Israel Feb 2019

Model of the old city of Jerusalem

We left Egypt and flew to Tel Aviv - although the two cities are relatively close, there are no direct flight between them. It took sixteen hours from the time we left our hotel in Cairo, flew to Athens, had a four-hour layover, landed in Tel Aviv, and got to the hotel in Jerusalem. We could have done the drive in nine hours! The next morning, we met our group of 20 other travelers, which included visitors from USA, Scotland, Canada, South Africa and Australia.  Our guide was Jewish, and well informed on Biblical and political history of the area. We started at Israel Museum Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls were on display. They also had a large model of Old Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem today

One of the most interesting non-religious sites we visited was Masada. Here on top of an isolated, almost inaccessible mesa, King Harrod built one of his many palaces. After Harrod’s death, the Sicarii Jewish sect controlled this fortress until a Roman siege led to their mass suicide. From here, I went for a float in the Dead Sea.

Basilica of Gethsemane

Christ Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The most religious site that we visited in Jerusalem was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which contain the Rock of Calvary, the Stone of Unction, and Jesus’ Tomb. As we were leaving the church, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem was entering the church, which serves as his headquarters.

Head of the Greek Orthodox Church

Western Wall

Silver Star marks where Christ was born

We entered Palestine to travel to Bethlehem and picked up a Christian guide for the half-day tour.  We went to the church at Shepard’s Field and then to the Church of the Nativity. We only had to wait about 20 minutes to see the silver star, which marks the place where Jesus was born. Some days the wait is 8 hours to get to that star. This guide provided us with a different perception of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. 

Basilica of the Annunciation

We entered Palestine to travel to Bethlehem and picked up a Christian guide for the half-day tour.  We went to the church at Shepard’s Field and then to the Church of the Nativity. We only had to wait about 20 minutes to see the silver star, which marks the place where Jesus was born. Some days the wait is 8 hours to get to that star. This guide provided us with a different perception of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. We returned to Old Jerusalem and walked through the maze of shops, many containing Christian souvenirs, made in China, sold by Muslims and untouched by Christian hands. On our way to Nazareth, we visited the Holocaust Museum and the fortified city of Megiddo. At the Basilica of the Annunciation, we saw the cave where the angel came to Mary.

Jordan River baptismal place

Mound of the Beatitudes Church

Pat was still feeling bad, so she took a day off from touring. The rest of the group headed to the Jordan River Baptismal Place and then drove into the Golan Heights. We saw pillboxes and mine fields, remnants of the 7 Day War with Jordan, as we drove around the Sea of Galilee. We visited the religious towns of Kursi and Capharnoun before arriving at the Mount of the Beatitudes.

Knight Templar

Market in the city of Acre

Persian Hanging Gardens of Haifa

The next day Pat was back on the bus and we toured the Crusaders’ Citadel at Acre. One man in our group was the highest-ranking Knight Templar in Scotland. He gave us a short talk about the Knights, but with his heavy accent, he was difficult to understand. We drove to Haifa and Mt Carmel to see the Baha’i Shrine and Hanging Gardens. Our last stop was Caesarea where we walked around the ruins of one of Harrod’s Palaces. From here we went to Tel Aviv and then flew to Amman, Jordan.

Jordan Feb 2019

Hadrian's Arch at Jerash

The Temple of Artemis at Jerash

Our trip started in Amman and our first stop was the 3^rd century Greco-Roman ruins at Jerash, an important stop on the incense and spice trade route to the Mediterranean. Much of the city was still intact, especially its soaring Corinthian columns. It was amazing that these structures had survived this long. We also toured Citadel Hill, which overlooks Amman, before heading to Petra. 

Pat in the Siq

Petra is the main reason most travelers come to Jordan - it is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and a World Heritage Site. The City was carved into the shear rock face over 2,000 years ago. It was a major trading city on the silk and spice caravan routes. The Nabataeans were early water resource engineers and they harvested rainwater and constructed tunnels to create a pseudo oasis in an arid area that supported over two thousand people.

View at the end of the Siq

The city is isolated by a ¾ mile long narrow entrance passage called the Siq. At the end of the Siq, you get the first glimpse of the Treasury, the most photographed structure in Jordan. Much of the city was destroyed by an earthquake, but many tombs remain, along with a temple, church, monastery and a 4000 seat Amphitheater carved into the stone walls. We spent a full day exploring the various structures.

Obelisk tomb

The Royal Tombs

The Treasury

The Promised Land from Mt Nemo

On our return trip to Amman we stopped at Shobek to see the Crusader Castle from 1115. At Mount Nemo we view the Promised Land as Moses once did. At St George’s Church in Madaba we saw the world’s largest mosaic map. The map covers the Middle East with details of the Holy Land and Jerusalem.

The Brazen Serpent

Madaba's Mosaic Map

The next day we had an early flight to London. We had tickets to see “The Book of Mormon” but Pat was still ill so we rested at the airport hotel and flew back to VA the next day. When we arrived in Laurel, MD, Pat went to the urgent care center and they sent her to hospital because they were afraid she might have a PE. It turned out to be Pneumonia, which Pat has finally recovered from.