Our Final Day – Temple Mount, Holocaust Museum, Garden Tomb – Wednesday 12/9/09

This morning was free, nothing scheduled. About a dozen of us took a taxi up to the Temple Mount. Mom stayed back at the hotel to pack and rest.
We walked around the Temple Mount – the walled area where the Temple once was – which now contains only Mosques. The golden “Dome of the Rock” that is seen on most pictures of Jerusalem, and that we saw on our first morning in Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives.
We had to go through several security checkpoints to get there.

Security - metal detector, xray - entering Western Wall area

Dome of the Rock

After we returned to the hotel, the EO tour continued, and Lillian met us at our bus. We went to the Holocaust Museum (Yad Vashem) – very sobering account of events in Germany and Europe from the beginnings of anti-semitism to the prejudice to the confiscation of Jewish assets to the ghettos to the death camps.

Holocaust museum

Before we went in, Lillian told us an interesting story.

Lillian speaking to Yellow Bus group outside Yad Vashem

Before we go in, Lillian tells us about the place, that many people are honored for saving Jewish families during the war. Then a story.

A young man lives in France with his wife, who has just had a baby. Some soldiers? friends? come to him one day and say that he must leave, that the German soldiers are coming, and that no Jews are safe. They have to leave. He says that they can’t leave, his wife has just had a baby. The soldier says you don’t understand, there will be a massacre. You leave, or death.
He and his wife and child escape on foot up to the French Alps. It’s summer, so fortunately it’s not too cold. They are tired. They come upon a small town. The young man tells his wife to rest, that he will go and find a place to stay. He runs into someone and asks if there is a place to stay – they have money, they can pay, they just need a place to stay. The woman says he has a strange accent, where is he from. He says he is Russian.
The woman says if you are Russian, you are family. Stay with us. They do stay. The family protects them.

One day the Germans are coming. The man hides in a cave. His wife hides ? in the barn? and the 12 year old daughter of the family keeps the baby with her, in their house. The German soldiers come. They have heard there is a Jewish family hiding there. Who is the baby? The girl says, my baby sister. Where is your father? He is in the army, like you, she says. How long has he been gone? Two years, she says. The soldiers know if the father has been gone that long, the baby can’t be his. They can do the math. But they say to each other, don’t mind them, they are just children, and they leave. The family is safe.

Is there more to the story? Do you wonder what happened to the baby, Lillian says? She’s standing right in front of you.

So this is Lillian’s story. Why she has a French and Russian accent, in a way. She was born in France (1942?). Moved to the US when she was 5, lived in NY. Moved back to Israel when she was 12 (1954?) When she graduated from high school, she served in the Israeli army for 2 years.
The French family who hid them and kept them safe was awarded the medal of the Righteous? from Israel. Their name is listed in the holocaust museum list of the Righteous. The French also gave them an award of ??? for their bravery.

Lillian takes us through the museum and other buildings.

After lunch at the museum we got back on the bus and drove to the Garden Tomb.

Street Entrance to Garden Tomb

Very impressive, beautiful garden. Maintained by a British church. We got a dramatic account of how the tomb was discovered and excavated. Then we got to file into the tomb, hewn rock in a rock wall.

Entrance to Garden Tomb

Trough in which round stone could have been rolled to seal the tomb

Inside the tomb, place where Jesus' body is said to have been laid (place for feet chiseled out at far end)

Layout of the tomb

Next a communion service with all four of our buses from our Bishop Lindsey Davis.

Communion service at Garden Tomb with Bishop Lindsey Davis

We boarded the bus for the last time sightseeing.

Mom (Betty Rush) boarding the EO Yellow Bus

We then returned to the hotel, loaded luggage in the buses and had dinner.

Last supper at Olive tree hotel

Bus ride to airport. These Israelis take security VERY seriously. Took us two hours to get through security. We’re now at the gate (10:45 pm Israeli time, 7 hours ahead of home). Boarding soon. Have to post this. [Pictures added later.]
Back in the USA soon!!!

Masada – Tuesday 12/8/09

Today we visited Masada, that I remember seeing in a TV mini-series about 26 years ago.
I remember because I invited Cliff to my house to watch it after our first date in 1983!

We once again headed out on the YELLOW BUS, this time at 8:30 am, a bit later than other days. We rotate the bus seats around every day. Mom and I had a great seat today, two rows behind the bus driver. We can see out the front of the bus which is great. I’m more oriented about where we are going.

In the middle of the main road we use to head out of town, there is a very wide median. This was where the wall was, and where Jerusalem was divided until 1967. Our hotel and the ?east? half of Jerusalem had been in Jordan before that.

Median along street in Jerusalem, former site of the wall that divided it until 1967

We head out into the Judean desert, eastward, on the same road we took to Jericho on Sunday.
In the Judean desert we pass lots of rocky desert. First there are still communities amongst the desert…

Desert with some houses, not far from Jerusalem, headed east

Then some desert with a few treess…

Desert with some trees

Several Bedouin communities (camps of shacks, really). Lillian said they do have cell phones and televisions, though. They sell their sheep and goats (at the Sheep’s gate in Old Jerusalem, still) and buy charges for their cell phones!

Bedouin Village

We pass rock quarries where stones are cut to build the buildings in Jerusalem.
Then just rocks and sand dunes

Judean desert

On Sunday we went this way, but we didn’t turn left (north) to go to Jericho today, we headed straight east and then south. Right by the gas station where Lillian’s purse was stolen, and she said “Look! on the ground. My wallet. my passport. My house keys.” (Joking of course.)

On the left in the desert, John the Baptist was supposedly executed somewhere around here, but they don’t know exactly where.

