Week 17 Israel: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Caesarea, Tel-Aviv, and Jaffa PLUS

Day 1 We arrived in Israel on April 10 but had to anchor off shore as they had to send their team of Covid testers to test everyone on board. We passed 100% crew and passengers Covid free. We also had 100% valid Israeli Visa acceptance. The port was Ashdod, a shipping port in southern Israel. We had one excursion there as we travelled to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. I wanted to see as much of the Holy Land as possible since we were in Israel. The people were so wonderful everywhere we went. We had no issues associated with these cities and peoples. We had a Muslim, Jewish, Palestinian Catholic, and a non-practicing Jewish guides. All very knowledgeable and not denigrating any other religion. They work together to keep the nation going. Never had a safety concern at any point in time. We saw more military/security in Saudi Arabia and Egypt than we did in Israel. The food was delicious and often easier to eat gluten-free than most other places. I have fallen in love with Turkish Salad. It is a spicy, thick, tomato based salsa type dish. You eat it as a condiment with pita bread but I just ate it plain. I want to make it and put it over penne pasta as a spicy sauce. Our off site meals on the excursions were often at Muslim owned restaurants. Delicious!

Well I guess I better start writing about the places and history.

Jerusalem was beautiful. We visited the Old City after stopping at the Garden of Olives, the Gardens of Gethsemane and the Church of all Nations. The Garden of Olives is very small and it is said that the trees there are sprouts from the trees during Jesus' time. As the guide said, much of this is historically/archeologically proven and other is by Faith. The Church of All Nations is beautiful and has so much meaning in its designs. We then entered the Old City and visited the Western Wall (Wailing Wall). Here, we had to separate into male/female paths to actually go near the wall. It is very emotional to be there and touch the wall for a prayer. When we reunited we began to walk on Jesus' way of the cross along the Via Dolorosa, or "Way of Sorrows". This took us to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher- site of Christ's crucifixion, entombment, and resurrection. We were actually able to go inside the various parts of the church. It was emotional for me and several others. There was an opportunity to view the Temple Mount and the glittering Dome of the Rock but not actually enter.

Garden of Gethsemane

Church of All Nations by Garden of Gethsemane

Ceiling of Church

Outer walls of Old Jerusalem

Old Jerusalem on first entering- Dome of the Rock

Western Wall (Wailing Wall) Men's side

Station 5 Along Via Dolorosa "Way of Sorrows" (Stations of the Cross)

Station VII of "Way of Sorrows"

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Site of Christ's crucifixion, entombment, and resurrection.

This covers the site of Christ's entombment and resurrection.

The stone that Jesus was placed after his death to cleanse, anoint with oils, and wrap him for burial.

Altar at one end of the Sepulcher

This is the site of Calvary and there is a hole where you can crawl under the altar and touch the stone

that held the vertical beam of the cross. (We did not have permission to go there)

Painting on wall depicting events.

Some tombs underneath the church.

Some of our Viking Star crew had the option to visit Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Viking gives them options to visit such significant sites (often free for them and they deserve the option.

Bethlehem was smaller and it is here that we switched from an Israeli Jewish guide (Murray) to a Palestinian Catholic as Bethlehem is in a Palestine sector. We went to the Church of the Nativity where Mary is honored along with Joseph, who has a church dedicated to him. Inside the Church of the Nativity you walk down steep steps to visit the site Jesus was born and the manger area where he laid. There is a 14 point silver star marking the "exact" spot where he was born, Faith, and where the manger was, Faith.

Bethlehem

Church of the Nativity

Main area of the Church of the Nativity

Main altar raised above the main area of the Church

Steps, very steep, that lead to the site of Christ's Birth and the Manger

When the Crusaders began to arrive here they carved the cross of their leader on the columns.

The 14 point star marks the site where Jesus was born.

This is the site of Baby Jesus' manger about 6' from the birth site.

Steps down to the cave where St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin.

St. Jerome

When we headed back to Ashdod and the Viking Star, we were exhausted from this 13 hour excursion.

Day 2 We docked in Haifa the next morning and began two more days of extra long excursions. We continued our Holy Land visits with a trip to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. It is here you see a great mix of Biblical times and Crusades in the old cities. Nazareth is more Arab populated than Christian and that is the case of Bethlehem now with 20% Christian, 30% Arab Christian, and 50% Muslim Arabs.

