We spent the night with friends Kurt and Diane because the shuttle to the airport will pick us up at their house and bring us to LAX for our 6:45 p.m. departure on Turkish Air to Istanbul. We're not off to a good start because the shuttle was a no-show and Kurt ended up driving us to the airport but we made our flight in time despite the LA traffic. We've been taking Airborne for a few days prior to our flight, hopefully, it will prevent us from getting sick. I mention this now because it will have a significance later on.
Departed from Istanbul at 8:25 p.m. and arrived at Amman at 11:20 p.m. Just in time to hop on a bus for a 2 1/2 hour drive to our hotel in Jordan where we will spend two nights. After 19 hours of travel time we were exhausted and couldn't get into our beds fast enough. We woke to the sound of the Muslim pray call at 4:45 a.m. and thought there was a party outside our room because they blast the music over loud speakers. Thankfully, we were able to quickly fall back to sleep before our wake-up call.
The Beit Zaman Hotel in Jordan looks like a Turkish village and where we'll stay for two nights. Our room is like a a little house, very unique. The pool was inviting and many from the group took advantage of the opportunity for a swim. The courtyard offered a beautiful view of the Sharah Mountain Range and vistas of the valley. After a good nights sleep we had a interesting breakfast buffet and our first taste of Turkish coffee (strong) before taking a short ride to Petra. The archaeologists have ranked ancient Petra as the eighth wonder of the ancient world.
Petra is in the heart of the rose red Seir mountains as mentioned in the Biblical Book of Genesis. The mountain range of Aaron Peak is the burial place of Aaron, brother of Moses. We walked through the Siq passage (the ancient main entrance is a deep and narrow gorge at 1200 meters long with 80 meter cliffs) to the first monument Treasure. The outer Siq is encompassed by tombs, burial chambers and one of the largest theaters in Jordan. The theater is carved into the sand stone at the bottom of the High place of Sacrifice Mountain where sacrificial rituals used to take place.
February 16 - Petra, Mt. Nebo, Jordan River and Tel Aviv
This morning we drove along the Exodus route north on the famed historical King's Highway, passing the Crusader city of Kerak and through the Wadi Mujeb, the Jordanian Grand Canyon wildlife reserve. We visited St. George's Church in Madaba and saw the 6th century mosaic floor showing a map of the Holy Land as known by the pilgrims in that period. Then on to Mt. Nebo, from where God showed Moses the Promised Land.
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| Inside St. George's Church |
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| Mosaic Map at St. George's Church |
This afternoon we drove to the recently discovered baptismal site of "Bethany beyond the Jordan". This is the site that John the Baptist lived, preached and baptized in the village of Bethany. We crossed over the famous Allenby Bridge, through Israel and south to Jaffa. A quick visit to the port through Tel Aviv to Netanya where we will check into the Seasons Hotel.
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| Believed to be the baptismal site of Jesus by John the Baptist |
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| That's the Jordan River |
The Seasons Hotel in Netanya where we will spend two nights is located on a cliff overlooking the deep blue Mediterranean. The view from our private balcony was beautiful and doing Tai Chi on the beach before breakfast was a once in a lifetime experience I won't soon forget.
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| View from our room |
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| Enjoying a cup of coffee on the balcony |
February 17 - Caesarea Philippi, Mount Carmel, Nazareth, Nain
We drove up the coast to the capital city of Roman Palestine, Caesarea by the Sea. The city was built by Herod the Great just before the time of Jesus. We visited the ancient aqueduct in Caesarea and the remains of a gladiators coliseum. For lunch we had a taste of Israel, Falafel and salad, which was delicious. After lunch, we traveled the ridge of Carmel to the basalt caravan route through the Jezreel Valley and the village of Nain, where Elijah raised the widow's son from the dead. We visited the Stella Maris Church and Monastery (mother house of the Carmelite Order. We, also, visited the excavations of Megiddo where 20 different civilizations have been unearthed. Then we continued down the road to Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus and stopped to visit a Greek Orthodox church.
Tonight we're checking into the Caesars Tiberias hotel located on the boardwalk of the Sea of Galilee where we will spend three nights.
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| Stella Maris Church and Monastery - I bought a beautiful Carmelite-made olive wood rosary here |
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| Roman Theater |
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| We're always surprised how much ancient mosaic has survived |
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| Remains of Herod the Great's Palace - the square was a fresh water pool |
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| Burial tomb with a rolling stone |
February 18 - Gergesa, Kursi, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha
I mentioned that we were taking Airborne and I discovered a little too late that it does not agree with me. Airborne has a high dose of magnesium which gives me diarrhea. So I was sick on the flight and again today. Unfortunately, this morning I was not well enough to take the boat tour on the Sea of Galilee. No more Airborne for me and we're hearing a lot of coughing by the people in our group.
