On our Western Mediterranean cruise, there were two back to back ports in Israel. The cruise line offered a 2-day excursion, where you disembark at Ashdod and re-embark the following day day at Haifa. Not knowing if we would ever get back, we decided to do the Grand Overland tour. It was a whirlwind, but incredibly amazing.

We arrived at the port of Ashdod in the early morning. We grabbed breakfast, then went to the theatre to wait for clearance to go ashore. The port of Ashdod was established in 1960.

We had to go through an immigration process and receive a temporary border control permit.

We then found Jacob, our tour guide for the next two days. We were preassigned to a small van and that had a total of 8 guests. We were given a morning “treat” bag. The bar was sweet creamy peanut butter, which we were told is very popular in Israel. The port was full of new trucks, as Israel has no auto manufacturing and has to import all their vehicles.

The drive from Ashdod to Jerusalem took us into the Judean mountains. It was an hour drive and during this time, Jacob filled us with information … Israel has 10 million people in 10,000 square miles, which is roughly the size of the state of New Jersey. The country uses desalinated water. It’s largest agricultural export is cotton and technology is it’s largest industry. Outside of the Old City of Jerusalem, most buildings are post 1950. Health care is paid by the government but the tax rate is 50%.

Our first stop was at Mount Scopus also known as the Mount of Olives. Jesus walked this area often, crossing the mount to enter Jerusalem on his final week. This is also the place, that after Jesus was resurrected, he came here and ascended to heaven. We had a breathtaking view of Jerusalem.

The golden dome is the oldest Muslim shrine and is known also as the Dome of the Rock or al-Haram al-Sharif or the Al-Aqsa Compound. The present day building was constructed in 691 AD. It is built on the ruins of the temple, where Jesus threw the money changers out. To help us understand all of the terminology, Jacob told us the Muslims follow the teachings of Islam, so they are somewhat interchangeable terms.

Below the Mount of Olives, is the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent the night praying before he was arrested.

The name Gethsemane derives from the Aramaic name meaning oil press. Some of the olive trees in the garden are over 900 years old.

Workers were harvesting the olives in the garden while we were there. They use rakes to shake the branches. The olives then fall onto tarps. The color of the olive depends on when it was harvested, A green olive is not yet ripe and is harvested a month early. It has a more bitter taste, while a black olive is fully ripened and is sweeter or more mellow.

The Church of the Agony or the Church of All-Nations, is like most places in the area, and is built over a sacred site. This is where Jesus prayed for the atonement of sins. Since Jesus frequented this area often, it was not hard for Judas to find him for the soldiers to arrest him.

The church is built on the foundations of two earlier churches, one from the 4th century and one from the 12th century. It was completed in 1924 and is a Roman Catholic church.

It is built on the foundations of two earlier churches, one from the 4th century and one from the 12th century. Part of the tiled floor as well as the original foundation are visible.

The inside of the church

There were mosaics that were donated by churches throughout the world, depicting Judas betrayal of Jesus as well as his suffering in the garden.

Jim touching the rock where it is believed that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

From the Garden of Gethsemane, you get a really good view of the wall of Old Jerusalem.

As we left the area, we had a view of the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane.

We drove to Old Jerusalem, which is divided into 4 quarters…Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Muslim. The gates to the city are named for the area they face. We entered what is known as the Dung Gate. It is named for the original nearby city refuge or dump. It was an entrance that was created by the Ottomans in the 16th century and is the entrance to the Jewish quarters of the old city. The grey dome is the Church of the Sepulchre

The Western Wall is located in the Jewish Quarters of the Old City. It is considered one of the most holy Jewish sites in the world. A popular nickname is the “Wailing Wall” but Jewish people considered that name to be offensive.

The wall, which is a foundation, is the only remnant of the temple that was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. The pray area is divided in two, one for men and one for women.

Jewish people are not allowed into the Dome of the Rock mosque, so they pray at the wall/foundation. They put their faces close to the wall, so that their prayers will fly up to heaven. The atmosphere at the wall was incredible and we took advantage of our time to pray.

Jim had a special request from a gentleman we go to church with. He said, “please place an extra hand on the wall for me when you pray”, which is why Jim has two hands on the wall., one for our dear friend Noel.

From the Western Wall, there is a tunnel that leads to the Muslim Quarters of the Old City.