We began our tour at the Church of the Annunciation. It is believed this is the site of Mary's parents home where the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear a child. Not far from this is St. Joseph's church where Joseph is said to have had his carpentry shop. From Nazareth we visited the site of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes). This is also area where Jesus walked on water on the Sea of Galilee and his fishes for the apostles and then the Loaves and fishes miracle. After that we went to the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized as an adult.

The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth

Dome of the Church of the Annunciation

Inside of church is a main altar but to the side and down set of stairs is said to be the home of Mary where Angel Gabriel told her she was with God's child

Main Altar of Church

Shrine to Mary and Child

Remains of Mary's home with parents

Area outside of cavelike home of Mary possibly Joseph's work shop

Mural in Church

Upstairs of church are murals from nations around the world. This is the 3-D one from USA

This is outside of the Church from the Ukraine

St. Joseph

Inside St. Joseph's Church

Underneath St. Joseph's Church is an old mosaic and a baptismal bath

Side chapel with Joseph and Jesus

Valley leading to the Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee opposite side is Golan Heights

Church on site of Sermon on the Mount

Inside of Church on the Mount

The Sermon contained the Beatitudes

View of Sea of Galilee from the Mount

Church at site of the Miracle of the Fish where Jesus walked on water and the Apostles were able to

get enough fish to eat. Also where the Miracle of the Fishes and Loaves occurred.

It is believed that the rock is the one that Jesus told Peter "it is upon this rock that I will build my church"

You can walk down the side of the church and touch the Sea of Galilee

Outdoor mass was being said when we were there

Site of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River. Baptisms are often done here for adults

Jordan River site of baptisms

Capharnaum is the home of St. Peter. It is said Jesus never came here but they believe Mary did.

The largest remains are of a Jewish temple

This is said to be the home of St. Peter's family. A church has been built above it.

Statue of St. Peter in the square.

We headed home completing our 11hour excursion.

Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, Haifa is one of Israel's most important and beautiful cities. Pilgrims of the Baha i Faith come to the Hanging Gardens of Haifa (see the terraced area).

Day 3 in Israel we visited three cities: Caesarea, Tel-Aviv, and Old Jaffa. This was a wonderful drive south of Haifa along the Mediterranean Coast. Absolutely beautiful water on our right and the Carmel Mountain range to our left. At Caesarea are the ruins of King Herod's Palace and later crusaders' fortress right at the coast. This is King Herod of biblical times and the crusades of the 11th and 12th centuries.

King Herod's palace is huge. The place must have been breathtaking at the time with mosaic tile floors, columns, terrace area at the seashore, and a pool that was filled with sea water. To the north of the palace is the ruins of a Crusade fortification. All of this is now an Israeli National Park. Now we headed further south to Tel-Aviv. This is a fairly new city and it is seen in its architecture. The city began to grow in the 1930s when German immigrants began coming to Israel prior to the war. There are a number of Bauhaus style building most of which are painted white giving Tel-Aviv its nickname- White City. Today there are hundreds of high-rises within this fast growing city. Very modern, cultural, and filled with young people. Also, very high tech businesses in this area of Israel. Waze app for traffic information is one that was developed here. We only drove around the city as we then went to Old Jaffa for lunch and then a walk along the coastal paths to the center of Old Jaffa. It is here that Greek mythology again entered our history lessons. I will note a picture below that is where Andromeda was tied to a rock by her parents to appease the Gorgons who were sinking ships and eating the sailors. Her parents had angered the gods with their egotism and the gods demanded they sacrifice their daughter to remove the Gorgons. Perseus saw Andromeda and fell in love with her. He killed the Gorgon and married Andromeda. Not a happy ending if you read the tale.

The Old City of Jaffa is now surrounded by Tel-Aviv so you generally will not find it on a map today. The old city is quaint and full of history as well. I have a picture of a city water fountain erected by a Muslim ruler who was locked out of his own fortified city due to a strict rule he had his soldiers follow. As a result, the ruler missed being able to say his prayers and perform a cleansing rite according to Islamic laws. In the morning, when the gates were finally opened, he entered his home and ordered a fountain be placed outside the city gate so anyone could have water to complete their prayer rituals. An old clock tower still remains in the center of Jaffa today. We had time to walk the streets and see the shops with food, antiques (a desk we would love to have), up-scale clothing, money exchange stores, and many other variety of items available. Again we headed home to end a 12 hour excursion due to traffic and an accident on the highway.