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| The tour boat |
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| Denis was on the boat tour and got this shot of casting a net |
We visited the town of Decapolis where Jesus cast the demons into the swine herd, with a stop at Kursi to see the upper Jordan River. We ascended to the area of the Sermon on the Mount for a visit to Chorazin, once condemned by Jesus for its failure to repent. We visited the Barluzzi Church of the Beatitudes in the hills behind Capernaum and then down to the city of Capernaum where Jesus called home. We enjoyed the famous St. Peter's fish for lunch before heading to the River Jordan for a Baptism service.. The modern Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter is built over the 1st-century architectural remains that Catholic scholars have identified as the "House of Peter". Capernaum is the location of Israel's best preserved early 4th-century synagogue
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| Barluzzzi Church of the Beatitudes |
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| Loaves and Fishes rock garden |
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| Whole Fried Talapia was very good |
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| Local wildlife |
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| With our friends Kurt and Diane |
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| These folks braved the cold water for a baptism in the Jordan by Pastor Ty |
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| Pastor baptizing his 15 year old son |
February 19 - Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Banyas, Damascus Road, Har Avital, Gamla
This morning we headed north to the mountains of Upper Galilee to the city of Dan. Here Jeroboam made the Golden Calf. We stopped at Caesarea Philippi, the rim of the Golan Heights and down by the Damascus Road taken by Paul. Our final stop was the Zealot fortress of Garmla where revolutionaries in Jesus' day prepared for the coming conflict with Rome.
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| Ancient Dan Ruins |
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| Dan Springs |
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| Add caption |
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| Temple of Pan |
February 20 - Jordan River, Bet She'an, Scthopolis, Gideon Springs, Jacob's Well, Jerusalem
Bet She'an is one of Israel's most prominent archeological sites, with a major Roman theatre, the main street with stone columns, shops, mosaics and the ancient Tel (the high mound created by succeeding occupation levels during 6,000 years of continuous settlement). Bet She'an is where the bodies of King Saul and his sons were hung. The Jordan River is Israel's most important river. It joins the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. We checked into the Dan Jerusalem Hotel which sits on the historic slopes of Mount Scopus and overlooks Jerusalem and the rolling hills of Judea.
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| Gideon's Spring |
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| Bet She'an National Park |
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| Guess what this is? If you guessed Roman latrines, you're correct |
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| Our hotel for the next six nights |
February 21 - Bethany, Jericho, Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran
Jericho city vies with Damascus as the oldest city on earth. It was the first town conquered by the returning children of Israel under Joshua and was important to the prophets Elijah and Elisha. Today we climbed down into Lazarus tomb, visited Jericho, drove along the shores of the Dead Sea to the infamous Masada where Jewish Zealots held to their last breath against the tenth legion of Rome. We spent some time in Ein Gedi and hiked up the canyon where David hid from Saul during the days as a renegade. Our last stop was Qumran where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls.
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| Climbing out of Lazarus Tomb |
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| Masada from a distance |
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| We went to eleven National Parks on this trip |
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| It was about a 45 minute hike and a 900 vertical climb |
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| We made it to the top with Alex and Lilly |
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| We've seen lots of ancient ruins |
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| Denis got this great shop of an Ibex on the cable car ride down |
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| These cute Rock Hyrex were every where |
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| A trip is not complete with a photo of the local birds |
February 22 - Took a day off from the tour group
Today the four of us skipped the bus tour because we needed a day off. We missed the trip into Bethlehem with the tour group but we needed this time to ourselves. We slept longer, had a later breakfast and went to the spa for a while. Later in the day we took a cab to the Old City of Jerusalem and walked the Via Delarosa (the Way of the Cross). We stopped at all 14 stations of the cross and enjoyed taking our time at each stop, ending with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, it was a very emotional experience. We stopped for lunch and had the Middle Eastern version of pizza which was very good.
