Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you expect. We’re still on our Holy Land trip, which we extended on the front end with a trip to the Alps, Venice, and Rome.
While planning the trip, we had preconceived ideas about what we would enjoy the most. The boys thought they’d like Rome the most of our pre-Holy Land itinerary. I thought I’d enjoy the Alps the most. However, none of us cared for Rome and, though the Alps were amazing, I have to say, Venice was my favorite.
We’ve now seen the Holy Land, and I’m so glad we came. As for the Holy Land, I expected the Via Dolorosa to be the most moving. However (due to the crowds, busy market, and the particular tour we were on), it was not my favorite part.
I’ll carry the images with me always, but most meaningful for me were the Western Wall and the Sea of Galilee. Galilee was quiet and serene, perfect for contemplating what a day with Jesus and his disciples might have been like. Also, the area was much as it must’ve been in Biblical days, not covered by the newer temples and man-made symbols of Jerusalem.
I’m so glad we came, and I can’t wait to get home and read the Gospels over again, picturing it all in a new way. Having driven the areas between Nazareth, Galilee, and Jerusalem, we also have a new perspective on the distances Jesus covered during his life on Earth.
When was the last time something turned out differently than you expected? And yes, that failed crème brulee counts.
PS I've posted pics on my FB page if you want to see more of Israel https://www.facebook.com/authordenisehunter
Labels: The Holy land

It took me a week to recover from Justin's graduation and party weekend, but here's my favorite shot. Doesn't he look happy?
Now that graduation's over and summer has begun, we get too look forward to our vacation. Several months ago we decided to take our dream vacation, since who knows how many more family vacations we'll get to take.
We're going to Europe and the Holy Land in July! We can hardly wait. What will it be like to walk where Jesus walked and see the river where he was baptized? I'm sure it'll be a trip we never forget.
If you've been to the Holy Land--or if you were going to go--what are things you'd most want to see? We're only going to do it once, so we want to be sure we get it all in. I hope to have some pictures to show you when we get back.
But first, I have a story to finish, baseball playoffs, and two summer camps to get through. After that, Europe, here we come!
Labels: europe, The Holy land, vacation