John the Baptist was executed somewhere near here in the Judean desert

We come upon the northern edge of the Dead Sea again. It’s a beautiful blue-green.

Dead Sea, north end - morning sun

The level of the Dead Sea (the Israelis call it the Sea of Salt) is much lower than in years past. It will probably be completely evaporated and gone in another 200-500 years.

We pass the old Jordanian military bunkers like we did when we came to swim in the Dead Sea on Sunday. Lillian reminds us that this was part of Jordan until 1967. She gives us a bit of a history lesson, about the Independence declared in 1948, with Prime Minister David Ben-Gurian (He was PM until he died in 1973. Lillian served in the army and met him on a few occasions. He was a “tough cookie” as she likes to say.) Before 1948, Israel was under the “British Mandate” since 1917. Britain divided the Israeli and Arab/Palestinian people against each other, she says. In the 1948 war of independence, women fought in the army equally – a first. The weapons they all used were not sophisticated, some left over from WWII, since Israel was a new and not wealthy country.

In 1973 when Ben-Gurion died, Golda Meir became PM. She was also a “tough cookie” says Lillian. She made her own clothes from curtains, only spent money on herself for cigarettes. Her dream was peace with Jordan. She almost succeeded. She took the king of Egypt(?) homemade fruit cakes. Not a normal diplomatic gift! She died in 1977 “from the cigarettes” – lung cancer I assume.

Six Day War in 1967 – was an offensive effort by Israel, after they saw troops building up in Egypt and elsewhere at the Israeli borders. Egypt didn’t want to join the war effort but were threatened by the other Arab countries. 300 Israelis died in the (short) war. Jerusalem was re-unified. The Golan Heights was reacquired. (And the West Bank and Gaza strip on the Mediterranean coast, I think, but I don’t think she mentioned that here.) They gave back to Syria some other area they captured. (Cunetra?) The country started to prosper.

Then through PMs Shamir, Natanyahu, Rabin, but I won’t bore you with those…

The ride to Masada was about an hour and a half. We’re driving along the Dead Sea coast almost the whole way. Road winds up and down the hills. There are large hills/rocks on our right most of the way there. They are all blown/eroded like our Grand Canyon. I had envisioned Masada as a giant rock all alone in the wilderness. But in fact it’s one of a long range of mountains/hills, but it’s just separate from the others nearby, so very defensible and hard to climb up to it.

On the right, almost to Masada, is the Ahava factory. Ahava makes the cosmetics made from the Dead sea minerals. Very big business here. Very expensive too!

We pass near En-Gedi too, where David and Saul met. David could have killed him but didn’t, since he had been ordained King by God. (1Sam 23:29; 24)

Sign for En Gedi, where David found Saul (but didn't kill him)

Mt. Moab is just on the other side of the Dead Sea (I think it’s about 11 miles across, so the mountains on that side are hazy). Ruth came from there – the Moabites. (Ruth 1:4)

We finally arrive at Masada

Masada

And we take the cable car to the top.

From cable car loading area, looking up at Masada

Masada is a giant rock in the desert, where Herod built a large fortress and palaces.

Model of the north end of Masada. Note palaces on three levels

After Herod abandoned it (Herod died in 6? AD) it was empty for a while but when Jerusalem was being seiged by the Romans, a few stubbon Zealots (about 900+) retreated to hide on Masada when they didn’t want to be taken as slaves to Rome (1 million Jews *were* taken as slaves to Rome). I always thought of Masada as this barren rock where the Israelis made a few crude buildings out of stone. No! There were elaborate palaces, store-rooms, homes, a swimming pool, a quite elaborate water system of cisterns, fed from the mountains nearby. Quite sophisticated.

Model of the Masada water system

I don’t know what shape it was in when they got there to hide, but they weren’t camping out on a barren mountain.

Masada ruins

They were there for about three years, around 68? AD. When the Roman siege was imminent – the Romans built a ramp to attach from the north side, after failing from the south side (no convenient cable car on the south side then!)

View down the north side, showing part of the ramp (on right) that the Romans built when invading

They still have plenty of food and water, but don’t want to be taken as slaves by the Romans. They commit mass suicide. Fathers kill their own wives and children, and then some are selected to kill the other men. When the Romans arrive, they are shocked to find it quiet, and everyone dead.

So how do we know what happened? Two women and five children hid in a cistern, and came out when the Romans arrived.
We don’t know what happened to them, but they told their story to the historian Josephus, and he wrote about it.

Masada, looking down, including Roman camp ruins (square area, just 'above' the two cable cars in this photo

Mom (Betty Rush) at the top of Masada, in the open middle area. Dead Sea in the background.

A group of school girls was walking down the snake path as we left to go down.

We return down on the cable car, check out the gift shop, lunch at the visitor center (more falafels), then it’s time to go.

Beth in front of the Masada visitor's center (down on the ground). Dead Sea in the background.

Then back on the bus to Jerusalem. Back by 3:30 pm, that’s early. A good chance to rest before dinner. Need to pack tonight.
We have a free morning tomorrow, hope to see the Temple Mount. Then on to the Garden Tomb tomorrow. Tomorrow night we head to the airport and home!
We understand the weather is a BIT colder there than here…

Good night/good afternoon everyone.

Old Jerusalem – Monday 12/7/09

“On the bus again”… doesn’t sound like a Willy Nelson song.
“I walked today where Jesus walked” sounds more appropriate!

We spent today in Old Jerusalem.
First we head up the hill in the bus again, across valleys and through switchbacks (not in the mountains, but in a big city in a large bus on narrow roads). I do not wish to be a bus driver. Our bus driver gets applause! We see the Mt. of Olives across the Kidron Valley again. So many graves there, wanting to be first in line when the Jewish Messiah comes and leads the dead to heaven.

