Last Day

The last day we spent the morning at the Israel Museum. Saw the Dead Sea Scrolls and a model of the City of Jerusalem as it was in the time of Christ. Toured the city and had lunch at a Kibbutz. Stopped at Abu Ghosh considered the Road to Emmaus. Then on to Jaffa and then to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Left Tel Aviv at 11:50p.m. on Fri. Arrived in Newark at 4:00a.m. Sat. It was an 11 hour flight from Tel Aviv. Left Newark at 6:30 arrived in Phoenix around 9:00 a.m. That was a five hour flight.

It was a fantastic trip!!!! I can't wait to go back.

Day Seven

Day seven started with a visit to Temple Mount where we saw the Dome of the Rock. The wait in line to get into the area of the Dome of the Rock was about 2 hours. During that time there were several parties that were going to the Western Wall to celebrate their Bar Mitzvah. They were escorted up to security by two men in their twenties dressed in white and playing drums and cow horns. Everyone was chanting and singing. It really was an experience. After the
Dome of the Rock, we walked the Way of the Cross to the church of The Holy Sepulcher. We had lunch in the old city and then had some free time. I walked around in the old city and then walked back to the hotel. I had a nice relaxing swim in the pool.

Day Six

Started the day at the Church of John the Baptist and then went to Bethany where Lazarus was raised from the dead. Then on to the Dead Sea. We stopped at an overlook of the old road from Jericho to Jerusalem and then on to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Qumran was very hot. Went swimming in the Dead Sea. You couldn't sink if you tried. Salt content is over 30%. What an experience.

Day Five

Today was a very busy day. Started on the Mount of Olives and ended at the Western Wall in the Old City Of Jerusalem. Walked down the mountain to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Saw the area where the Last supper was held. The place that Jesus was imprisoned and then entered the Old City and went to the Western Wall.

The Fourth Day

The first stop on the fourth day was at the Basilica of the Loaves and Fishes. This rock is said to be the rock where Jesus fed the multitude with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. The mosaic is from the Byzantine church built in the 5th century. After that we arrived at Beth Shen. These are newly excavated Roman Ruins. The acoustics in the theater were very good. Next stop was Jericho, then through Jerusalem into Bethlehem. We had lunch in Bethlehem and then visited the Church of the Nativity. The battery in my camera died so I don't have any pictures of Bethlehem. It was a busy day. We got back to the hotel around 8:00

Pictures from Day Three

Started at the Mount of the Beatitudes. Second stop of the day was a "beach" on the Sea of Galilee. I'm not walking on water but I'm trying. Then on to Capernaum where Jesus spent a lot of time. There is a picture of the ruins there and also of the Jewish Temple. After that I'm sailing the Sea of Galilee with friends. Lunch was fish from the Galilee. Last picture is a shot of the Sea of Galilee just before the Jordan river. More pictures tomorrow from day four. Today we saw Qumran and the Dead Sea.