Thursday 3 April

Yesterday we were read the latest travel advisory notification for Israel from DFAT.  They have downgraded their warning for the West Bank from 'don't travel' to 'reconsider your need to travel'.  So dutifully we jumped in our bus and headed in the opposite direction, north-east to the Golan Heights, and got to within about 1km of the Syrian border, close enough so that we could hear the occasional 'boom, boom' from some sort of ammunition.  There were lots of mine fields still left from the last war, and small settlements surrounded by high wire fences and spotlights.

We continued west and came to Caesarea Philipi (Banias Nature Reserve) which is mentioned in the New Testament.  From there we went to Tel Dan, which was settled by the Caananites in C3BC.  Both of these parks contain springs which flow to form the Jordan. 
We had early lunch, and returned to Galilee, where we went to 3 Biblical places, the ruins of Capernaum and the traditional sites of the beatitudes and the feeding of the 5000.

 
Both of these were very peaceful places on the lake, despite the hordes of tourist buses that are swarming all over the countryside.  There are heaps of eucalyptus trees planted here.  Often the scenery looks just like home.  But then they drive on the wrong side of the road, and we can't read all the road signs.

We came home down the eastern shore to avoid the traffic down the west.  It was great to have a couple of  hours to veg out and get the washing sorted.

in.