Author: Kristin
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Judean Desert and Biet Sahur
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While the distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem across the desert is only about 70 mile, scholars suspect that the route Mary and Joseph took was closer to ninety miles. Part of that route went through the Judean Desert. We headed to the desert before sunrise. As I looked at the…
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The Church of the Holy Sepulcher or Church of the Redeemer
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For Christians, this church the singularly most important site in Jerusalem. It dates from the fourth century CE and has been a pilgrimage site since then. According to tradition, it contains the sites of Jesus’ crucifixion and his tomb and resurrection. It has 30+ chapels and worship spaces, so we did not…
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The Land of the Holy One
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Israel Today We left for the Land of the Holy One (Israel) two weeks before the war started; little did we know at the time what lay ahead. We returned 5 days before the Hamas attack. Travel was difficult. Several of us on the flight from Seattle missed the connection to Tel…
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A Day in Singapore
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Our trip to Bhutan took us through Singapore. We had about 22 hours there, an evening and 2/3 of the next day. We made the most of it taking the hop on hop off buses and spending much of the off time at the Botanical Garden. Singapore is an island nation. It…
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Bhaktapur Durbar Square
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Bhaktapur is located in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley. It is the smallest and most densely populated city in Nepal. It is predominantly Hindu. Its origin is from the 12th century and the medieval buildings and sculptures make up the best collection of Nepalese medieval art in the country.. It was…
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Kathmandu Durbar Square
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When we were driven to Durbar Square, we had to be let off a few blocks away because of all the traffic and narrow streets. We walked through the shopping area to the square, which was heavily damaged in the earthquake. Reconstruction is going on but looks only to be beginning because…
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Swyambhumath Temple
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The Monkey Temple The Swayabhunath temple is on the top of a steep hill. There are stairs to climb to the top; we were driven part way but still had many stairs to climb. This is a place of peace. It is one of the holiest Buddhist places in Nepal, and it has…
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Changu Narayan Temple
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Changu Nrayan Temple was built in the 3rd century and is considered to be one of, if not, the oldest temple of Nepal. In 464,King Mandev erected a stone pillar in the temple’s courtyard in Sanskrit. This inscription is considered to be the oldest inscription of Nepal. The temple represents…
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Trogir
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Once we were on board the boat, we spent the night and prepared to leave for Trogir in the morning if weather permitted. The engines kicked in about 5:30 a.m., and we left for Trogir before sunrise. Trogir is a small island just off the mainland of Croatia. The island/town is a UNESCO…
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Pashupatinath Temple
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Pashupatinath Temple is a famous and sacred Hindu temple complex located on the Bagmati River that runs through Kathmandu. This temple complex is the largest in Nepal covering 608 acres of land. It includes 518 temples and monuments, as well as a cremation site. The main temple is dedicated to Pashupatinath, a…
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Boudhanath Temple
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Built in the 6th century, the Boudhanath Temple is the biggest stupa in Nepal and a witness to Tibetan Buddhism. It is one of the most revered Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal. The structure of the building consists of a giant dome, on the top of which sits a Buddhist pyramid tower.…
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Kathmandu, Nepal
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Nepal is the land of The Buddha. Kathmandu valley is not only the political but also the cultural capital of Nepal. Seven of the ten UNESCO World Heritage sites of Nepal are in Kathmandu valley, and we saw six of them. The city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places…
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Tiger’s Nest
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On the last day of our Bhutan tour, we returned to Paro where Bob took the challenge to hike part way to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. Tiger’s Nest Monastery or Taktsang Palphug Monastery is what most people associate with Bhutan. It is the monastery that you see in pictures, clinging…
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Thimphu
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Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan and its largest city. It is situated on the Raidak River at an altitude varying from 7,375 ft.to 8,688 ft. Thimphu became the capital of Bhutan in 1961 during the reign of the third Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King), Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. Before that, the capital…
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Dances of Bhutan
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Dances are vital to the religious and social life of Bhutan. They are performed at their festivals or Tshechus and portray spiritual teachings, tell stories of their history, and honor their deities. We were fortunate to be there during the king’s birthday celebration and saw some of the dances performed by…
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Wangdu Phodrang
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Wangdue Phodrang is a town and capital on the way to Gangtey and is the last town before entering central Bhutan from the Punakha valley. It is a small town with a prominent landmark, the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong which sits on a small hill. The Dzong was built in 1639…
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Punakha
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There’s only one main highway in Bhutan. It is two lanes, narrow, and very windy, running from west to east toconnect all of the country’s major cities, including Paro, Thimphu, and Punakha. Between the cities it goes through beautiful forested country at times and rice paddies at other times. Often…
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Charlottetown
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Charlottetown, named after Queen Charlotte, is the capital of Prince Edward Island. It was the site of the Charlottetown Conference in 1864 which led to the beginning of the Canadian Federation. Because of this, the motto of the city is “Birthplace of the Confederation.” We flew into a small airport, picked…
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Anne of Green Gables
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Of course, most people who hear of PEI think of Anne of Green Gables. The island has capitalized on the coming-of-age story of an 11-year-old orphaned girl sent by mistake to the Cuthberts on Prince Edward Island in a house with Green Gables. The story relates the struggles and joys Anne experiences as…