Thursday Adventures and Random Thoughts

Thursday morning we awoke to thunder and off & on rain. The day was a gift from Air Canada who changed our original schedule. This way we had time in the morning and many of us used the opportunity to repack, reorganize and sort out an suitcase prior to our noon departure from our hotel. Some took the opportunity to go down to the Bazaar, which we learned was much closer then we expected. Others took the opportunity to just walk around, or to gather for an informal lunch or coffee in the bar. Many did a little of all of the above. Then it was time to load our luggage onto the bus for the last tour on this trip.
Mohamed took us to Hezekiah’s Tunnel which was built between the 18th and the 15th centuries BCE. Unfortunately he made it out to be a much more difficult climb than it really was, so some spent the time in the Archaeological “Garden”, while others remained on the bus, and 8 of us armed with miniature flashlights made our way through this remarkable engineering feat.

The purpose of

the tunnel was to get water from the Gihon” springs to the Shiloh Pool to provide a regular supply of water to the city. We ventured only though the dry part of the tunnels whereas the young people went through a much wetter route. One of the most interesting aspects was the ongoing archaeological work. At the Shiloh Pool we also picked up a few decorating ideas—note the pot lights! We also really appreciated this old Olive Tree with its gnarly trunk.
We were picked up by our bus, transported back to join the rest of the group that had remained at the top, then parked the bus of a very familiar lot and proceeded through the Zion Gate to the Wohl museum. This is a very interesting museum displaying the recovered ruins of the dwellings of wealthy Jerusalemites around the early part of the first century. The reconstruction work is ongoing. As are had time before our date at the restaurant for our farewell dinner, we took over a coffee shop, and enjoyed the opportunity for some list minute shopping in the Jewish Quarter. Several wonderful finds were made by a number of the really determined shoppers.
We then said good bye to Mohammed and went on to our date in Bethlehem with Raji Khoury(our host and Owner & CEO of Shepherds Travels) at his nephew’s Restaurant. We had a wonderful dinner including many choices of salads, and probably the best lamb that most of us had ever eaten. After exchanging our Secret Pal gifts we were off to Tel Aviv for our journey home. Security was quite a challenge and the whole process took almost the whole three hours we had allotted ourselves. There was—however a few minutes for a duty-free stop. Then we were on board for a very long flight home.

Random Thoughts on our Trip

As I write this entry we are headed home, back to our busy lives and regular routines. I found some time in the plane to renew my 3500 or so pictures, to eliminate those that were under or over exposed, the bus jiggled at just the wrong time, or where a tree just happened to get in the way. As I was engaged in this activity I had the chance to reflect on the past 18 days. We have had some amazing adventures, had the chance to fulfill many of our dreams, and basically to have what will probably be one of the most memorable experiences in our lives. From the pyramids and The Sphinx of Egypt, to walking the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, our days here been filled to the brim. The memories come sweeping back. Some of our prejudices challenged, information recorded, impressions made, our senses overwhelmed, and everything put into better perspective. We learned about the effect of intolerance, of fear and of anger. During our last few days we have seen young people who as part of their duty-carry guns and cell phones with equal casualness. We experienced school children being kept under the watchful eye of those not much older than themselves, but armed with very large guns. Then me saw the pride of nations trying to reclaim their rich past heritage, and of plants and flowers growing out of tiny crevices in monstrous walls. We learned of kindness and brutality in our ancient and modem history. Coming home-several commented on how nice it was not to see soldiers with guns. We are so richly blessed and hopefully through this trip have gained a greater appreciation just how fortunate we are in being born in such a peaceful and rich land. It tends to put tings like ‘the markets’ and the trials of on everyday lives in to prospective. We also really enjoyed a great Latte or Cappuccino in the Toronto airport.
And now—as you read this—our travellers will have been home for a day or so. We trust they will think back on their time on this tour with fond memories, and a greater appreciation of all the experiences, of the friendships made and impressions collected. We hope you have enjoyed the Blog and we offer our thanks to all who travelled with us. It has been a great trip and from Barbara and Harry—we hope to see you all very soon.

Keep watching - next entries will be in December from Australia.