There were vendors selling bagels and we sampled some pitas. The restaurants and shops are carved into the dolomitic limestone that is prevalent around Jerusalem

You could buy just about anything at the numerous shops.

It is very important to a Muslim person who follows Islam, to visit Mecca. There is a huge celebration and the person has a sign placed in front of their home.

We walked the Via Dolorosa. This is the street where Jesus carried the cross. There are stone markers called stations, indicating the significance of the spot. The route contains 14 stations in all. The column is the 6th station of the Via Dolorosa. This is where Veronica wiped Jesus’ face with a cloth. The street was so narrow, but it brought to life the struggles Jesus had in carrying the cross, as we imagined people on each side as he walked toward Calvary.

The 8th station is where Simon helped carry the cross for Jesus.

Along the route we also saw a bristle broom shop, a pastry shop, and a “grocery store”.

We continued to follow the route of the Way of the Cross, which is another name for Via Dolorosa. The Russian Orthodox Church marks the end of the Muslim Quarters. There is a mosque nearby and we could hear the noon prayers.

We were now in the Christian Quarters.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is located at Calvary/Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. The tomb is also located here. The current church was completed in 1048 AD, but the area was consecrated in 348AD and is considered one of the holiest sites for Christians. The area is owned by six religions all of whom can not agree on it’s maintenance. In 1728, a ladder was placed on a ledge to do maintenance. Due to disagreements as to who the ladder belonged to and who is allowed to move it, the ladder remains where it was placed.

Our guide, Jacob, led us up the steep stairs to the crucifixion site, which was original outside of Jerusalem. With the church now here, it was hard to believe that this was original a hill. Crucifixions were not to be done in the city but at a cemetery. So the church is built on top of a Jewish cemetery.

The line was very long to touch the crucifixion area, but we were able to walk in front. There is a small marble box, where you may kneel at the site.

The church has a beautiful mosaic of Jesus’ body being anointed for burial.

Below the mosaic is the rock where Jesus’ body was laid after he died and then his body was anointed for his burial in the nearby tomb.

The Adeicule or small shrine, was built to protect the tomb site. The line to enter the tomb was over 3 hours long, so we were only able to see the outside. We felt this was our only disappointment for the day. However, some Christians believe that Jesus was buried in the Garden Tomb, which was discovered in 1867.

Back outside the church we walked on the original street stones of Old Jerusalem and then through the Christian shopping area.

We exited the city at the Jaffa Gate, which is the entrance to the Armenian and Christian Quarters. It is named for the road it faces.

It had been a fast and furious morning through Jerusalem. We stopped for a short buffet lunch that was very much appreciated.

We hopped back in our van and headed south through the Judean hills to Bethlehem, which is currently located in Paletinian Authority, therefore, we had to go through a checkpoint. Jacob was questioned extensively about our visit.

The name of Bethlehem derives from Beth meaning house and lehem meaning bread/grain. So the literal translation is House of Bread.

At the Church of the Nativity we had a local Palestinian guide. The church was built in 339 AD by the Roman Emperor Constantine. It is built on top of the cave where it is believed Jesus was born.

The entrance to the church is very small and is known as the Door of Humility.

The church has 3 divisions, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic (which has two additional smaller groups). The Greek Orthodox owns most of the building, with the Armenian church having a small altar to the side. There are three different Christmas celebrations on three different days, so that the services do not overlap.

The building has a few gold mosaics remaining from the original construction

There are 44 columns painted with pictures of saints.

The floor of the Greek Orthodox section was raised and covered with tile, covering the original floor. A small section has been uncovered. It was made of hand laid tiles.

We were able to walk in the courtyard of the Catholic section, but there was a pilgrimage service being held, so could not go inside.

We were able to visit the stable/cave of Jesus’ birth place, two at a time. We were only given a few minutes, so we quickly took pictures and enjoyed the moment. On one side of the small room. there is a star that marks the traditionally believed spot where Jesus was born.

Across from the star is where it is believed Jesus’ manger was placed.

It had been a full day. We had gone non-stop and had seen so many Christian sites. Jacob got us settled in our hotel for the night and gave us suggestions for dinner. We opted for the pizza place just up the street. We had Mediterranean calzones, basically green olives and cheese. We don’t know if we were hungry or they were that good, but we ate both of them…lol

We were so tired, but so excited as we had another day exploring Israel….