Day 51, Sunday, January 23rd. After another wonderful brunch at the Dead Sea Kempinski, we headed to the Israel border. The shortest way to Israel from our location in Jordan was to cross the Allenby (King Hussein) Bridge, but this is a difficult location to cross. Our Israeli agent encouraged us to use the VIP service to help. It was the best $220 we have ever spent. Both the Jordan and Israeli sides of the border were extremely crowded and very confusing. Even with help, it took an hour and a half. We got embarrassing glares from others in the long lines when we were escorted to the front of all the lines. The Israeli immigration agent looked at every stamp in our passports and questioned the United Arab Emirates stamp from Dubai. We were almost denied entry because Izzy said we might visit the West Bank (only because he didn’t understand her question). After checking into the ultra-modern Mamilla Hotel located just outside the old city walls, we visited the very emotional Holocaust Museum.
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| Border between Jordan and Israel |
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| King Hussein Bridge |
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| Memorial to Holocaust victims |
Day 51, Monday, January 24th. We took a whole day tour of Jerusalem. Our first stop was the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem. I took a photo of Izzy at the same spot he and his dad were photographed 35 years ago! Next we entered the Old City through the Jaffa Gate. The highlight was the Western Wall (wailing wall). The men and women are separated – there is much more action on the men’s side. I stood on a plastic chair and snapped photos of the men (with my long telephoto lens). Izzy looked particularly happy here. We wondered the streets of the Arab, Jewish and Christian quarters for a few hours. There are many significant Christian sights in the Old City – the most important are the Via Dolorosa (where Christ carried the cross) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is built on the sight of the crucifixion. The artwork in this church is stunning. In the afternoon we visited Yad Vashem again. The highlight was the memorial to the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. This amazing building was donated by an American couple who lost their child in the Holocaust – there is a point of light for each child and the names and ages of the children are continuously read. In the evening, we went to the Night Spectacular at the Tower of David. The history of Jerusalem unfolded in an amazing sound and light show that was projected on the ancient citadel walls.
View from the Mount of Olives
Izzy standing where he stood with his Dad 35 years ago
Rock of the Dome
Western Wall
Western Wall
Izzy at Western Wall
Site where Jesus was crucified
Christians in Old Jerusalem
Day 53, Tuesday, January 25th We were picked up early in the morning for our full-day tour called the Pearls of the Western Coast. Our first stop was Caesarea, the ancient Roman capital and port. We walked past the theater and the archaeological ruins and excavations. We enjoyed the arena for chariot racing and the waterless moat that surrounded the ancient city. We continued to Haifa where we had a scenic view of the city, port and Bahia Gardens. Our favorite stop of the day was Acre where we visited the remains of the port city and fortress built by the Crusaders and subsequently used by the Turks. You could practically see the knights galloping through the city and eating in the enormous banquet hall. Our last stop of the day was the emerald green Rosh Hanikra limestone grottos on the Lebanon border. We returned to the Renaissance Hotel on the beautiful beach in Tel Aviv for our four night stay.
The great chariot rider at Caesarea
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| Byzantine Church at Caesarea |
Waterless moat around Caesarea
Grand Hall for Crusader knights at Acre
Medieval court at Acre
Grotto at Rosh Hanikra
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| Rosh Hanikra |
Day 54, Wednesday, January 26th Today we visited Bethlehem and Jericho. Both cities are in Palestine. Israel built a huge wall around Bethlehem to protect its borders. Since the wall was built 5 and half years ago, there has not been any bombings in Israel and tourism has grown dramatically. It is very bizarre crossing the border to Bethlehem - you almost feel like you are part of one of those World War 2 black and white spy movies. I half way expected to see a Humphrey Bogart character with a cigarette hanging out of his month around the next corner. It is obvious that Palestine is a much poorer country than Israel. The major industry in Bethlehem is tourism. We visited the Church of the Nativity, which is on the site where Jesus was born, and Manger Square. In the afternoon, we went to Jericho, the oldest city in the world. The ruins are in a poor state – mostly we saw mounds of dirt and stones. We also passed by the Zacheus Sycamore and Mt. Temptation, where the devil tempted Jesus. We enjoyed dinner at a beach front café.
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| Bethlehem church |
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| Greek Orthodox Church - Church of the Nativity |
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| Site where Jesus was born at Church of Nativity |
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| We need more of these signs around the world |
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| Jericho |
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| Mount Temptation Monastery |
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| Border crossing from Jerusalem to Bethleham |
Day 55, Thursday, January 27th Today was one of highlights of our trip to Israel. We ascended via cable car to Masada, the mountain fortress which was built by King Herod and where heroic Jews in the first century made their last stand against the Romans. We saw remains of the walls, palaces, synagogues, cisterns, mosaic floors, roman baths, the Roman camps that surrounded Masada and the huge earthen ramp the Romans used for their final assault on the Jews. We are anxious to rent the 1981 movie of Masada staring Peter O’Toole to relive the epic drama. In the afternoon, we went to the Israeli side of the Dead Sea to float one last time. On the way back, we drove past the Qumeran caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Our guide today was Izzy Martinez, In the evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner with Jack and Etti who were fellow Hebibi’s on our cruise down the Nile. We ate at the Manta Ray restaurant on the Tel Aviv beach.
