Day 9 Jerusalem, Oh Jerusalem

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The Pacific Princess pulled into Ashdod, Israel on a bright and warm morning. The port is an industrial center and our dock included things like a new railcar for Jerusalem’s soon to be light rail line and about a million containers.

Everyone in the group had signed up for the shore excursion to Jerusalem and all 30 of us assembled on the dock eager to begin a day of discovery. (We had a young couple from England join our group - Kit and Reeta Singh - they are traveling alone and wanted to join a Christian group for the experience so they hooked up with us) Our only problem was our motor coach was nowhere to be found. Using various cell phones and calling many different numbers the bus was finally located. It was stuck at security at the front gate and didn’t arrive until 9:00 AM—about an hour late.

But what starts poorly can turn around, and that’s exactly what happened. Our guide Doreen proved to be excellent. She allowed us to customize our day in Jerusalem. We decided to skip Bethlehem because of the time it would take to enter Palestinian territory and instead opted to do more in Jerusalem. According to Doreen, the numbers of tourists coming into the country was at an all time high. The crowds we saw gave testimony to that statement.

Upon arriving at the top of the Mount of Olives we had our official portrait taken with the city in the background. We went down the Palm Sunday pathway to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations and observed a Mass with hundreds of international visitors. The olives were being harvested from trees perhaps 800 years old!

From the Garden of Gethsemane we next visited the Western or Wailing Wall, the only remaining wall left from the days of the Second Temple which was destroyed in 70 AD.
Everyone took time to place prayer requests into the wall and be moved by the excitement of a young man’s Bar Mitzvah taking place. As we exited the gate of the Wailing Wall music filled the air as a family was dancing and enjoying another Bar Mitzvah. Some of us joined in the dance with the rest of the crowd.

To save time Doreen arranged for us to have good old Israeli Falafel sandwiches on the bus. The meal was both tasty and extremely healthy as well.

Our next stop was the Garden Tomb, an oasis of beauty just outside the old city walls and directly across from the bus station. Here we were escorted by one of the guides, Ian from England who is a retired Attorney. He has been connected with the site for 20 years and he talked about Jesus’ crucifixion and where his tomb might have been in the Garden where we were standing. Pastor Linda served us communion under the beautiful trees and singing birds—and it was a moving experience. Then many went to look into the empty tomb—so symbolic of our Christian faith.

From the Garden Tomb we went into the walled ancient city of Jerusalem-a place which had been destroyed more than 20 times in its history. We entered via Herod’s Gate (our guide told us that Herod would turn over in his grave because his gate was the smallest gate in the city). We traveled along the Via Della Rosa, the route Christ took carrying his cross to Golgotha where he was crucified. The old city is a teeming bazaar with hundreds of shops selling all kinds of merchandise, mostly aimed at the tourist visitor. We spent a short time at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher amidst hundreds of pilgrims and visitors who wanted to experience this most important place in Christendom.

To add to the adventure one of the couples in our group got lost in the marketplace and went to the wrong gate to meet up with us. Pastor Linda and Doreen re-entered the city looking for them while Rich guided the rest of the group back to the bus. After a few minutes of waiting the couple asked and realized they were at the Damascus gate and not the Jaffa gate. With 15 minutes we were all united and all back on the bus.

This filled a complete day and the hour and a half ride back to the ship was filled with quiet conversation about the impact of experiencing so many amazing things during the day. Truly our group was inspired! At dinner everyone enjoyed a time of sharing their questions and experiences. The Holy Land lived up to its reputation once again.

Tomorrow we visit Haifa and travel to the Galilee.

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Comments

[Marilyn Biggs]

You had a big day in Jerusalem!
We're following your great journey! You had a big day in Jerusalem! Your feet must have been sore after all that walking. I'm glad that you were able to see all those top "tourist" spots in one day -- amazing, isn't it?.....to walk where Jesus walked! I bet you all slept good that night! We miss you all, but we are trying to carry on. Come home soon! Pastor Marilyn