We walk through the old stone passages and narrow streets/alleys to get to the Upper Room. The “traditional” location of it at least. It’s surely not “the” room that Jesus and the disciples had the Last Supper, since it was built by … the Crusaders? but … it’s very close to where it had to have been. Many locations here are like that. Nobody knows an exact location, or if they do, the original building isn’t there any more, so they build a new one (500-1000 years ago) and celebrate the event there.

We have a temporary guide this morning, Annabelle, while Lillian goes to get a replacement passport (remember, her purse was stolen yesterday).

Annabelle our guide (on right, in red) telling us about the Upper Room

Shows ceiling in Upper Room

There was also a cat in the Upper Room. My boys would have liked that. And another one outside the Upper Room, Cory! I wonder if cats were around during the Last Supper.

Next we went to King David’s tomb. Again, probably not the real tomb, Annabelle says there is probably a Crusader buried there. (The Rabbi guarding the tomb runs over and loudly says/gestures “SHHHH!” at this point. Not sure if it was for talking loudly, or what she was saying!) But it is a place to honor and remember King David. It was a bit disappointing – It’s just a little room with a velvet-draped coffin. Women and men cannot be in the same room, so the women get to enter via a different door, and can see about half the coffin and 1/4 of the room.

Women and men enter room with David's tomb through different doors.

The half of David's tomb (velvet- and plastic-draped) that women can see

Men have to cover their heads, so if you don’t have a proper head covering, a cardboard kippah (yarmulke) is available.

Cardboard hat men must wear to cover their heads

Back out in the street, near Zion Gate, we ran into a group of Israeli soldiers. We wonder if we can/should take their pictures. Annabelle says, “Well, it depends. If they are very good looking, then certainly!” They all laugh, then pose.

Israeli Soldiers

Next we finally enter the old walled city, via the Zion Gate, on the east side of the city. It’s in the Armenian quarter. (There are four “quarters” or areas of the old walled city of Jerusalem. Jewish, Armenian, Christan, and Muslim quarters. There is a mezuzah at the gate, just like there is at the doors to our hotel rooms. Holds a portion of the Torah and Jews touch it as they enter. It does look like it has been touched a lot, there at the gate.

Lots of narrow streets, hills up and down, stairs, and archways. Shops here and there. A bakery! Smelled great.

Bakery (back door) on narrow street in old Jerusalem

We visit the Cardo, the ancient city main street, and some archaeological digs have found the original columns of the old street where the shops were.

Column from the Cardo, old Jerusalem street

There is also a part of the wall from the first temple period. VERY old.

We walk through several more narrow streets, arches, stairs… and end up on a plaza overlooking the Western (Wailing) Wall.

Western (Wailing) Wall from above, under the (gold) Dome of the Rock

Next we visit the Wailing Wall, more properly called the Western Wall now. I didn’t realize there is a partition such that women go in on one side (about a third or a quarter of the whole wall) and men enter on the other side. Several bar mitzvah parades, with drums and horns, entered while we were there. A grand celebration. Women stand on plastic chairs in their portion and look over the wall to keep track of what’s going on on the mens’ side. Especially the boys getting ready for their bar mitzvah activities. The moms have to keep track too!

Wailing Wall (Western Wall) of the wall around the Temple wall, within the old city. Men on the left, women on the right. The men/boys in the foreground are getting ready for a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.

Wailing Wall

Then we visited the Jerusalem Archaeological Park (known as the Davidson Center). Details about excavations done in the last few years.
Annabelle tells us about the different temple periods and eras.

Temple eras - Annabelle with Sharon Evans

Reading right to left (it’s in Hebrew!)
-3300 BC Canaanite
-1006 Israelite (green box below this indicates First temple period)
-586 Babylonian Exile
-538 Persian
-332 Hellenistic (green box below several here are Second temple period)
-63 Roman
324 Byzantine
638 Early Muslim
1099 Crusader (green box: Third temple period)
1260 Mamluk
1517 Ottoman
1917 British
1948 State of Israel

They have recently discovered several things about gates and entrances they didn’t know before. There is a beautiful garden just outside the Temple Mount (the main part of the very old city, where the Temple, the Holy of Holies, was originally. There are Mosques there now.)

Lillian arrives and proudly shows the new passport she had to spend the morning obtaining. So she can travel out of the country as planned on Wednesday. She is so relieved! And happy.

Lillian proudly displays the replacement passport she spent the morning procuring. Her passport had been stolen while she was waiting for us outside Jericho.

She makes a detour to the wailing wall (not far) to say a prayer of thanks for the people at the passport office that helped her. We think that’s interesting since she keeps referring to herself as a secular Jew, or a “bad Jew,” jokingly.

Next after some movies about the archeology adventures, and about what the temple experience was like for a visiting Jew, we go through the gardens built above some of the excavations.

Gardens at South wall of Temple Mount

Then we go around to near the old entrance to the Temple Mount (mostly gone now) to the “teaching steps” where Jesus was teaching to the Rabbis when he was but a boy, probably about 13 or so. It was interesting to sit on those same steps. Beautiful views from there. At the nearby corner of the wall, very high indeed (just off the right edge of the following photo), is where the devil tempted Jesus to throw himself off if he was the son of God, and angels would catch him!

The teaching steps, on the south side, outside the wall around the Temple Mount

Then more walking, more small narrow streets, alleys, and archways. Beautiful old stone walls and pavement. Shops of every kind.