The Old City of Jerusalem

What a day we had today – physically taxing, emotionally fulfilling and spiritually uplifting. We began this morning with an early breakfast and on the bus by 8 AM. From our hotel – the Olive Tree – we drove to the Western Gate of Old Jerusalem. This began our walking tour that lasted until 3 in the afternoon.
We entered the old city via the Western Gate, and proceeded immediately to the Wailing/or Western Wall. Here the women were separated from the men, and each had the opportunity to go up to the wall and touch it, or place a prayer in the crevices of this ancient wall. Most of us did take the opportunity to say or deliver a prayer – the writer’s prayer was for peace and increased understanding between cultures and religions of this land, and the world.
We then went back through the security gate, and entered a line to go up to the Temple Mount, which is an area sacred to the Moslem Community. Here we enjoyed gazing at the beautiful golden dome of the Dome of the Rock. Mohammed gave us some information about the Moslem faith, and explained about the several structures that were in the square. We took the opportunity to walk around the square and take several pictures of this prominent building.
Our next stop was St Anne’s Church with its amazing acoustics. We took the opportunity to sing the Lord’s Prayer, and the next group sang Amazing Grace – both of which sounded wonderful due to the amazing acoustics in the building.
Then on to the Pool of Bethesada – which is only partially excavated. The structure is non the less very impressive, and the cistern still holds water as Ginger and Barbara discovered when they went down to the underground level.
Then we traveled the “Way of the Cross” , or the “Via Dolorosa”. Pat had brought a book on the walk, so shared the readings at each stop. Some were elaborate, as the sanctuary that was build for the first few stops, some were simply notations on the wall – for stops such as the stop made when Rachael wiped Jesus’ face. The final stop was Church of the Holy Sepulchre which signified the crucifixion, the death and entombment of Jesus.
By this time we were somewhat overwhelmed by the crowds, the heat and the incense, and we had been walking for over 4 hours, so we were ready for a wonderful break for Falafel and Schwarmen and something cold and wet to drink. Mohamed took us to a lovely little restaurant in the middle of the market. We enjoyed our lunch, and then we had the chance to enjoy a bit of shopping. A bit of effective bargaining provided some great purchases.
Then we went on to view the Tomb of David and the Dominito Monastery which is what some believe to be the burial place of Mary (though the Turkish people believe she died and was buried on their Western Coast near Ephesus.) We then wandered through the Jewish Quarter where we gazed at a reconstructed Roman Street.
We then visited a room which could have been similar to the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated the PassOver with his disciples. It is a lovely room, with a roof that provided an amazing view of Jerusalem, and also the chance to meet and chat briefly with a few Israeli soldier’s (of the feminine persuasion.)
Then onto meet our bus (which got tied up in the rain-delayed traffic) and onto the Garden Tomb. This lovely peaceful setting – might likely have been the place of crucifixion (the place of the skull) and the entombment of Jesus following his death. It is, and was in the past a garden, and there is a tomb that was carved into the rocks as described in the New Testament. After viewing the tomb, we went to one of the chapels where a communion had been prepared for us. Here Harry and Bill led in a communion that was shared by all. The communion cups – made of Olive wood were given as keep sakes to each person.
Just before arriving at the hotel we said good bye to our driver Badi – who goes on to another tour tomorrow, and returned to our hotel for another lovely dinner, and a few drinks courtesy of Rostad.
This evening we will prepare for a ‘wind-up’ day tomorrow. To take care of last minute shopping, packing, and perhaps even some time for reflection and swapping phone numbers.

Today we were up and about by 8 AM, generally the group is feeling well, though there are a few who are having a wee bit of problem with their digestive systems. No secrets given out here! As Samir had to leave us for some pressing family business, he left us in the very capable hands of Mohammed (Mike for short).
We drove east and south of the city toward Masada, along the shores of the Dead Sea. Mohammed provided us with a great deal of information as we travelled along the highway, pointing out many of the sites. We were struck by the landscape of the Judea Wilderness. It begins as soon as you leave the city, and continues down throughout the West Bank.
We got a first glimpse of our afternoon visits but focused on getting to Masada. This is a truly amazing site. Once we arrived at the visitor centre, we viewed a 10 minute video about Masada, which filled in much of the information not covered by the Epic Movie Masada. We then took a gondola up to the site. As we are so far below sea level, the heat and sun became quite intense. The tour is about on and a half hours, but, because of the heat a few took an early trip down in the Gondola. Of the rest, seven decided to take the Snake Trail down the mountain. The rest remained to complete the tour which included viewing the Roman Ramp. The entire site is absolutely amazing. We could see how the baths were built including the Frescos on the walls, and some of the tile floors. When they excavated the site, they marked with a black line all that was excavated. Above the black line is what has been reconstructed based on assumptions of its appearance.
Those who took the Snake Trail also really enjoyed the view – along with the 1000+ steps. We were very happy not to be going up.
Our next stop was the Ein Gedi Spa where we had the chance to float in the Dead Sea. There was supposed to be a train from the Spa to the water, unfortunately it is broken down, and only a van is transporting people to the beach. As a result, most of us walked down, recognizing the extent of the evaporation of the Dead Sea, and the number of feet it has shrunk over the last few years. We all really enjoyed our dip, some even plastered themselves with Dead Sea Mud – before heading for the showers. It will be interesting to see how many ills have disappeared.
Lunch was a little late due to the walk down, however it was enjoyable, then we were off to Qumran to view the area in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and to gain a better understanding of the community who took it upon themselves to write out the biblical text.
Our last and final stop was to Jericho, just as the sun was setting. It was really amazing to comprehend that we were standing on ground that had been occupied by over 20 civilizations. We also viewed the cable cars taking individuals to the Basilica which was built on the site of the temptation of Christ by the devil after he had spent the 40 days and nights in the desert.
After a short ice cream break and an opportunity at more shopping we headed back to the hotel for a wonderful suppr, and the chance to celebrate Oscar’s birthday.