicycle up the steep hill and we commented on how hard of a ride that must be. (This man played a significant role for us later in the day.) So now that we understood the lay of the land we headed for Bob's archeological site. Bob co-directs this dig with two female archeologists. It is done under the auspices of APU and Hebrew University. We hiked up the tell past the beautiful thistles...

...and the capers.

They have several sites on the tell and have found significant things.

At this site in the photo below they found a head that appears to be a likeness of a king. It is made out of faience and is dated around 850 BC. Since Abel Beth Maacah is located at the crossroads of three ancient kingdoms there are several possibilities of who it might be.

Bob is an extremely humble man doing incredible work. We feel very fortunate to have him as our guide. Our next stop is Caeserea Philippi. We were getting out of the car there when Bob realized he didn't have his camera bag. Laurie took out her phone and looked back through her photos and realized that Bob had his camera when we first got to the viewpoint but not when we left. Bob headed back to trace his steps and we went on to experience this site where Jesus asked his disciples who he was and Peter said he was the Messiah. Jesus told Peter that he was the rock on which Jesus would build his church. 

Caesarea Philippi is located at the base of Mount Hermon and houses the spring and grotto dedicated to Pan -- half goat, half man (from the 3rd century B.C.) There was a cave dedicated to Pan and all along the cliff face were niches that would have held idols.

We came down off the hill and got confused about the trail. By now it was getting hot and we have learned to get into the shade and find something cold to eat or drink. There was a gift shop there and we found some ice cream to eat. Then Bob texted that he was at the gate. We went and climbed in the air conditioning.

This is the story of Bob's camera bag. He went back to the viewpoint but it was no longer there. He checked with the police station at the border but they had not been given it. Then he remembered that the phone for the dig expedition was in the camera bag. So he called it and a man answered, "Bob?" He was the man on the bicycle we had commented on earlier. He said he had the bag and lived in Metula just below the viewpoint. He was about to give Bob directions when the dig phone died. There was no charger for it in the camera bag. Bob drove down to the major crossroads of the town hoping the man might think to do that. There was no one there. He went back up to the viewpoint to see if the man would bring it there. While he was sitting there he decided to check his email on his personal phone and there was an email message from one of the other co-directors for the dig. She said a man had called her from the dig phone earlier to tell her he had Bob's phone. She had included the man's phone number in her email. So Bob called the man and got directions to his home.  Bob got his camera back!

 

We headed up to the Golan Heights to a viewpoint called Coffee Annan, which means coffee in the clouds. From this viewpoint you can see into Syria. This photo shows bombing happening in Syria while UN observers keep an eye on it. 

There is a peace pole at the top.

All along the path up there is artwork created from shrapnel.

It was stunning to be up there and witness the signs of a country killing its own people. We sat in the coffeeshop for a little processing being this close to bombing before we headed back to our hotel. I changed quickly into my swimsuit. It is extremely hot here and we haven't yet enjoyed the sea. I got into the rocky Sea of  Galilee with a little help from my friends. I didn't last long though and headed for the pool. Then I laid out with a view of the Galilean sea and blogged. There was a huge disconnect in my day. I had to spend time processing my privileged life to those being bombed in Syria.

We finished the night by going to a highly recommended Chinese restaurant called the Pagoda. We were told that because it is a kosher restaurant and it is Saturday it won't open until 8 p.m.  When we arrived we were told 8:30. We sat near the sea and watched the party boats filled with those who were breaking their Ramadan fast. At 8:30 we got seated and were told we couldn't have food until 9 p.m. when we finally ate the food was delicious. Another day of adventure under our belts we headed for home.