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ZIPPORI

I particularly enjoyed seeing mosaic floors that once graced the houses of Zippori, including one with a woman's face so beautiful, it's known as the "Mona Lisa of the Galilee."

However, it was a simpler sight that provided one of my favorite moments of the trip. As we walked down an original Roman road, our sneakered feet on the same uneven stones that felt the touch of Roman sandals, I noticed some large grooves down the course of the road. "What are those?" I asked our guide.

"Chariot ruts," he said casually.

ANCIENT BOAT

However, he explained in broken English, he had prayed since his childhood to find an ancient boat. He and his brother would pace the edge of the Sea of Galilee, somehow knowing such a monumental find was there.

"We are walking day and night. We are crazy!" he remembered. "And one day we are seeing...this is the boat. So we are jumping!"

At the same time, a double rainbow appeared in the sky. The brothers took it as a sign from God that they were meant to find the boat.

After digging the battered hull from the mud where a drought had exposed it, archaeologists determined that it was 2,000 years old. The wooden beams were preserved with liquid wax, and the boat now rests in the Yigal Allon Museum at Kibbutz Ginosar.

Many visitors call it the "Jesus boat," noting that since it dates from the time of Christ, He may have seen or even ridden in it. Although Yuvi is Jewish, he had something to say about this theory: "Somebody show me that Jesus [was] NOT inside the boat."

Since he lives on the kibbutz, Yuvi has no private property or money. Instead, he told us with a shy smile, "My wealth is that you come and visit the boat."

THE DEAD SEA

Our time in the sea was a delight. The salt content of the water makes it impossible to sink; you simply lie back and float as if you're sprawled on a lounge chair. We could see straight to the bottom of the sea, where salt formations formed white stalactites. Nothing but microorganisms can live in these waters, and people come from all over the world to experience their effects on skin conditions, circulation and even arthritis pain.

Before our group took a dip in the water, we were warned not to get it in our eyes or mouths, and to spend no more than 20 minutes in the sea. A spa employee warned, "It saps the energy from your body."

We scoffed at this idea -- until the ride "home," when we all declared that we felt as if our bones had softened. Our adventure had left us ready for a nap. (KB)

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