Getting salty at the Dead Sea and witnessing the burning bush in Egypt

We thought we’d say a quick goodbye to Jerusalem. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we headed out early to go pick up our car. The Israeli Budget franchise had different plans for us. No cars were available for pick up, and with pouring rain preventing us from leaving that tiny waiting room, we settled in for a …

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A self-guided Jesus Holy Week tour through Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the site of Jesus’s arrest, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. It goes without saying that is one of the holiest places in the world for many Christians. Growing up, I’d heard all of these names—Bethlehem, Gethsemane, Golgotha—but actually being here and walking the same streets where the history I grew up learning …

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Temple Mount, the holiest place in the world

On Christmas Eve before our tour to Bethlehem in the afternoon, we woke up early to see the famed Temple Mount in the heart of Jerusalem’s old city. Also known as Mount of the House of God, the Temple in Jerusalem, and Haram esh-Sharif, this place is holy for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for very …

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A chaotic Christmas Eve in Bethlehem

I’ve celebrated Christmas the exact same way for my entire life. As Germans, we celebrate on Christmas Eve with a traditional German meal, evening mass, singing German Christmas songs out of tune, eating way too many cookies, and opening presents in the living room. This year was a little different. To save ourselves the trouble, …

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South Africa’s journey from apartheid to freedom

One of my favorite things to do is go on free walking tours in every city I travel to. In Cape Town, I opted for the Apartheid to Freedom tour to learn more about the history that binds the city together so strongly. Before the tour began, our guide shared a quick introduction into the …

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