Athens by Ryan
We flew from Israel to Athens on the ninth of April. Athens, like Rome, is another place steeped in history, that goes even farther back in time than Rome. To take advantage of all the history, we bought tickets for a bus that you have probably heard of – the Hop On Hop Off. Hop on, Hop Off is pretty self explanatory. You can hop on whenever you want that day, and hop off whenever you want. They have commentary throughout, in eleven different languages, and stop at all of the main… Read More
Athens: Ancient Greek Myths and Modern Financial Crises
Greece. It’s a country I’ve always wanted to visit. My desire to explore Athens especially grew when I began homeschooling Mikayla and Ryan in first grade. I have to admit it was also when I discovered how amazing history could be. Until then, I’d thought the subject rather boring, as my history teachers seemed to fall into a catatonic state cracking open our old history books. As I began to share fun Greek myths during story times, or teach them about the birth of democracy, and about philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and… Read More
Day 393: The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem
After the encouraging Easter service (The Beauty of the Empty Tomb), we took a walk through Old Town Jerusalem, dodging friendly shopkeepers and aggressive tourists. We visited the Western Wall, and more specifically the Wailing Wall, which is one of the most sacred sites in Judaism. I’ve often heard of the Wailing Wall but was not prepared for what greeted us as we entered the plaza and began to slowly descend the stairs. Before approaching the walls, we encountered hand washing stations used to ritually cleanse oneself prior to praying. While I… Read More
Day 392: The Beauty of the Empty Tomb
On Easter Morning, we celebrated together at the Garden Tomb with Nick and Angel and about 1000-1500 other believers from around the world. It’s hard to describe just how special that experience was. As we viewed one of the likely spots where Jesus may have been buried and then risen on the third day, I marveled at the beauty and significance of the empty tomb! For some reason, I had never thought through that before, but having the empty tomb with the words “He is not here, for He is risen” displayed just outside the… Read More
Day 390: Israel and Old Town Jerusalem
We have dear friends in Israel who invited us to visit them during the week of Easter, as they had some time off. We were surprised by the timing, as we’ve wanted to visit Nick, Angel, and their children for several years now, as well as spend an Easter in Jerusalem. To have the opportunity to do both at the same time was a wonderful and unexpected treat. Just being with “family” again after so many months on the road was its own kind of special. Add to that the love and kindness… Read More
Day 380: Jordan/Israel and the Dreaded Border Crossing!
After enjoying a few days in Jordan, we headed to the Jordan-Israel border at Allenby/King Hussein Bridge, as we had opted to drive to Jerusalem versus fly into Tel Aviv. We found that the easiest way for our family of six to do this was by arranging for a taxi to the Jordanian side of the crossing from our hotel by the Dead Sea. It was so much faster, we thought…just an hour or two away to our destination from the Dead Sea by land. Why go through the hassle of checking in… Read More
Danny
Deena Gainor
Kathryn
Ryan Gainor
Ryan Thomas
Mikayla
Six Hearts One Journey 
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