Author: Kristin
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Sipan
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Once part of the Republic of Ragusa, Sipan is the biggest island of Elaaphiti group and has two small settlements. Wealthy Ragusa families built their summer palaces and villas on this island. Its history dates at least from the 1370s when the island’s name was first mentioned in historical documents.…
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Šibenik
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Šibenik is a historic town in central Dalmatia. Sibenik is the oldest Slavic town on the Croatian coast, possibly dating from the 11th century, although Croats had reached the surrounding area a few centuries earlier. The town intermittently switched between Croatian and Venetian rule over the following few centuries, with…
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Korcula Island and Town
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Korcula is the sixth largest island in the Aegean Sea; mountains run the length of it, rising to 1,800 ft. It has been inhabited since prehistoric times. According to legend, Korcula’s Old Town was founded by Trojan prince Antenor, who also founded the city of Padua in Italy. The island was named…
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Hvar–Hvar Town and Stari Grad
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Our next island was Hvar. We docked in ‘Stari Grad and motored to Hvar Town first. Following the decline of the Roman Empire, Hvar Town–a center of Adriatic civilization for thousands of years–was besieged by pirates. The people sought protection from the Venetians that led to a new ear of…
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Split
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Split is the second largest city in Croatia and the largest in Dalmatia. Centered around the Roman Palace of Emperor Diocletian, Split dates back to the 4th century C.E. When Diocletian abdicated in 305 C.E., he had already completed a lavish palace in Salona, now Split, in his native Dalmatia. It is a walled…
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Life aboard the Vapor
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Waiting on the waterfront of Makarska, we were delighted to see the Vapor approach. The VAPOR is a charming mini cruiser, just over 100 ft. long. Our crew of six (all family) was fantastic. We boarded in Makarska to begin our seven-day cruise along the Dalmatian Coast. Our cabin was in the lower…
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Plitvice Lakes National Park
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Plitvice Lakes is Croatia’s first National Park founded in 1949 and covers 115 square miles of waterfalls, lakes, and diverse wildlife. The lakes have very distinctive and differing colors, which change depending on the minerals and organisms present in the water, as well as the angle of sunlight. They are Tufa lakes with…
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Smiljan and Zadar
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The highway from Plitvice Lakes runs along the mountains, diving Croatia. In early times the mountains kept the Ottomans on the east side of the mountains and the Venetians on the West. Our next stop was Nikola Tesla’s home in Smiljan. There we saw the church where his father was an orthodox priest,…
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Zagreb
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We started in Zagreb, Croatia’s capital and largest city. Zagreb lies in the northern part of the country along the Sava River. It is on the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountains, foothills of the Dinaric Alps, close to the border with Slovenia. Zagreb’s history dates to Roman times. In 1094…
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Croatia
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To gain a better understanding of Croatia, one needs to look at its history. From about the 11th century BCE to the 5th century CE, the Romans ruled the area called Croatia. It was split into two parts: Dalmatia and Pannonia. By the middle of the 7th century, Croat tribes from around Poland, Ukraine,…
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Emmaus
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On our last day, we walked the Stations of the Cross in the Old Town before breakfast and then loaded the bus for the airport in Tel Aviv. On the way we stopped at Emmaus for our final Eucharist together. While the site of Emmaus (also known as Nicopolis) is…
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Mount of Beatitudes
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From Tabgha, one can ascend the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Overlooking the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the Mount offers a view of the northern part of the lake and across to the cliffs of the Golan Heights on the other side.…
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Nazareth
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West of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River is the town of Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel. It is the city the Holy Family lived in when they returned from Egypt. Several religious sites are here. We were able to visit Mary’s Well, the Greek and…
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Burqin and Taybeh
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Leaving Nazareth, we went to Burqin and Taybeh. Jesus passed through Burqin on his way to Jerusalem from Nazareth. As he was passing through, he heard the cries of ten lepers who were quarantined in a cave. He healed them all, but only one returned to give thanks. Burqin hosts…
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Bethlehem
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Bethlehem is a West Bank City about five miles south of Jerusalem in the Judean hills. This is the town of Jesus’ birth. Tradition locates the site of his birth in a cave under the Church of the Nativity. St. Helena, Constantine’s mother, had a church built over the cave about 326 CE,…
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The Jordan River
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Another of the special places we visited was the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized. There we renewed our own baptismal vows, and one of our members who had never been baptized was. It was so renewing and inspiring. The River Jordan runs along the entire eastern border of Israel. It’s distance from…
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Mt. Zion–St. Peter in Gallicantu
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To the south of the Mt. of Olives and the city of Jerusalem is another hill: Mt. Zion. Between them lies the Kidron Valley. On the eastern slope of Mt. Zion is the Church of St. Peter in Gallicaantu. It is only a short distance from Zion Gate of the Old City. This…
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The Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Tabgha
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The Sea of Galilee is not a sea but a freshwater lake in northeast Israel. At 656 ft. below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth. It is fed mainly by the Jordan River which runs through it. Much of Jesus’ ministry occurred on its shores. And…
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Mount of Olives
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The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge about a half mile east of Jerusalem. From the top looking west, one sees views of the Holy City, while facing eastward one sees miles of the Judean Desert leading to the Dead Sea. Several holy sites are located on and around the…
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Mt. Scopus and Herodium
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There is so many archeological sites in the area that date back thousands of years. Mt Scopus stands about 2,700 ft above sea level northeast of Jerusalem. Because of its height and location, it was called Lookout Mountain. It has been a strategic location as a base to attack Jerusalem…