TL-46-228 Update 2

Hello!

My name is Jonas, I’m a rising senior at BU, and I’m writing today’s update for the trip blog!

Day 2 — Wednesday, May 25th:

This morning, after a quick breakfast at our hotel, we set out to hike Mt. Arbel. Or, rather to hike down Mt. Arbel (our bus dropped us off at the top of the mountain). Mt. Arbel overlooks the Sea of Galilee, with views into nearby Syria and the Golan Heights. The mountain is well known for its fortress ruins, which date back to the Jewish-Roman wars in the first century CE. During our hike, our Israeli tour guide, Reut (who is also an archeologist) casually picked up some pottery shards dating back to the Byzantine era (the 5th-7th centuries, CE.)

After a very slow march down Arbel behind a large group of Israeli middle schoolers, we ate a quick lunch at The Pagoda, a Kosher Asian restaurant, then drove to the Jordan River, just north of the Sea of Galilee, on the border with the Golan Heights.

We leisurely rafted down the slow-flowing Jordan, with folks occasionally jumping ship to cool off in the water. With nothing in sight near the river except rushes, birds, and the occasional fisherman, we could just as well have been in ancient times.

Debarking our river rafts around 5:00, we took our bus back to the hotel, washed off, and went out for a night exploring the food and drink of Tiberias. Back to the hotel by 9:30. Hanging out, hitting the hay, and getting ready for our upcoming adventures to Tzfat and Jerusalem.

The vibes are good!