Bethlehem

Bethlehem turned out to be more of an adventure than a tour stop. Because Bethlehem is under the control of the Palestinian Authorities our Jewish guide can not enter the city. He arranged for a Arab friend ( a taxi driver ) to take us to the Church of the Nativity where he would wait two hours and then bring us back to Jerusalem. While that sounded good, it didn’t quite happen that way.

We were driven to a olive wood store/factory, given time to shop and were handed off to a “guide” who started our tour. This was not what we were told would happen and it made us a little nervous. At some point we were told The Church of the Nativity didn’t open until eleven and there would be a two hour wait.  We were now a little upset since we had planned on being back in Jerusalem by noon.

We get into the car with the guide and he wants to know where we want to go. We have no idea what to see since we only planned to see the Church of the Nativity.  He starts driving down dirty, dusty narrow side streets, it feels like an episode of Homeland right before the Americans are taken prisoner, it was surreal. He tells us we are headed to the Chapel of the Shepherds Field.








The Chapel of the Shepherds Field (Catholic Church) was our next stop. The chapel was erected to commemorate and mark the area of the appearance of the Angel to the shepherds. There is also a grotto nearby that has the ruins of a Byzantine church erected for the same reason.

Our next stop was the Bethlehem YMCA, that’s right the YMCA. There have been some ancient stones and pottery found on the YMCA property and now they take you to a cave/grotto where the relics were found.

The difference between how the sites in Jerusalem are administrated and the sites in Bethlehem are administrated are day and night different.  The Israeli sites are clean, uncluttered and orderly.  The sites in Bethlehem are dirty, cluttered and mass chaos.








The Milk Grotto was the next stop. This site is said to be where Mary was feeding Jesus and some milk spilled onto the floor transforming the whole chamber white. Our guide told us that women from all over come to the cave to get dirt and rock fragments to grind up into a beverage they drink to make their milk more abundant.








Our next stop, The Lutheran Church, aka The Christmas Church,  was interesting.  Initially we could not get in, the guide called somebody and we started walking around the building on narrow streets until we get to a small metal reinforced side door which would not open, again this made us a little uneasy.













Another phone call and we were taken back to the main doors and were let in. We had to wait a little while for access to the church so we had some refreshments while wondering what was really going on.







The church was nice, small, with very nice stained glass windows ( which were all made in Germany and with German wording). The dome was nice with a scripture written in Arabic.  It turned out to be a good experience, just different than what we expected.






When we approached the Church of the Nativity our guide was asked to provide proof he was a guide and after a lot of discussion he was allowed to take us into the church.  Because of the long lines he had us enter from the exit and somehow he got us about half way up the line where we waited about 30 minutes to get into the grotto.








There was an incredible amount of pushing and shoving to gain better position, it was like a rugby scrum. One 80 year old lady was the pushiest, she was driven to get into the grotto.  It was like a rugby scrim but worse.

The picture on the right is claimed to be the spot where Mary gave birth to Jesus.  It is floor level and most of the visitors want to get on their knees and touch this place, with people getting down, saying a prayer and then getting back up it is a very busy area.





Our goal achieved, we go back to the olive wood factory and wait for a taxi to Jerusalem.  And we wait and wait, an hour passes, we keep being told 5 minutes, the owner starts talking to other taxi drivers and after many harsh words between various drivers and the store owner a driver says "follow me" and we were off to Jerusalem.

While I never felt my life was in danger it was an uncomfortable experience and from the look on Elizabeth's face she was more than uncomfortable.  In the end, we accomplished our goal of seeing the Church of the Nativity so I must say the Bethlehem excursion was a success, a nerve racking success but a success.


                          TJ & EA in
                          Bethlehem

Jerusalem

Walking in and through The Holy City of Jerusalem was an awesome experience!  I really didn’t know what to expect when we discussed traveling to Jerusalem. After several days of walking around in the city, I am amazed and in awe. It’s not just names you see in the Bible it’s seeing where the events took place, how history unfolded. 


I never thought about how many times the Jewish people have been attacked, often being conquered, displaced and the city destroyed.  Over the centuries the walls of the city were destroyed, rebuilt and expanded as the city was conquered and as it grew. The base of the walls have remained with the upper parts being rebuilt. The last rebuild, the "New Wall" was done in the 16th century, 200 long years before there was a USA.

