Driving down from the Sea of Galilee into Jericho was a study in topography.  The Sea of Galilee is refreshing in itself, bright blue and dotted with boats.  As you drive toward Jericho and the Dea Sea, you descend steadily toward some of the world's lowest elevations and windswept deserts that are so reflective of the sun thas it's a bit blinding.  A swim in the Dead Sea provided a fun diversion, but I was more mesmerized by the desert itself. 

We visited Hisham's Palace, an archaeological site that offers a fascinating look at an ornate 8th century ruler's retreat.  Above us in the distance was a Greek Orthodox monastery, Quarantul, that is built into the mountainside and also dates to the 8th century.  This mountain is traditionally thought to be the Mount of Tempation, where Jesus rebuffed the entreaties of Satan. That evening we rode the Jericho Cable Car up to that site, where we had a wonderful outdoor dinner on a terrace restaurant just beneath that monastery.  Several of us walked up the steep incline to its gate before dinner.  The sun set, a nearly full moon took its place,and a breeze blew into our perch on this high cliff face. As the lights of Jericho and distant Jordan gradually appeared, this meal and evening took on a distinctly Mediterranean feel.  One of our hosts pointed out Amman, Jordan's capital--from here it was a bright glow far beyond the mountains across the Dead Sea.

The following morning, we made a brief visit to a desert overlook that displayed some of the Wadi Qelt, a hiking area that I would have loved to had more time for.  This is Bedouin country, and there is a half-day walk down into this area from the mountain where we dined that would be time well spent.

Our guide said something the next day that I did not forget: "The desert is a very spiritual place."

A member of our group joined me and another for a steep walk up to the monastery gate

A Bedouin's camel took a break as we surveyed the vistas of the Wadi Qelt near Jericho

Our perch for the evening was high on the Mount of Temptation

The ruins of Hisham's Palace date to the 8th century

Wisam Salsaa was our guide for most of this trip.  He is Palestinian and works out of Bethlehem.  He is a Christian.  On our way into Jerusalem from Jericho, he brought up an age-old teaching of Jesus, but added this caveat:

"When Jesus said 'if someone strikes you on the right cheek, offer them the left', he was talking about the Romans.  The Roman soldiers would not use their right hand against you because the right hand is their best hand.  They would use their left hand to strike you because you are not their equal.  So when Jesus said to turn the left cheek to them, he was talking about rejecting their superiority.  This forces them to use their right hand to strike your left cheek.  In doing so, you force them to treat you as an equal.  You were refusing to acknowledge their superiority by doing this."

It made me think about his teaching on forgiveness.  If you forgive someone who does something against you--how much can they hurt you?  Forgiveness becomes a powerful act of overcoming a transgression against you. In a way you are refusing to let that person harm you. On this trip, you begin to realize what a revolutionary figure this man Jesus was and how the downtrodden must have been drawn to him.  And how the powerful must have despised him.

These three girls reside in Nablus, a conflict-scarred town that is almost exclusively Muslim. Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet and will return for the resurrection.

This chairmaker works in Nazareth Village, a very authentic reconstruction of life there in Jesus' time.

Mosaics from throughout the world adorn the courtyard at Basilica of the Enunciation in Nazareth, which is built at the site of Mary's home. This mosaic is from Spain.

To anyone who comes here, there may be a moment of personal epiphany or revelation, I would guess.  Many are most moved by the historic sites--the place of Jesus's birth in Bethlehem, or his passion in Jerusalem.  The Garden at Gethsemane, or maybe Nazareth, where he grew up and was eventually shunned.

For me, it was Galilee.  Specifically, the Sea of Galilee.  We had moved from land that is brown and dry, with mostly olive trees and terraced hillsides, into a valley that became vibrant and green.  For me, it was easy to imagine Jesus teaching the multitudes here on these hillsides surrounding this beautiful lake, or sea, if you prefer.  There was a breeze that came across the Mount of Beatitudes and relieved the heat that is so prevalent here in summer. To sit and listen in this realm makes a lot of sense to me.

On this beautiful day, I could see boats, probably fishermen, down on that water where Jesus found many of his disciples.  Our guide spoke of caravans of immigrants moving through this land as they have done for centuries.  This was a crossroads for many cultures, and many of these people were drawn to this man who spoke in parables and embodied peace.

"Almost 70 percent of Jesus's ministry took place around the Sea of Galilee," our guide said.  "It is here that he calmed the storm, and it is here that he walked on the water."