Alleys and archways in old Jerusalem

Lunch and shopping at a very overpriced very large souvenir shop. I think they cater to EO tour buses. Very disappointing shopping. I don’t buy anything. But the food was good! When we get back to the bus, a peddler sells us scarves and other items from the trunk of his car. Mom and I each bought a scarf, 2 for $5. The same brand of scarves had been for sale in the souvenir shop we just left for $25. The small olive wood nativity sets were $400 or more in the overpriced store, for one of a reasonable size. While I’d like a nativity set from the Holy Land, I don’t want one that bad.

Then we visit St. Anne’s church, St. Anne was the mother of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Gardens around Church of St. Anne

Church of St. Anne (Mary's mother)

Entrance to Church of St. Anne

Beautiful white stone, sparsely decorated, great acoustics. We sang a round of “Father, we adore thee.” Great acoustics and echoes and harmonies!

Singing in the Church of St. Anne

Near there is the Pool of Bethesda (the ruins of it, anyway) where Jesus healed the paralytic man.

Then we walk all 14 of the stations of the cross, the Via Dolarosa, the way along which Jesus walked with the cross, on his way to be crucified at Golgotha/Calvary.

Street sign for Via Dolorosa

Not being Catholic, we aren’t as familiar with them. Lillian explains them. It’s getting dark and spitting rain a bit. We need to hurry.

Station IV. Most are marked with the round dark placque shown in the left of the photo here.

Station VI, Church of Veronica – a woman wipes Christ’s face with a cloth – which shows the image of his face when she’s done. While they don’t really know her name, Vera Icon (?) – true image – turns into “Veronica” for her name.

Station VI, Church of Veronica

Marking on wall at church of Veronica

More walking, lots of it uphill, by many shops. It’s cold and we’re hurrying.

Shops along the Via Dolorosa. Holy Rock Cafe???

Station IX shows a glimpse of the dome above the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the golden cross at its peak, our final destination.

Station IX, Church of Holy Sepulchre is seen ahead

The last stations are on Golgotha, where Christ was crucified and was placed in the tomb (according to Catholic tradition. This is the Holy Sepulchre Church. Lillian will show us the Garden Tomb, where he was buried according to Protestant tradition, Wednesday.) We climb steep steps to go upstairs, where it was once a hill, and Jesus climbed the hill carrying the cross. All of the last 3 stations are now inside an ornately decorated dark Greek Orthodox church. Not exactly how I envisioned it.

The place where Jesus was crucified

You stand in line and wait to be able to put your hand down a hole at an ornately decorated altar, to feel the stone in which a hole was where they placed the cross, to make it stand upright. Sort of reminiscent of the Church of Nativity birthplace of Jesus under its altar, in the cave.

Mom at the spot where Jesus died. It's on the left under the altar. Mom is starting to stand up after kneeling down to touch the stone (in a hole) in which the cross was placed.

Entrance to (Catholic tradition) the tomb where Jesus was buried. You enter this structure ( which is itself inside a large ornate church) and there is a little room, from there you enter the room where his body was laid. Very small room, big enough to lay a body and about twice that wide, room to stand next to it too - room for about 4-5 (friendly) people.

We hurry back to the bus. It’s cold and damp. Up steps, past lots and lots of shops. More narrow streets. Shops and more shops. Would be fun to stop and look, if we had time. Lillian had told us, absolutely no shopping while we are walking the stations of the cross, it’s disrespectful (and we never would have made it through them all.) And we would never make it back to the bus. And we’d probably get lost if we weren’t following our guide! We’re exhausted as we climb back on the bus for the trip back to the hotel.

Enjoyable dinner. Good food as usual, but much of it is the same every night. We sampled more desserts than usual tonight.

Tonight’s lecture after dinner was a Palestinian university professor and a Hotel manager Jew, explaining the political history of the country from each of their points of view. They said most ordinary people get along, Palestinians and Jews. Christian Palestinians are only about 1.5% in Jerusalem now. (In Bethlehem we had heard it as about 40% Christian and about 60% Muslim.)

Tomorrow we travel to Masada!

Jericho, Qumran, Dead Sea – Sunday 12/6/09

Today we first headed for Jericho.

We drove east from Jerusalem, and quickly we are in the desert. Rocks and mostly barren looking. We are going down, too: Jerusalem is at about 2500 feet, and the Dead sea is 1290 feet below sea level. I think my ears popped.

Since Jericho is in the West Bank, once again Lillian, our Israeli guide, could not go with us, so she had us drop her off at a gas station / rest area near the border crossing and we went ahead without her. Marilyn B? from EO came along too, and knew a lot about Jericho so helped out. Again, Rami our driver is a Palestinian so he is not prevented from going into the West Bank.

Once in Jericho, we were first dropped at the Hebron Glass shop for some shopping.

Hebron Handicrafts store in Jericho

Hebron glass is hand-blown nearby, and it’s very durable and colorful. With the current exchange rate (3.7 shekels to $1) it still wasn’t inexpensive, but things seemed more reasonable than they did at the big shop in Bethlehem. And more friendly and laid-back. I did get some (expensive) goblets/wine glasses. It was a minimum of $60 to ship them home so I opted to bring them home myself. Wish me luck! Luckily brought an expandable suitcase! (N.B. They made it home safely)

Hebron glass - very unique. It varies from about half opaque to very (these examples are very dark)

Also we had heard that the fruit in Jericho was very good. The Hebron glass store exits via a store selling fresh fruit, dates, etc.
I also bought some wonderful tiny bananas, lots of yummy dates (so sweet! naturally) which I shared with the bus with more to bring home.

Great fresh fruit from Jericho - tiny bananas

And some coconut and date candy for Mom. Mom loves cocoanut and that’s the first I have seen here. OK I ate some too.