We began our tour of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. It overlooks the walled city and provides a wonderful view. Below the lookout area where we were standing is a very large and old cemetery. In times past, after a person had been buried a year, their bones were dug up and the plot was available for another family member. The recovered bones were put in an ossuary, a small, coffin like box made of wood or clay.  Further up the mountain is where the Garden of Gethsemane is located. At one time it was a large grove of olive trees. What remains now is a small grove of very ancient olive trees.

Next to the Garden is the Church of the Agony, or the Church of All Nations, so called because it was built with funds from many countries. The church is built upon the remains of two other churches and is centered around a large section of bedrock that is believed to be the place where that Jesus prayed the night before his betrayal and arrest.

From here, we walked down to the walled city of Old Jerusalem. We walked parts of the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus took, carrying the large, heavy wooden cross that he would be nailed to. The path is much the same as it was then, narrow and winding up, down and through the city. Now it is cobbled and lined with many shops and cafes.

Our guide pointed out the stations of the Cross as we walked. It was very humbling to see this, to walk the same path, to remember the hardships and tauntings we had been taught that Jesus endured, as well as the few kindnesses that were extended to him.






Walking through the Old City of Jerusalem was very interesting.  The old city is divided into four quarters, The Jewish Quarter, The Armenian Quarter, The Christian Quarter and The Muslim Quarter. You walk seamlessly between the quarters, not knowing that you've left one and entered another. There are no signs that we saw that marked them. All the people, regardless of religion or ancestry live and work next to each other, apparently without the tensions we've been led to believe they have. It is a lovely, lively, confusing rabbit's warren of crowded, colorful shops interspersed with cafes and coffee shops.







While we were in the Christian Quarter, we also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which contain the last four stations of the Via Dolorosa. The church contains what is believed to be the sites of Jesus' Crucifixion and His Resurrection. The site of the Crucifixion is very dark, lit by electric lights made to look like candles. The walls are beautifully decorated with mosaic scenes. The site of the Resurrection is located under the larger of the church's domes. Inside is a marble covered crypt that can be entered see a cave through a window. It was quite crowded in the church and the lines to enter this crypt were very long.         

The City of David was another great part of our tour. Most of the city is now in ruins and either under a current neighborhood or outside the walled city of Old Jerusalem. It is an active archaeological site. We were able to visit Gihon Spring and go through a portion of Siloam, or Hezekiah's Tunnel, carved to serve as an aqueduct from the Spring to Siloam Pool. Although tall, some portions of this tunnel were very narrow. Elizabeth was quite hesitant about going in.

The Western Wall was a great experience.  Seeing so many people praying in so many different ways.  It was an incredible sight watching the Ultra Orthodox Jews, the casual tourist and others all praying to God. The area in front of the wall is divided, one side for the men and the other for the women.

One night we wanted to have dinner with our guide, Eyal.  He suggested we go to The First Station.  The First Station was the original train station in Jerusalem that has been converted to a gathering place where you can get dinner, shop or just hang out. It just so happens that there was an Israeli version of Oktoberfest going on this weekend at The First Station.  We enjoyed various types of smoked beef, french fries, beer and good music.





After World War I, the British occupied a large area in North Africa and the Middle East including what is now Israel.  The British were to relinquish control of Israel on May 15, 1948 but Israel declared it's independence on May 14, 1948.  Walking through Jerusalem you can see the tremendous amount of influence the British had on the area and the gratitude the Israeli's have for them.

We had the opportunity to go to the Israel Museum. One of the highlights of this trip was getting to see the Dead Sea Scrolls.  They are considered by some to be the first bible (Old Testament). This picture shows some very good examples of standing baked clay sarcophagi.





There is also a 1:50 scale Holyland Model of Jerusalem that was really nice.  You could see all the old and new walls, all the temples, homes and much more. The large area on the right, mid way high is a large area atop a very tall walled section. This is Temple Mount. Using the people in the picture for scale, you can see how huge this walled city is.










    TJ & EA at the 
     Western Wall

Ein Gedi, Masada & The Dead Sea

While talking to my sister Sue, she mentioned she would like a vial of water from the Jordan river.  Not sure how to make that happen we mentioned it to Eyal.  He took us to Yardenit  a famous baptism site nearby that would have bottles we could fill and off we went.

Yardenit is the site where some claim Jesus baptized people, others think it was across the river.  The various wars in the area have changed who occupies which sites and they all claim a site to be the original site Jesus used for baptisms.