It was here, for me, in the outdoors, that I could imagine why he might come and spend so much of his ministry.  But then again, it's these waters and hillsides that seemed sacred for me--as sacred as a church or tomb might be to another.

It was in the panoramic landscape of Galilee that I was most able to conjure images of Jesus' life.

The Sea of Galilee was a resplendent contrast to so much of the arid areas of Palestine.

Raed Abu Sahlieh is as charistmatic a figure as we met in all of Palestine.  He is the priest of St. George's Church in Taybeh and he is an outspoken proponent of peace and justice in this beleagured region of the world.  He spent almost an hour with us and one gets the feeling he barely finds time to sleep.

"I am an Arab, a Palestinian, a Christian, a Catholic and a priest," he began good naturedly.  "It's complicated, but this is who I am.  I have studied violence because I want to understand it.  Because when you have peace in Jerusalem, you will have peace all over the world.

"This village is entirely Christian--the only such one in Palestine.  But our population is leaving to all parts of the world because of economic hardship.  Many go to your country, to other places.  Even if you go to the moon you will find some people from Taybeh," he laughed. "Every time I hear a family is leaving to the United States, I tell them to stay.  They say to me, Father, give us a job.

"Don't be afraid for us.  We've been here for 2,000 years ande we'll be here when He comes.  Here, you have to live a life that is not easy, but difficult.  We have no place here for weak people.

"My appeal to you is to come and bring visitors to Palestine--come in big numbers and don't leave us alone."

The ruins of St. George's Church in Taybeh are still used for worship and sacrifices by Christian believers.

Raed Abu Sahlieh is an energetic advocate for peace and reconciliation in Taybeh.

Dr. Maria C. Khoury and her husband have managed to build the only microbrewery in the Middle East.  The Taybeh Brewery was established in 1994 when she, of Greek descent, and he, a Palestinian native, returned to his homeland to live.  After managing to get necessary permits, they began brewing Taybeh Beer.  It is now served in Palestine in predominantly Christian areas as the areas that are Muslim do not serve alchohol. 

We attended a reception and dinner in Bethlehem where Taybeh was the only beer served.  Numerous hosts encouraged me to have one and were obviously proud to have a Palestinian beer to offer guests.  As the only microbrewery in the Middle East, this beer is one of a kind in 26 countries.  It is already being exported to Japan, Chile and parts of Asia.  They hope to export it to America in the future.

Dr. Khoury is also the proud organizer of the Taybeh Oktoberfest, to take place October 2-3 in Taybeh-Ramallah, Palestine.  For more information on the brewery, go to www.taybehbeer.com

I made a purchase while I was in the brewery--two shirts for my sons.  They will be the only guys in Lexington with those shirts on and maybe one day they'll be able to order a Taybeh Golden!

Brewery in Taybeh

Taybeh Beer

Elias Salameh Afteem is carrying on a very proud family tradition at Restaurant Afteem in Bethlehem.  He greets you in a bustling lunchtime crowd just off the market in this iconic pilgrimage city in Palestine.  I noticed him immediately when our group came in the door.  For all I knew he was just a server, but his eyes were friendly and full of life. As I soon learned, he is a young, engaging businessperson who loves to tell the story of his family's success here. 

"My grandfather came here in 1948 when the war started.  He thought he would be here ten days.  Ten days.  Now it's been 60 years.  We still have the key to our house in Jaffa Tel Aviv.  He always expected to return. 

"He knew Palestinian food and he opened a restaurant here in Bethlehem.  My father worked here and now I work here.  Today, we own this building.  We restored it ourselves in one month.  We moved here in 2000 and rented for three years and then bought it.  There are 65 family members who work here in all."

Lots of pita bread and dishes appeared as we sat down, as did pitchers of a beverage popular here that is basically made with fresh squeezed lemons and crushed mint.  I couldn't get enough of it on this very hot day in Bethlehem.

"Our food is for rich people and poor people.  Do you know Sarkozy, the French president?  He was here.  The princess of
Quatar ate here.  We serve falafel, hummus, masabacha, fava beans, fatteh.  The same food at dinner as we have here at lunch."

His eyes brighten as he tells me they were selected for an entry as "our choice" by the guidebook Lonely Planet. " Do you know Lonely Planet?" he asks.  I assure him I do.

