We climbed out of the hole and onto the streets outside of the City of David. There was a hill to climb to get back up to where our bags were stored. We weren't quite through with half our steps for the day but we were all physically exhausted already. Little did we know what lay ahead. The group split for lunch. Lena and I had a nice quiet lunch in the Jewish Quarter with Alejandro and Sue. Of course they had their adorable toddler with them to keep us entertain...

At one point during this trip Steven and I began competing to see who walked the most steps on any particular day. It's easy to record because we both have smartphones. A normal day for me is around 10,000 steps if I can help it. There was one day on the trip where both Steven and I did about 33,000 even though we were sometimes in different places. The day we visited as many places as we could in Old Jerusalem, Steven had at least 1,000 steps more than me. My to...

One of the first things we did after separating into slightly smaller groups was enter through the Damascus Gate into the Old City and search for food. I must admit, Lena and I feel more comfortable in the Muslim Quarter of the Old Jerusalem since we lived for a year in a Muslim country. We know some of the language and most of the foods. I'm not sure how the Arabs there feel about us, but I hope they appreciate our feeble attempts at speaking in Arabic. We went ...

Jerusalem, the city of peace surrounded by war. Yad Vashem, a memorial for death and persecution. The Garden Tomb, the possible location of the burial and resurrection of the Savior of all of mankind. Jerusalem itself could take years to explore. There are so many small details and historical sites to study and ponder, to discuss and argue, to memorize and photograph. So many events of the past, present, and future point to this location. On this trip we barely h...

Tiberias --> Capernaum --> Mount of Beatitudes A whirlwind of a trip by the sea. This was one of the most relaxing and yet somehow longest days we had on the trip. We visited three different locations along the coast of the Sea of Galilee. Each place very unique and each place not without their own sort of charm. The Charm of Tiberias: This was my least favorite location on the entire trip. Not that I regret stopping in this quaint beach town on the one day...