There were quite a few people getting baptized in the Jordan.  The shop there offered a service which provided you a white gown and a dunking for only $8.




The Ein Gedi Nature Reserve was our next stop. There is a waterfall way up on the mountain.  Several unusual wildlife species inhabit this oasis, Nubian Ibexes and rock hyrax.  We saw many Ibexes but not the rock hyrax.










One Ibex was standing on top of a small tree eating the leaves, it was very unusual to see a animal atop a tree.









There are a series of three waterfalls. It was a long tiring hike to the top one.  The path was a combination of loose gravel, uneven rock steps, and wet stones.  The water brings life to many different plants and trees from the desert, Mediterranean and tropical regions all growing in this one spot. It is quite beautiful.








There is one trail for ascension and another for descending. About halfway down, we noticed another group coming up and took this picture to show the path.







I found Masada to be very interesting. It is a fortress on the top of a isolated mountain plateau built at the direction of Herod the Great. He also ordered a palace to be included. The palace is the portion that has the rounded walls. During the First Jewish - Roman War a group of Jewish Rebels called the Sicarii occupied the fortress after massacring the Roman Garrison at Masada.

The Romans laid siege to the city which lasted for three and a half months before they were able to scale the wall via a man made ramp and use of a siege tower.  When the Romans entered the city they found all the defenders and their families had committed suicide or killed each other for fear of being captured by the Romans.









From the walls you can look down and see the outlines of the Roman camps and their siege walls.  Imagine, they were built 2000 years ago and can be clearly seen today.








This is the view that Herod the Great had of the Dead Sea from his mountain top palace.









When we toured Jordan several years ago, we went to the Dead Sea.  It was very cold that year and Elizabeth waded into the sea but did not try to float.  This time she got in the water and floated. She said she felt so awed to be in this clear water, devoid of all plant and animal life, at the lowest spot on earth while she had Israel at her back and Jordan in front of her.











           
          TJ & EA in 
              Israel

Capernaum, Galilee & Biet She'an

Today our intrepid travelers find themselves in the northern region of Israel called Galilee. This area is fertile and lush with many orchards and vegetable farms, all of them irrigated with water from the Sea of Galilee. This sea is actually a large lake called Kinneret. This area is known as the location of many healing miracles performed by Jesus, this is also the location where Jesus walked on water.

On the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee is The Capernaum National Park. Capernaum is the town Jesus selected as the center of his ministry after he left Nazareth.  This town is cited in all four gospels, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. In the park, we saw the ruins of a Roman city.



The black basalt rocks are local and were used to build homes for the common people. The white limestone was quarried further away and was brought to this area to build the church and homes for the wealthier people.




On the advice of our guide, we took a short cruise on the Sea of Galilee. Although we're not boat people, we did and enjoyed it. What made it different from being on a boat on any other lake was being the only Americans with the other passengers, except our guide, being Polish.

They were a large group that were having so much fun that it was fun to watch them. Elizabeth was sitting next to a woman who spoke English and had visited the US twice. They seemed to enjoy their interactions.




While in the same area, we visited Primacy of St. Peter Church, located on the shore and that we had seen from our cruise. The church was built around a large limestone rock that is in front of the altar. This rock is believed to be where Jesus stood when he commanded Peter to "feed my sheep", meaning to tend to Jesus' followers.







The church was quite crowded and Elizabeth was never able to see the rock, but I could raise the camera high enough to get a picture of it.











Not far away, in Tabgha, is the Shrine of the Multiplication of Loaves. The earliest record of a church at this site is from 380 AD. As we learned at many locations, churches were built, destroyed, rebuilt upon the same site, often using the same stones, destroyed and rebuilt again.

This site is notable because it is believed to be where Jesus performed the miracle of the fishes and loaves. In some areas, remains have been found of mosaic floors that were part of the 5th century church. Of course these floors have been roped off to protect them and allow future generations to still be able to enjoy them.





In the Beit She'an National Park we saw the remains of Scythopolis a once great Roman city. Scythopolis was a very large Roman city and the center of the Roman Empire in this area.

It appears to have been a very finely built city with marble structures, public steam baths and toilets, as well as well as a well preserved theater, a hippodrome and a cardo. A friend of ours saw one of our pictures and noted that this site was included as part of the movie Jesus Christ Superstar.