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| Cable to Masada |
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| View towards Dead Sea from Masada |
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| Carrier pigeon home at Masada |
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| Ramp built by Romans to siege Masada |
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| Site of Roman camp during siege of Masada |
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| Roman bath at Masada |
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| Masada |
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| View from Masada |
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| Floating on the Dead Sea |
Day 56, Friday, January 28th We had to make a mad dash back to Jerusalem today to get my small jewelry bag which I had left at our hotel there. I was so upset with myself and I hated to waste two hours of our vacation!! It wasn’t just the jewelry – the bag also contained copies of our credit cards, passports and a list of all our passwords. I had visions of someone getting into all our bank and investment accounts. Before I was able to confirm my bag was at our Jerusalem hotel, I spent an hour madly changing all our passwords. Back in Tel Aviv, we took a long walk on the beach promenade to the old Arab port of Jaffa. The beautiful white sandy beaches and high rise hotels remind Izzy of Miami Beach. We had a delicious fish lunch in Jaffa overlooking the beach. We walked back through the old city of Jaffa and the colorful farmers’ market. Most of the stores were closing early as the Jews prepared to celebrate Shabbat. We stopped by the Sheridan Hotel where Izzy and his dad stayed 35 years ago. For dinner, we went to the old port.
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| Jaffa |
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| Tel Aviv beach |
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| Tel Aviv skyline |
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| Jaffa - where we ate lunch |
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| Farmers market |
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| Farmers market |
Day 57, Saturday, January 29th We departed Tel Aviv via the Coastal Road and headed to Nazareth, the town where Jesus spent his childhood. We visited the Church of Annunciation, the site where Mary was told by the Archangel Gabriel that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ, and the Church of St. Joseph which is built on the site of Jesus’ boyhood home. We visited Capernaum, an old town on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus taught in the local synagogue. Our next stop was Tabgha, the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of the fish and loaves, located at the foot of the Golan Heights. Our last stop was Yardenit, the site where Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan. We were surprised to see Asian otters swimming in the Jordan River. At first, I thought they were creepy water rats, but as soon as someone told me they were otters, they were darling! Our 75 year-old guide, Jacob, is a Holocaust survivor who was born in the Ukraine. Both his parents perished in the war. After the tour, we checked into the Rimonim Hotel in the city of Tiberius on the banks of the Sea of Galilee for a two night stay. Today is Shabbat and since this is an orthodox hotel, they had a Shabbat elevator. Orthodox Jews are not supposed to do any work and that includes pushing the button in the elevator. Consequently, the elevator stops on every floor and you can’t select any particular floor.
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| American gift to Church of Annunciation |
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| Black stone where Jesus multiplied the loaves of bread - his first miracle |
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| Nazareth |
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| Church of Annunciation |
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| Site where Mary was told she would be the mother of Jesus |
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| Tabgha mosaic |
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| Tabgha mosaic |
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| Jacob, our guide and Holocaust survivor |
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| Capernaum |
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| Asian otter in River Jordan where Jesus was baptized |
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| Sea of Galilee - 213 meters below sea level |
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| Sea of Galiliee |
Day 58, Sunday, January 30th Today was the first rainy day that hindered our travels a little bit. We hired a driver to take us around the Sea of Galilee and to visit the Golan Heights. Our first stop was the Golan Heights Winery. We sampled six local wines – our favorites were an organic chardonnay and a pinot noir. Next we visited ancient Qasrin – a Talmudic village and synagogue from the 4th to 8th centuries. The most interesting structure was the rabbi’s home complete with an oven and an upstairs bedroom. It is said that the synagogue here cost the equivalent of $10 million in today dollars. That shows how important it was to the village. The area of the Golan Heights was won by Israel in the 1967 war. This is an important region because it has a large supple of water. It was beautiful and green, but the rain and fog prohibited us from experiencing its true beauty. We wanted to see Mount Hermon which has snow on top, but it was too foggy. From a vantage point, we looked over to the Syrian border and saw the neutral zone maintained by the United Nations. There were scattered tanks as monuments to the Israeli victory. Our next stop was the village of Safed which had a lovely artist colony. Izzy spotted a man playing a didgeridoo painted in Israeli designs (at first he thought the man was a sculpture until he moved). It turns out he is from Los Angeles, but enjoying living in Israel. We continued to drive the circumference of the Sea of Galilee and lunched at a Kibbutz on the shoreline. I had grilled St. Peter fish and Izzy had a huge salmon fillet. The food was excellent. Back at our hotel, we enjoyed the sauna and steam baths. We had the buffet dinner at our hotel. It was so good that Izzy gave his compliments to the chef. The food is kosher, but very delicious.
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| Qasrin synagogue |
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| Qasrin – a Talmudic village - rabbi's house |
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| Mosaic made by local children at Qasrin |
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| Tank from 1967 war |
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| Sea of Galilee |
Izzy at Western Wall
Site where Jesus was crucified
Christians in Old Jerusalem
