Today we flew from Amman, Jordan to Istanbul, Turkey, the last country of the trip!

Petra. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World. We rode for almost 4 hours in a packed van from Amman south to Petra where we explored the wondrous site. Famously called "the rose-red city half as old as time," Petra was the capital of an ancient Arabic kingdom called Nabataea, which flourished from the 4th century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D. due to the success of the spice trade. Petra passed into memory until its ruins were discovered by a Swis...

Jordan. The second to last country of the trip. We took an early morning bus from Nazareth to Amman, the capital of Jordan, with the only excitement being the crossing of the border from Israel into Jordan. First, the bus was held up at the Israeli border while they examined the undercarriage of the bus with a mirror. We then had to depart the bus for passport security, where we learned we had to pay a departure tax. Luckily I had 200 shekels left, enough to cove...

Steph and I spent 4 nights in Nazareth after arriving Sunday evening. We stayed at the Fauzi Azar Inn, a 200 year old guest house that previously was an Arab mansion. Marble flooring, 6 meter high hand-painted ceilings, a courtyard with stone arches and a balcony with views of the city made this Inn one of the best places we have stayed on the trip. It was so comfortable that we spent an entire day just lounging, leaving only once to get something to eat. David L...

"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28:5-6 On Tuesday we traveled for 9 hours on a ferry from Santorini to Athens, spent the night, then hopped on a plane the next day from Athens to Tel Aviv, Israel with a layover in Cyprus. We rode in a sherut (service taxi) and arrived in Jerusalem at 2:00 AM, worn out and ready for be...