Remnants

It is far away from where I am sitting, on the bus, which is coasting along the highway, but if you can see the fortress at the top of this peak, these are the remnants of the Crusades during the Middle Ages.

Our guide, Michael, cannot reiterate enough the stressors of living under the persistent threat of hostile aggression. I think he wants us to understand that so we can better comprehend the nature, resilience and fortitude of the nation of Israel. They are small, but they are mighty 💕.

When we returned to the hotel yesterday, I had a notice from the US government (we are registered with STEP as being in Israel) that the passage between Jordan and Israel had been closed indefinitely due to a terrorist act. Four of our group just crossed over from Jordan this past Tuesday, as they had an extended tour there. I pulled up the terrorist event online, and saw that two Israeli soldiers were killed by a man (Muslim and most likely Jordanian, but they weren’t sure of that as of last night) driving a foreign aid truck into Israel. Michael wasn’t at dinner last night, and his daughter is still on a potential call to duty, so this has to weigh heavily on his heart. It also helps to understand the genuine sentiments we have been hearing for even being here, as tourists. There are NO other tour buses. Michael tells us how blessed we are for that…NO crowds, NO lines, NO having to move around groups crowded into small spaces (think Sistine Chapel😬)…because there ARE no crowds. Just us. Our small group of twenty. While I feel incredibly fortunate for that, in the end it really just makes me feel sad. 😔