Ancient Palaestina

Bet She'an, Israel/Palestine

Originally, the plan was to cross the border into Jordan, and then head for Umm Qais (aka the Decapolis city of Gedara) for the spectacular view from the northwest corner of Jordan. When Michelle mentioned Roman ruins near her kibbutz in Bet She'an, though, Wade and I guessed that it might be another Decapolis city, one that neither of us had seen, so we decided to go there instead. (In fact, a quick trip to Wiki reveals that Bet She'an has a long and illustrious history, being mentioned in conjunction with most of the major periods of the region's history.)

In addition to suffering the consequences of last night's fun, we had an unexpected delay on the way there, being pulled off our bus at a checkpoint to have our luggage scanned and our IDs verified. But we weren't the only ones stopped at that checkpoint on our way to Bet She'an, and we managed to hitch a ride right to the gate of the archaeological park.

From A New Decapolis City

Wade, a theater management major when I knew her back at Goucher College, was thrilled by the beautifully preserved Greco-Roman theater. I was excited about the exposed heating system that would have been under the floor of the West Bathhouse, and by the pomegranate trees, which always remind me of my Peace Corps house. The views from the top of the tel were also quite spectacular.

From A New Decapolis City