Wow!  Ceasarea!  To walk on the ground that King Herod walked on (yes, I took off my shoes just in case!) to see the remains of the fabulous city he dreamed of and then built in 12 years (including a huge palace, a temple, a theater, a hippodrome, an aqua-duct and a harbor that rivals Southport Harbor!) was amazing.  The man put so much into this city and after his death, it just fell into ruins (well, it was conquered a few times first) but none of his sons cared about maintaining the amazing place that their father had built.  (By the way, if you didn't know it, King Herod was a bit paranoid!)  I have so many words that I could write, but for this, I am going to let the photos do the talking.  

  This is the theater that King Herod had built.  It was free to the residents and sometimes the plays would last for days.  Nice, right?  Well, yes and no!  As long as the people were in the theater, King Herod knew that no one was out trying to kill him!

                                                                                                               The seats - note the seat numerals!!

This is the Hippodrome - used for sporting events!  So, if you know Paul and I at all, you know we had to have a race - well, I don't think pitting a marathon runner against me is fair, so I won't tell you who won, but see if you can tell for yourself!

  Ok, stop laughing!  This last photo gives you a bit of the overview of the city.  Keep in mind the harbor was man-made and then the city rose up behind it!

As if going to Ceasarea wasn't enough for one day, after lunch we headed to Nazareth.  In the Bible it is referred to as a city in a basin, and that is because there are hills that surround it on all sides and it is a valley.  It is a pretty unattractive, highly overbuilt city now, but if you look to the hills and close your eyes, it is easy to imagine a small, bustling city, in which the boy Jesus would have known every person and every inch of the town.  Of course, the centerpiece is the Church of the Annunciation - a Francisan Church built in 1971 over the Byzantine church over the cave which is believed to be where Mary lived with her mother at the time of the angel's visit.  The church is beautiful and I have a whole new rotation for "Mary's Journey" for Church School!  I was not prepared for the emotion that would arise in me when I walked down the stairs to the site of the cave.  I was overcome - it is beyond words.  I wish I had some way to explain it to you all, but I can't imagine how.  But to have heard the story all my life, to have participated in pageants as a child, to have written pageants and to have directed pageants, could no, and did not, prepare me for what I saw and felt.  It is amazing how "European" we have made the story and how we have gotten away from the humble, cave-like dwelling that was most likely Mary's home.  Here are the a few of the photos:

The church of the Annunciation!

The cave entrance to what is believed to be Mary's home

Let's not forget Joseph - his home and workshop are located not too far away - at the church of St. Joseph!

And in case you think that these sites are out of the way, they are right in the middle of the city!