In the next couple of blog posts I wanted to share a few photos from my recent journey to Israel. Many of them were taken by my travelling companion Devan Foster. (Thanks Devan!) I enjoyed almost every aspect of the trip. What's fascinating about Israel is the blend of ancient ruin, geography, modern politics and everyday life. For example on the side of the Herodian there was a bus stop and toilet block above a small Army base which was next to a Palestinian village, this is all within a stone's throw of the tomb of the King who tried to kill Jesus as a baby! Biblically I realised just how useful historical context and cultural tradition can be but also how little remains, how little has been discovered so far and much must have been destroyed. I loved the careful conjecture of Archaeology, using a few scraps and just a few clues to create a plausible reconstruction. Probably what was most moving was the continuity between the ancient Jewish Kingdom the modern Israeli state. For example as we stood on top of Masada hearing about the Jewish zealots fighting the Romans two Israeli fighter planes swooped overhead.