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| We rampart walked the wall of the Old City |
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| The walled city has entrances like this, called gates - this is the Lions Gate |
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| Second Station: Jesus Takes up the Cross - The Chapel of the Flagellation is situated at the site where Jesus was beaten by the Roman soldiers, adorned with a crown of thorns and dressed in purple garments |
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| Third Station: Jesus Falls for the First Time - This site marks the spot where Jesus fell for the first time due to the weight of the cross. On the site is an Armenian Catholic Church that was restored in 1948 by donations of Polish soldiers |
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| Ninth Station: Jesus Falls for the Third Time - A column built into the door of the Coptic Church of Saint Anthony marks the site where Jesus fell for the third time on the hill of Golgotha |
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| Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross - The scene is depicted in this mosaic |
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| Twelfth Station: Crucifixion and Death - This station represents the place where the cross was erected and where Jesus died. Under the altar (which you can't see in this photo because the people are blocking it), is a silver disk with an indentation in the middle, marking the exact spot of Jesus' cross. Pilgrims crawl under the altar to pay homage to this holy site |
February 23 - Temple Mount, City of David, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Pool of Siloam, The Citadel
We visited the Dome of the Rock which is a 7th-century edifice located in Jerusalem. During the Crusades, the Dome of the Rock was commandeered as a Christian shrine before returning to Islamic hands. Today, it is the very core of a bitter dispute between Palestinians and Israelis. We could feel the tension in this area especially when a Rabbi walked the perimeter with guards and the Muslims started screaming "God is Great" and taunting him.
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| Dome of the Rock |
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| Climbing into Hezekiah's Tunnel |
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| Walking through the tunnel |
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| Pool of Shiloam - I'm standing at the site but the pool is dried up |
February 24 - Jerusalem, Beersheba, Ashkelon, Emmaeus
This morning we visited Beersheba which is a southern border city from the biblical period of settlement in Israel, the ancient city of Judah. It was a watering hole and trading post for thousands of years, was the center of desert traffic and located in the vast Negev Desert. Today it is home to a quarter million Israelis and is considered the capital of Negev.
Ashkelon was an important caravan stop in ancient days and where Deliah snipped Samson's hair. Ashdod is a smaller and newer city and home of the Israeli Navy nautical school. We passed through the Region of Adullom, where David took refuge from Saul, and on to the Valley of Elah, the site of David's conquest of the giant Goliath. Our last stop was Emmaus, where Jesus appeared to two disciples.
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| Valley of Elah |
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| Beer Sheba National Park |
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| I wouldn't like to walk down those stairs to get water, would you? |
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| Cute little creatures |
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| Not indigenous to this area - probably some ones lost pets |
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| Emmaus where Jesus appeared |
February 25 - Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Tower of David, Dead Sea Swim
We walked the traditional Passion walk to the Mount of Olives and to the church known as Dominus Flevit, "Our Lord Weeps". After viewing the Golden Gate, we walked downhill to Gethsemane. We climbed Mt Zion to the grounds of a church called Peter in Gallicantu. A great way to end our tour is a float in the Dead Sea and rubbing the mineral-rich mud all over us. What fun!!!
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| The view of Jerusalem before our Passion walk |
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| The Garden of Gethsemane |
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| Church of Dominus Flevit |
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| Peter in Gallicantu Church where the High Priest Caiaphas interrogated Jesus |
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| Believed to be the path where Jesus walked |
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| Walking into the Dead Sea - Mud bottom is deep and difficult for walking |
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| Floating is easy |
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| Waiting for the mud to dry and remove the toxins from our body while making our skin soft and smooth |
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| Outdoor shower before taking indoor shower |
Floating in the Dead Sea was a great way to end our journey. Tomorrow morning we'll receive our wake-up call at 3:00 a.m. to be sure we make our 7:40 a.m. Turkish Air flight out of Tel Aviv to Istanbul. Our connecting flight out of Istanbul is at 12:50 p.m. with an expected arrival time to Los Angeles at 4:45 p.m.
February 26 - Arrived home safely
The flight home (well really, Kurt and Diane's house) went well with the exception of Denis' luggage getting lost. We packed light and expected that the airlines would allow our two TSA-approved carry ons, which wasn't a problem flying out of LA to Amman. However, when we flew home out of Tel Aviv, we were told we could take only one bag. Voila, lost luggage.
This was a trip of a lifetime and we are so happy that we were able to share it with our new friends from South Shores Church in Dana Point. We had 48 people of all ages with us on this tour. Fun!
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| Group in Petra |
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Group in Jerusalem
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| Alex and Lilly |
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| Kurt and Diane |
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| Russ and Ida |
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| Pastor Ty and Cindy |
This blog post covers only a portion of what we did. We took over 1,000 pictures and I've tried to give you some of the highlights. Jerusalem hasn't received snow in over 20 years but it snowed while we were there. Julie, our tour guide repeatedly told us how unusual the weather was and how many of the green hills we saw are usually brown and how the rivers were high. She needed to reorganize our itinerary because some of the roads were closed due to the snow. I posted each days events based on the original itinerary because I couldn't remember which days we were where, so please forgive me. A lot of what I've written is based on memory and brochures, if you notice a mistake, please send me a comment and I'll make the correction. Thanks for stopping in.
Hope you enjoyed traveling with us and I look forward to hearing from you.