This was one city that was not destroyed by conquerors. First it was destroyed by fire, after which it was abandoned, then it was rebuilt to the city that became ruins due to an earthquake in 749 AD.












Tommy & Elizabeth
        in Galilee

Tel Aviv, Haifa, Akko and Nazareth

Our adventure continues as we arrive in Israel.  Arriving in the middle of the night is never the best way to start in a new country and this was no exception.  We didn’t get much sleep because the room was very hot, they had to bring in a portable air conditioner, the room didn’t cool down until mid day.


The view of the Mediterranean and the beach from our room was very nice.  It’s just a short walk across the street and your find yourself on a beautiful, clean, sandy beach it’s the nicest beach I have ever been on.  One of the things that made it so nice is it isn’t crowded, plenty of room to walk, swim and relax.

We are not very adventurous eaters but we were able to find a lot of food we liked, burgers, schnitzel and chicken.

As I said before, the view from the room was great, even the sunset was beautiful.






We went to the old part of Tel Aviv, Jaffa, it is an ancient port city in Israel. While we were in Jaffa we went to the Mahane Yehuda Market.  If you have never gone to a Souq or open air market in a Middle Eastern country you are missing a great experience.  Some markets are better than others but they each have their on "flavor.  Walking through the market your senses are overwhelmed with the sights and sounds.  The sights are all the different shops and the merchants beckoning you to look at their wares as well as seeing tourists from all over the world.




The smells are of incense and spices.  Many merchants burn incense trying to get your attention. Walking through the Souq you will usually find several open air spice shops.  The spices are stacked high in bins or large opened bags, their aromas wafting through the air.





Walking around town we often saw young men wearing flip flops, short pants and tank tops and they were carrying M-16s.  While it didn't alarm me, I was curious about it.  As most of us know Military service is mandatory in Israel. What I didn't know is that all soldiers, when on leave, have to take their weapon with them.

After being picked up at our hotel by our Israeli guide, Eyal, we were driven to Haifa, the third largest city in Israel. The city is a major seaport and the center of Israeli oil importation and refining.

The Baha’i gardens are part of the Baha'i World Center located in Haifa. The Baha'i Faith is a relatively new religion started in 1863 teaching the essential worth of all religions and the unity and equality of all people.

The Baha'i gardens consist of 19 different terraced levels on the side of Mount Carmel, they are beautiful.





The old city of Akko, also known as Acre, was a ancient fortified city on the Mediterranean Sea. It was the capital city of the Crusaders in the Holy Land for many years.


The Knights Hall in Akko was one of the most interesting sites for me. There was a secret passage which allowed the Crusaders to bring food and supplies into the city from the sea.  In Israel and other Middle Eastern countries the Knights Templar have left a lasting impression to this day. The old city walls still stand. On the Mediterranean Sea side, they sometimes provide a diving platform for young people to dive into the sea. Some of the ruins that are in the sea serve as a place for fishermen to sit as they wait for fish to take home. Things that are extraordinary and ancient to us are everyday items that serve modern day needs to the people of Akko.





Nazareth was Mary’s home in the Galilee

In Nazareth we saw the Basilica of the Annunciation, the site where Mary was told by the Angel Gabriel she was to bear the son of God.












         TJ & EA in
              Israel

Land of the Pharohs, Egypt

After spending some time in Egypt I’ve decided I should be called King Tutintomin, that’s right King Tut-in-Tom-in, I’m sure there is royal blood flowing in these veins. Close friends can still call me Tom or Tommy but all others need to use King Tutintomin.


I’m not sure where to start talking about Egypt, it is both magical and monstrous. The sights you see will amaze you. Realizing they did these things thousands of years ago is unbelievable. That said, it is a poor Middle Eastern country and the things you see will bewilder you. While it is not as bad as Saudi Arabia it is hot, dirty and sad. Poverty and unemployment encircles you, everywhere you look. People from all walks of life struggling to make a better life for themselves at the expense of others.

From the elevator of the hotel to the curb you can have your luggage handed off three times with everybody expecting a tip. Walk through a souq and you will be approached, followed and harassed to purchase something.  While I understand their situation and I am sympathetic, day after day at every stop you make is overwhelming.  Then the guides take you to places their friends or business partners own and you're hounded to buy more items. Additional tickets for cameras, access to additional areas, DVD sets, it goes on and on.