Also I finally got some fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice at a juice stand in Jericho. Yum!! It was very sweet and delicious. Gotta find more of that.

After the shopping we tried to go up the mountain to where Jesus spent his time in the wilderness after being baptized by John the Baptist. But some road construction prevented us, so we had to skip it and view it from afar. There is a cable car that goes up to the mountain too. We did see the “Zaccheus tree” where Jesus called Zaccheus the tax collector down from the tree and had dinner at his house. I don’t know if that tree is really 2000 years old or not, but it was pretty old.

Betty Rush with Zaccheus Sycamore Tree in Jericho

At the tree, a peddler sold mom a scarf that looks like what Yassir Arafat wears. He put it on her head and declared her a “Bedouin Queen.” I think Mom will disown me if I post that picture, so let’s just leave it at that. It’s a nice scarf though – white with black checks, more or less.

We went on the the old Jericho Tel. (Tel == large mound due to several civilizations building one on top of the other).

Entrance to old Jericho mound/Tell

From there it was a marvelous view to the east to the Jordan River (over the pretty little town of Jericho) to where John baptized Jesus.

View from the top of old Jericho, eastward toward the Jordan River. Red tile roof at bottom of photo is the head of the Elisha Spring, described later

Then Jesus went up into the mountain to the west into the Wilderness. We were right in the middle! There is a monastery there halfway up the mountain. (The bus couldn’t get there today, some road construction prevented us from visiting.)

View from old Jericho westward, toward the mountain where Jesus spent in the Wilderness..

What beautiful weather today too. We also looked at some of the ruins they are excavating there. Jericho is the oldest continuously occupied city in the world, 10,000 years old. The view was terrific. Everything is green where it was irrigated, and stony barren where it wasn’t. Quite a stark contrast.

Got a Jericho rock for Michelle H.

We also visited a fountain fed by the Elisha Spring near Old Jericho.

Elisha Fountain in Jericho

The head of the spring is nearby inside a building that is being renovated. It’s the true spring head, but not much to look at now, in the middle of the construction.

The people are poor in Jericho for the most part. Lillian told us that before she left us, and encouraged us to be generous, because tourism is almost their only industry, and the people need the money. Of course peddlers kept trying to sell us souvenirs every time the bus stopped. And some boys were begging up on the Jericho Tel.

From Jericho we headed back out, Through the border crossing (armed guards, but an easy pass), and picked up Lillian at the Gas station. Bad news: her purse had been stolen, with $400 cash and her passport! She is flying to visit her 98 year old mother on Wednesday, the same day we leave. She had already been visited by the (Israeli) police. They were kind but she was not optimistic they would find the thief.

About that time we got a phone call from Becki and Sharon – they would meet us in Qumran after talking to the police etc. about Debbie Mason.

This way to Qumeran

At Qumran — about a dozen or so buses in the parking lot!! Fortunately they seem to be able to handle crowds. Had salad (many vegetables) and pita bread for lunch. I had already eaten a few dates and a banana. Oh, this time an Israeli Diet Coke.

Lunch at Qumran: Diet Coke in Hebrew

We learned about the Essenes, the sect that occupied the buildings that are being excavated at Qumran. Heard about the shepherd boys who found the Dead Sea Scrolls. 2000 year old scrolls of almost every book in the bible, found in jars. What book wasn’t found? Esther. Since the name of God isn’t mentioned in Esther, the Essenes probably didn’t consider it a holy book. I think that’s what Lillian said. Hope to see them in the Rockefeller Museum here in Jerusalem later this week.

Qumeran cave where Dead Sea Scrolls were found

Got a Qumran rock for Michelle H.

View of the Dead Sea, looking eastward from Qumran

On to the Dead Sea beach. Yes there is a beach at the Dead Sea.

Safe Dead Sea Bathing instructions

Some of our group brought bathing suits, and some bought them at the Qumran gift shop just for this occasion. Floating was really funny looking. You float almost on top of the water in the VERY salty water. (No, I didn’t get in. Mom got her feet wet!) The black mud at the bottom is supposed to be good for your skin. So of course all bathers have to smear it all over them. Some very amusing pictures came of this. These are some of the least incriminating.

Swimming in the Dead Sea. Black mud is good for the skin.

Me and Mom (Beth and Betty) at the Dead Sea

Got a black Dead Sea rock for Michelle H.

On the way back from the Dead Sea beach area, we pass more old Jordanian bunkers again.

Old Jordanian bunkers near the Dead Sea.

This used to be part of Jordan before the 6 day war in 1967. Lilllian said they were going to refurbish them to make vacation villas, but it was too expensive. So they are still abandoned, in a sort of empty war zone, next to the Dead Sea Beach. This is an interesting country.

A beautiful sunset greeted us as we drove back to Jerusalem. They say in the bible, “They went UP to Jerusalem from Jericho. Here’s why: it’s a long slow climb of about 4000 feet. But we were in a bus. We try to imagine travelers in Jesus’ time, on foot.

Big Buffet dinner tonight. Nice lecture on the geography of the Holy Land. Last night’s lecture was on Jerusalem in Jesus’ time. Very good speaker, Craig ? from Texas, has lived in Israel for 15 years, knowledgeable and entertaining!

Slow internet connection and network problems tonight. I give up. sleep wins.
It’s past midnight here. Goodnight.

Sad News – Sunday 12/6/09

Very sad news, our good friend from Southern Hills United Methodist, Debbie Mason, passed away this morning in her hotel room here in Jerusalem. It was a big shock to all of us. Debbie was on another bus — the green bus — with most of the rest of the Southern Hills travelers. Her roommate, Sharon Evans, is on our bus. Our bishop and our bus captain (his assistant) Becki Curry dealt with the authorities as would be expected here this morning. Our tour guide, Lillian, was also visibly upset and helped quite a bit. Bishop Lindsey Davis also said that the hotel staff and Israeli authorities were very helpful and kind. We are fortunate that it didn’t happen in Egypt, where she planned to travel next.