I came back in as our group was leaving to get a shot of Elias.  He was sitting with an elderly gentleman just inside the door.  As I approached he rose and said, "this is my father!"  The older man smiled and shook my hand.  The pleasure of meeting this family was all mine.

A lamp against the window in Church of the Nativity

Food vendor in Bethlehem Market

Vendor's goods in Bethlehem Market

Our guide makes a point to our group in Hebron at the Ibrahimi Mosque at the Tomb of the Patriarchs

Elias Salameh Afteem with his father at Restaurant Afteem in Bethlehem

It’s hard to miss a 30,000-square-foot ship-shaped structure replicating half of the original Titanic vessel along Pigeon Forge’s main parkway. The eye-catching size of the museum grabbed my attention immediately and easily held it throughout my tour.

Right after entering, I was handed a Titanic boarding pass with the biography of one of the actual passengers on the ship. My guide told me that I would learn the fate of my assigned passenger at the end of the museum, which gave the tour a personnel touch.

Just opened this year, the museum brought the experience of the ship to life with scaled replicas of the third class rooms, first class rooms and the Grand Staircase Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio walked down in the movie Titanic. Photos, interactive exhibits and over 400 artifacts told engaging stories from the fateful night.

To recreate the frigid experience felt by those not so lucky as to board a lifeboat, one exhibit kept the air temperature at 32 degrees. The exhibit also kept some water at 28 degrees to simulate the feel of the ocean that night. After only a minute my hand began to hurt acutely. The horror of the thousands that perished that way became all too real.

At the end of the tour, I was happy at least that my assigned passenger had survived against all odds. It was a reminder that stories both heartbreaking and inspiring came from the tragedy of the Titanic’s sinking.

Pigeon Forge Titanic Museum

I had breakfast at the Old Mill Restaurant

Future pepper shakers at the Old Mill Pottery

As I watched the door of the small office room in anticipation, I could feel my level of nervousness rising.

So far on the trip, all attractions seemed to be leading up to this upcoming interview with the legendary Dolly Parton. I’d not only been to Dollywood’s Dolly Parton Museum, but also encountered mentions of her everywhere from numerous random people telling me they thought she was the greatest person alive to a media event where she gave out her 25 millionth book to a child as part of her Imagination Library program.

But now the hour had come and five travel writers and I waited in a small conference room with one seat empty and ready for Dolly’s arrival. I had my questions written out just in case I blanked, which still did not calm my worries of stumbling over my words. After hearing from someone at the table that Michael Phelps used to make himself yawn to relax before a race, I attempted to do the same in desperation.

Finally, Dolly arrived with an easy smile and familiar voice. She answered each of our questions without missing a beat with humor, sincerity, wisdom and references to the importance of her spirituality.

After she announced that she had to “go pee,” Dolly humbly thanked everybody and left the room. Her departure left everyone in the room clearly star struck, including me, for quite awhile after. Even now, I still feel the need to watch some Steel Magnolias or Nine to Five in honor of such an unforgettable 30 minutes.

Dolly Parton at a media event before my interview

Dolly Parton singing at the Pigeon Forge Imagination Library media event

I also toured Wonderworks with its many intriguing mind puzzlers

Naturally, I started my Dollywood vacation experience in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. with a tour of the famous Dollywood theme park. Celebrating its 25th anniversary his year, Dollywood continues to go above and beyond your typical roller coaster fest with a wide variety of attractions for all ages.

A stroll through an amusement park could have been absolute torture with a hot June sun beating down, but since the park’s design integrates the surrounding mountains and trees into the attractions, the walk is a shaded one. In fact, the park’s replicated turn-of-the-century buildings give the impression you are walking through an old mountain town.

The town comes complete with a blacksmith, glass blower, grist mill and wagon maker. All the demonstrators at the park happily engaged visitors in conversation, including the wagon maker who explained his process before jokingly sending us to the blacksmith to make a noise complaint against him.

I also watched one of the many stellar shows playing at Dollywood called Sha-Kon-A-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke. Just started in May 2009, the show features songs written by Dolly Parton while telling the history of the Smoky Mountains. After watching the show’s simulated blue smoke fill up the stage at the show, I saw the real mist move along the mountaintops from my Dollywoods Vacations cabin. My view of the sunset mountain scenery reminded me that the natural spectacle always beats the manmade special effects.

My Dollywood Vacations cabin's sunset view

The Dollywood show Sha-Kon-A-Hey!

Wagon making demonstration in Dollywood