The Sea in Israel

I loved being in Israel. I loved experiencing and witnessing a completely different culture and lifestyle than what I am used to here. I loved not only the diversity of the people and the land, but also the diversity of its seas. The Mediterranean Sea was breathtaking, partly due to the beauty and life that surrounds it... and it's so huge! The Dead Sea, on the other hand, was vastly different. There is no life there.. except for the people who come to see it each and every day just to experience floating on top of its waters. Our time at the Sea of Galilee was by far my favorite.

The beautiful Mediterranean.



It is shocking to see the Dead Sea at a distance.... you can get a true glimpse of how much the Sea is shrinking. In fact the Dead Sea is loosing up to a meter or more of water each year since the Jordan River no longer dumps in to it. Some theologians think that the Dead Sea is where the Lake of Fire is going to be located. It has the lowest elevation in all the earth on dry land.. 1388 ft. below sea level. It is also the saltiest body of water being 8.6x saltier than the ocean hence The Dead Sea. King David used to find refuge there.



Many people come to the Dead Sea to wipe the mud from the bottom of the sea all over them. The mud is suppose to have healing and rejuvenating power in it... it is said to have special healing elements in it for the skin. There are many expensive cosmetic counters who offer various items containing ingredients from the Dead Sea. These items come with promises to heal, restore, rejuvenate, etc. your skin like nothing out there supposedly can. Here is a group of women joyfully spreading mud all over their bodies.



And here is the closest I came to spreading mud all over mine.



My favorite was the Sea of Galilee. This sea, from what we were told, can be the most treacherous and tumultuous sea in the world. It is 650 ft. below sea level and it is a fresh water sea. Isn't that amazing? They still fish commercially on this sea and there are at least 20 different types of fish found within its waters. The gentleman who owned the boat that we chartered to take us out on the sea is a christian. He played and sang the most beautiful worship music I have ever heard. I did not want to come back to shore as I felt as though I were in heaven itself. Here's his boat.



And here is my cousin Lisa and I with our wonderful guide John on that old wooden boat. Precious.