Bet Lehi

A herd of cattle in Israel! I just had to take a picture of that. My question is "What do they eat?" I can't see anything green in this picture. This is one of the sights outside the bus window as we were driving to Bet Lehi, An Archaeological Site in the Judean Lowland.

Interesting to me, for sure. I still can't see any green except for some on the trees, and as far as I knew, cattle don't usually eat trees.

This is the road to the archaeological site, rather narrow and undeveloped for a tour bus! I wondered what would happen if we met an on coming car, but then I decided it wasn't my problem and kept looking for more cattle.

This is the Jerusalem Cave. Two rock-hewn burial caves that were discovered during road works. A total of 8 skeletons were found in these two caves. What makes this find interesting are the drawings and the inscriptions inscribed on the walls: a person with a harp, a person praying, a person wearing a headdress, two sailboats and seven inscriptions. The inscription including the phrase "God of Jerusalem" gave the cave its name.

Always interesting to note the signs as I travel about Israel. Bet Lehi is located right next to a military training/firing area. We could only go to the site on days that the military wasn't training!! Good thing!

This is the archaeologist working on the site, I'm sorry to say I can't remember his name. I do remember thinking that he was young and I'm sure really hoping that he finds something really cool at this site. This is a dig that is in progress and I thought it was cool that we could look around with out ropes and signs keeping us back.

See what I tell ya! That's a mosaic with the sand still on it. We brushed the sand away to have a look at the design. This is the floor of a Byzantine Church in use from the sixth to the eighth century after Christ.

One of the tour members brushing away the sand for us to have a look, see! Look carefully, you might see some familiar sandals, that my sister reminds me are not necessarily of "up-to-date fashion". I just know that I was comfortable perhaps not "stylin" but comfy!

This is a New Testament period stable which gives one of the best settings for the birth of the Savior. The holes you see there are the feeding troughs for the animals.

The manger from straight on. So this is how I picture the "babe in swaddling clothes laid in a manger". 

A picture of the workers doing the "dig" on this site. Interesting to watch them in the process of excavation. All kinds of things to be discovered yet. Hard work and HOT!!

This is Samson's Well. It's located not far from the site we were checking out. Samson roamed these parts and fought the Philistines.

Mike pointing out Samson's Well.

This is the area where one imagines seeing foxes with burning sticks tied to their tails to burn the Philistine crops. So much history here, no way to know it all, but sure fun to think about what one does know!

Look carefully, you might see a giant with a rock in his head. This is the valley of Eiah, where David fought Goliath.

The end of day 7 in Israel. Tomorrow is Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath and one of my most favorite days in Israel. I could spend at least a week doing just what we did on the Sabbath in Jerusalem. Oh so lucky to put sights, sounds and smells to Old and New Testament stories.