In the picture to the left we are travelling 40-45 mph and people are trying to "walk" through the cars.  Drivers honking, swerving and somehow missing the people crossing the street, amazing.







Like Saudi Arabia, there are no traffic rules. You drive where you want while honking the horn and flashing your lights to improve your position. On all but the large freeways you will see donkey carts loaded with various items, our guide called them "Egyptian Ferrari’s". Three wheel Tuk-Tuks everywhere, overloaded and swerving in and out of traffic. If it’s a two lane road they drive three abreast, a three lane road they drive four abreast and forever trying to get more cars, carts and motorcycles through a road designed for less traffic.  The registered tour guide drivers are better about stopping at lights but will still thrill you with their exploits.




It was disappointing to not be able to take pictures in a lot of the places we toured as it would have been great to share our memories with others. Where possible I will share pictures we took and in other places I will use stock photos we got on DVD.







So many of the artifacts are incomplete or damaged, it was common practice for the conquering army to tear down or deface the statues, especially the facial features.


Cairo is a big city with about 20 million people in the metropolitan area.  Our room had a view of the Giza pyramids. Our first day touring was spent in Giza to see the pyramids and Sphinx.

Cheops' pyramid is the largest pyramid in existence and is the only remaining structure of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The pyramids were erected to preserve the bodies and treasures of the Pharaohs for the afterlife.








Sakkara is called "The City of the Dead", it is the oldest burial ground in Egypt. Sakkara is the site of the Pyramid of Djoser or the Step Pyramid, one of the first pyramids constructed.  There are 17 burial tombs within the complex.








At the Necropolis of Dahshur you can see The Bent Pyramid.  It is a pyramid that changes the angle of the sides about half way to the top, very unusual and the only pyramid of this type.

In Cairo we also went to the Egyptian Museum. While the exhibits were nice it was very hot, no AC in the building with 95+ degree heat and hundreds of people.  The King Tut exhibit was awesome, worth the price by itself.




















Luxor is about a hour flight South from Cairo on the river Nile. Our guide for Luxor was named Bob.  He said he was a big Bob Marley fan and his friends gave him the nickname and it stuck.

Our first stop was the Karnak Complex. On our way there looking out the windows we saw beautiful flowers, trees and agricultural lands, this is the fertile Nile valley We learned that the Nile (which flows from South to North) has had branches forked off of it many times, diminishing the size of it. This was done to irrigate the fields further away to increase their growing areas. Once we saw the end of the Nile in Cairo, this was amazing as the end result of what's left of the river is still huge. 

The Karnak Temple Complex is a series of decaying temples, chapels and other buildings near Luxor, formerly known as Thebes. One of the buildings, the Hypostyle Hall, was built by King Seti, who ruled from 1290 - 1279 B.C. This Hall is filled with huge columns covered with hieroglyphics relating the story of King Seti. The tallest of the columns are 70 ft tall and the shortest are 40 ft tall. The hall is an area large enough to encompass the whole of Notre Dam in Paris.

The Avenue of Sphinxes was a row of Sphinxes connecting the temples of Luxor and Karnak.  It is over 3 km long and was made up of over 2000 sphinxes.









We had the opportunity to visit the Luxor Museum and we did. There is a big struggle within the Egyptian antiquities authorities as to which museum (Luxor or Cairo) gets the best stuff.  Our guide was quite adamant that the Cairo museum was stealing their best displays.


The Hall of Mummies in the museum was very nice. There were seven or eight mummies in various conditions, I think they were all impressive.  The display was well done, good exhibits, adequate lighting and a good subject.




On our second day in Luxor we visited The Valley of The Kings on the West Bank of the Nile. Interestingly, the West Bank was designated for the dead, with the living being on the East Bank.  There are 63 tombs located in this area.  We went into three different tombs.  Some of the original paintings still have beautiful colors showing, it's quite a site.



To access one tomb you transverse a 125 meter deep shaft at about a 40 degree slope, it was a hard walk down and back up. Of course there is no air circulation system so it makes the interior extremely hot.



The Temple of Hatshepsut the only woman Pharaoh of Egypt.



Our final night in Cairo we stayed at the Grand Nile Tower Hotel.  It was awesome!  We had a suite that overlooked the Nile and the view was incredible.  It was the perfect way to leave Egypt.

  TJ & EA in Egypt