Her fellow travelers on the green bus echoed this tonight, but Debbie was really enjoying this trip. Every time I saw her, she had a big smile on her face. She was so excited about everything she saw and experienced here in the Holy Land. I took a picture of her when our buses met at Caesarea by the Sea on Friday, and she has a big smile on her face! Her “Green bus” friends mentioned tonight that she frequently asked others to take pictures of her with her camera, so there are several pictures there of Debbie smiling as she visits these wonderful places here in the Holy Land.

There’s an old hymn, “I walked today where Jesus walked.” Debbie was a wonderful Christian woman, and she really enjoyed life. She lived a very full life from what little I knew of her. My mom knew her longer, as they were both very active in United Methodist Women. Debbie did walk – figuratively, but this week, she really did visit those places. And what a great time she had. We will miss her greatly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her husband Bob and her parents and son, especially.

Debbie Mason at Caesarea by the sea, on the Mediterranean, Friday December 4

Jerusalem and Bethlehem – Saturday 12/5/09

Saturday, December 5, 2009

First thing this morning, after a great breakfast in the HUGE very nice restaurant (everything is buffet, and we are definitely NOT dieting on this trip), we boarded our bus again.

If you are tracking someone on on a different bus (we are the Yellow Bus), sometimes they go slightly different places. But mostly the same. Just a warning.

First stop was up to the top of the Mount of Olives, the Hill overlooking (the other hills of) Jerusalem. It’s the view you usually see in the pictures – with the big gold “Dome of the Rock” in the center.
So of course we took lots of pictures there.

View of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, looking across the Kidron Valley

Dome of the Rock (Gold dome) from Mt. of Olives

We had to fight off the people peddling postcards, bookmarks, and posters. OK we bought some. They can be very persistent.

Next we went to the chapel of the Ascension. The spot where Jesus ascended into heaven. Of course it wasn’t from a chapel – the chapel was built later. But at least this was a small modest stone chapel instead of a huge massively decorated church cathedral. Very moving. My photo even turned up with a dove in flight, that I didn’t notice when I was taking the picture.

Chapel of the Ascension

And on to the Garden of Gethsemane, and the church next to it. I really loved the garden. It looked more like I imagined (without the iron fence around it and carefully groomed walkways) – it was still a peaceful garden.
Here Judas betrayed Jesus, and Jesus prayed on a rock that is now the center of the altar of the church next to the garden.

Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane - one of them is 2000 years old. If only it could talk!

Then we got back on the bus and crossed the Kidron Valley to go up the hill on the other side – Mt Zion, to the place where Caiaphas’ house was, where Jesus was tried. Also where Peter denied him three times before the rooster crowed. There are roosters engraved in the gateposts.
The church built over the location of Caiaphas’ house is the church of St. Peter en Gallicante, built by the French. Very beautiful and modern. The pit into which they kept the prisoners is there. They would raise and lower the prisoners via a rope to the room where the judging took place. We went down to the pit. Another church group, this one from Nigeria, was coming out as we were entering.

Church of St Peter en Gallicante, the site of Caiaphas' house. Altar here would have been (top floor) judgement area where Jesus was convicted. Railing is around the shaft to the pit below where prisoners, including Jesus, were held.

[picture of cave, if i have time to upload]

Then outside the church, is one of the few features that are still there today from Jesus’ time. The stairs leading up from the Kidron Valley, where Jesus was dragged with ropes. It’s a very steep rocky ascent.

Original steps that Jesus would have climbed after being arrested.

He would have been dragged down from the Mount of Olives, across the valley (in the first photo you could see lots of graves in that valley and on both hillsides, where ?? Prophet said he would enter heaven from at the end of the world, so everyone wants to be buried there to be first in line!)
and up the hill. Michelle H, I got you a rock from these steps. (Also one from Caesarea on the Mediterranean.)

From there we headed to Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in the West Bank, which is Palestinian territory. No Israeli citizens allowed. So, our tour guide Lillian, an Israeli Jew, had to get off the bus and a Palestinian (Nidal) was our guide while in Bethlehem.

Sign says: 'No passage for Israeli Citizens.' Israelis cannot go into the West Bank - where Bethlehem is located.

Before she left the bus, she asked us one favor: “Please pray for peace in my country.”

Guard station entering the West Bank into Bethlehem

First order of business the Palestians want us to do: shopping. We are dropped off at a large exclusive souvenir shop. The prices seemed high to us. Lots of carved olive wood things, many nativity sets. They gave us an hour to shop. Then took us to lunch.

Nissan Restaurant, Bethlehem

Falafel and Diet Coke in Arabic

Then on to the main attraction: the Church of the Nativity.
This church has three (church) parts: one Greek Orthodox (large, dark, ornate, incense and icon-filled). Then the Armenian small chapel at one side. Then the Roman Catholic chapel (often seen on TV for Christmas eve services). Brighter, cleaner, newer … just very different.
Under the Greek Orthodox altar area (where ladders were up as they were polishing the large silver lamp hanging from the ceiling) is the cave where Jesus was born. Very ornately decorated. Hardly a lowly stable any more.
A star marks the place of Jesus’ birth, decorated with ornate gold and silver lamps, lots of gold brocade fabric drapes, etc.
It was dark and very crowded with people.

Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Our Palestinian guide at the Church of the Nativity

Entrance to Church of the Nativity

Mom at the spot where Jesus is said to have been born. The location of the manger is just a few feet away. All ornately decorated now.

Then on to Shepherd’s field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds to tell them the good news of Jesus’ birth. Why did the angel tells shepherds, our guide asks? Because shepherds like to talk, and they would tell everybody!! Nice gardens and cave where the shepherds stayed.

Becki Curry in cave at Shepherd's Field

Still a bit rustic so more realistic. A beautiful chapel built above it, with excellent acoustics, and we sang a few Christmas Shepherds songs.

Chapel at Shepherd's Field

Our guide also told us that this is the same area as the field where Ruth gleaned the grain from the edges of Boaz’s fields. Called “Ruth’s Field.” On the way out, I saw a restaurant aptly named “Ruth’s Field.”

Ruth's Field Restaurant

And back to Jerusalem. Waiting at the border crossing to leave the West Bank took probably 30-45 minutes. With peddlers trying to sell us all sorts of things. They even tried while we were waiting in line at the border. Some of us bought some items. Consider it a charity donation, our Israeli guide had told us. Altho, they can be very persistent here in Bethlehem.

The wall that Israel built is very visible as you leave.
It’s obvious from the graffiti that it is hated by the Palestinians on this side.

Wall separating the West Bank from Israel

I also have some pictures from Bonnie Lynch, and hope to post some later of her and Bob.
But now, sleep calls. The bus leaves early in the morning.

Galilee to Nazareth to Jerusalem – Friday 12/4/09

Wow, that title about says it all, we saw a lot to day.
Well, not quite enough said… so…

It’s 10:00 pm here in Jerusalem now. 3:00 pm at home, according to my computer’s clock. Fortunately the internet connection here is much better (altho not cheap!) so this should be easier. Now, if I just didn’t have so many pictures to sort thru. Only 173 today (207 yesterday)

We had to put our luggage outside our hotel rooms by midnight, so the porters could pick it up and have it near the buses before departure at 8:00 am. Then we were to identify ours and make sure it got loaded into the bus. All 5?6? EO buses left Tiberias this morning. Lots of Holy Land visitors. Four of the buses are from Kentucky.

Before the bus left this morning, Mom and I walked down to the Sea of Galilee which is just down the hill from our hotel (“Royal Palm”) in Tiberias.
The shore is quite rocky. Here’s a photo she took of me at the shore.

Beth at the Sea of Galilee - very rocky shore.

The ground is very rocky here. Here’s a picture of the hillside right near the hotel. Rocky? Wait till we get to near Jerusalem. Cliff, we thought our yard in New York had a lot of rocks. Not really!

Rocky hillside in Tiberias, near the Sea of Galilee

First stop was the church in Cana, built on the site where Jesus performed the first miracle: changing water into wine. When the wedding feast, which had gone on for days, ran out of wine, Jesus’ mother urged him to help out. Several jars of water were turned into wine. (John 2: 1-11)

Church in Cana, site of first Miracle that Jesus performed

Then we drove toward Nazareth. It’s a larger city. Very hilly with very steep switchback roads and lots of apartments and home squeezed on the hillsides. Nazareth is an Arab city, but peaceful. Our guide Lillian said that after the British occupation, they accepted Israeli rule peacefully when Israeli declared independence in 1948.

Hillside homes in crowded Nazareth

Then we walked thru the crowded Arab market (Cliff, it reminded me of the market in San Jose Costa Rica), through the twisty little passages to come out the other side at the Church of the Annunciation – built over the location where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
It’s a HUGE church, several levels of altars and artwork. And at the bottom level are the ruins where Joseph and Mary lived. That area is built into the altar at the bottom level.

Here’s Juanice there. We met up with the Blue Bus here. Note the giant artwork (paintings, mosaics, etc) from many different countries. You can only see a couple of them here.

Juanice Gillespie at the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

Then back through the mazes of the Arab markets (clothing, appliances, toys, food, raw meat, souvenirs, you name it…) to the site of the Nazareth Synagogue where Jesus preached. This was built on the site of the original synagogue (Luke 4:16-30)

Nazareth Synagogue, site where Jesus first preached

He wasn’t accepted very well. Besides saying “nothing good can come out of Nazareth” essentially “who is this guy?” they threatened to throw him off a precipice – the Mount of Precipitation – which we drove by later.

Now we drive on towards Megiddo. The future site of Armageddon!
A scary place, says Wayne Bishop! We met up with several other buses there, including the red bus – so here’s John and Julie Hatton.

John and Julie Hatton at Megiddo

I have an IBM friend, Marina Biberstein, who lives in Haifa. We’ve been trying to figure out how to get together on this trip. Our guide called Marina on her cell phone (since mine didn’t work here) and told them we’d be at Megiddo at lunch. They found us! Amidst several busloads of other tourists. Here’s me with Marina and her husband Jacob.
Besides being great to see them, they had lunch with us (falafels) and with their help my cell phone now works! Just had to call Sprint (in the US, from Jacob’s phone) to authorize my phone for international calling. Hooray)

Beth, Jacob, and Marina Biberstein - my Israeli friends were able to meet up with is in Megiddo

And then, on to Caesarea by the sea, and the National Park on the Mediterranean coast. Lots of ruins of huge castles etc.

Mom with Mac Griffin at Caesarea ruins

Jimmy and Faye Henning at Caesarea

Kevin Baker at Caesarea

Big theatre there too. In very good shape, they have concerts there now too. (Note: guide Lillian Blum says an amphitheatre is a full circle/oval, and barbaric things like slave fights happen in them. A theatre is a semi-circle where pleasant things happen! OK it’s a theatre:

Becki Curry and me at outdoor theatre in Caesarea by the sea

Last stop, just up the beach: the giant aquaduct that comes down from ?Mt. Carmel? to supply fresh water to the palaces by the sea. Still in pretty good shape.

Aquaduct at Caesarea

And a shot of me and Mom at the Mediterranean beach there at the aquaduct.

Beth and Betty at the Mediterranean coast at Caesarea, Israel

.. Still writing and uploading. I’m saving periodically so this is probably not finished if you see this comment.

Sights around the Sea of Galilee – Thursday 12/3/09

Wow! What a busy day, and it’s only the first of many.

Today we saw the Baptismal site on the Jordan River. Not the site where John baptized Jesus, since that required a border crossing, but not far from there, where many groups were there being baptized in the Jordan. Since we Methodists don’t do re-baptism, we got a bit wet anyway, and we “remembered” our baptism with the help of Rev. Becki Curry.

Mac and Cindy Griffin at the Jordan River

Betty and Beth at Jordan River

Next we went to Beth Sha’en National Park, where there are ruins of a very large city of Greek, Roman, and other influences. It’s the place where the Philistines, after killing King Saul’s sons and Saul falling on his own sword at Mt. Gilboa (saw that along the way), hung up their bodies in this city for all to see, before the Israelites fetched the bodies for a proper burial. Beautiful ruins, very well preserved and being renovated.

Mom (Betty Rush) at Beth Sha'en city ruins

Next we went to a Kibbutz on the east side of the Sea of Galilee for a boat ride. The boats look, supposedly, like the wooden boats of Jesus’ time, but I saw some stronger steel underpinnings there too. It was windy on the water today so we didn’t get to go all the way to the northern end of the Sea of Galilee.

Boats on the Sea of Galilee. The one we rode on is on the right side of the dock.

Mom and me on the boat on the Sea of Galilee.

On the boat on the Sea of Galilee: Debbie Mason, Mary Ann Blodgett, Faye Henning, Bonnie Lynch, __, Kate Vodicka

On the boat on the Sea of Galilee: Debbie Mason, Mary Ann Blodgett, Faye Henning, Bonnie Lynch, __, Kate Vodicka

Back to the boat dock for lunch. The fish (“Peter’s fish”, a Nile Perch) was looking at us, head, tail, fins and all. But very tasty!

Whole fish for lunch

Then off to the northern shore for the Mt. of Beatitudes (“Blessed are the…”) Beautiful gardens, impressive church built there. Very peaceful.

View of the Sea of Galilee from the Mt. of Beatitudes

Kate and Adam Vodicka, and John Thompson, at the Mt. of Beatitudes

After lunch, we went to Capernaum, the city where Peter lived after he married.

Entering Capernaum

We saw the synagogue where Jesus taught (actually built on top of the original site of that synagogue, but a century or few newer). There are several cats in the old city of Capernaum! My kids would have liked that.

Synagogue in the ruins of Capernaum, so is this a Jewish Cat?

Also saw, in the ruins, the probable location of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house, where Jesus healed her, and where the lame man was lowered through the roof for Jesus to heal him.
Later to Tabgha, the site of the Feeding of the Five Thousand with the loaves and fishes, the church of Heptapegon, including the rock that supposedly Jesus prepared the bread and fish. (Mark 6:30-44)

Rock (under altar) from feeding of 5000; mosaic in front of rock

The mosaic in front of the rock is perhaps one of the most famous. It’s hard to see above, but is repeated often on ceramics available in all the souvenir shops.

Mosaic of loaves and fishes

As we boarded the bus, we saw an amazing sunset over the Sea of Galilee.

Sunset over the west side of the Sea of Galilee (from the northern shore at Capernaum)

Lastly, we saw a 2000 year old boat, only recently (1986) excavated and restored in a wonderful little museum. The boat is from around the time of Jesus’ Ministry. Interesting story of how it was discovered when the water level was very old, and how it was retrieved and restored,

As we returned to the hotel here in Tiberius and dinner, the moon was rising over the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Beautiful!

Moon over the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, from Tiberius on the Western shore.

Tomorrow it’s on to Caesarea by the Sea, Nazareth, and to Jerusalem.

I have more pics, including of some Southern Hills friends (from Bonnie Lynch’s camera), if my internet connection holds out tonight.. s…l..o…w…

Here’s Bonnie and Bob Lynch at Mt. Arbel (since brother-in-law Steve is watching)

Bonnie and Bob Lynch at Mt. Arbel

Greetings from Tiberius – Wednesday 12/2/09

Greetings from Tiberius and the Sea of Galilee!
Our looooong flight landed on time or a bit early in Tel Aviv, after eating dinner in the airport, then being served dinner on the plane, then about 2 hours before we landed they served us pizza for breakfast..I mean dinner. 7 hour time change. 11 hour flight. Hard to sleep sitting up. 2+ hour bus ride up to Tiberius, hotel check in and a huge buffet dinner. Walked down to the Sea of Galilee but all I could see is dark. A full moon but too high to get a good picture. Bonnie Lynch just stopped by the lobby here (where the wireless internet is) and said that Jimmy Henning got some good pics of the Sea of Galilee, in spite of the darkness. Tomorrow in the daylight we should get a bit more oriented as to where we are.
It’s 11pm here. 4pm at home. Exhausted. Hope I can sleep. Looking forward to tomorrow, daylight, and adventure!

All safely in Atlanta

Mom’s flight made it safely to Atlanta, with another group of Methodists, including many friends! We’ve had dinner and are now waiting for our flight at 10:45 pm to Tel Aviv. There are lots of Methodists here in the International Concourse E! Mom and I keep running into people we know. Well, Mom more than me!