The Holy Land in Spring

A visit to the Holy Land has been on our bucket list for a while. However, the time was never right, political situations were tense, and it got postponed to the next year and the next.  Some months ago, we decided that come what may, we would make it happen in 2017.  The pieces fell into place … we found an experienced tour leader, an ideal time of year weather-wise and a group of friends with similar travel plans.

So, we are soon to depart the Great Southern Land for the Middle East. We will travel through Jordan, Israel and Egypt, large sections of which comprise the Holy Land, having had Biblical and historical significance down through the centuries. Syria misses out on seeing us!

I can’t promise to write home everyday, but decent wifi permitting, I’ll try and check in when I can.

Are we there yet?

Singapore transit … long enough to get a free city tour between flights.

Mumbai transit … arriving in time for breakfast of uppma and idlis and a rickshaw ride through my old stomping grounds Hill Road/Linking Road.

Abu Dhabi transit … the Etihad flight from Sydney has already landed, bringing my sister. See you later Malcolm!

JORDAN

Our touring coach picked us up at Queen Alia Airport in the Jordanian capital Amman.  We know half the number of people on this bus. There is a great camaraderie and plenty of banter along the way. We have an interesting mix of people – a priest, doctor, vet, physiotherapist, nurse, lawyer, geologist, teachers, lecturers, bankers, technicians and community workers. We are well-covered for any emergency!

The bus takes us along the Kings Highway which is 5000 years old. We pass through a sandy desert lined with olive trees in stretches. We drive up to Mount Nebo, the mountain peak where Moses viewed the Promised Land and the new home of the Hebrews he led out of slavery from Egypt. He himself did not make it there but his people eventually reached there 40 years later. We attended Mass in the beautiful limestone Moses Memorial Church at the top. The peak views are panoramic overlooking the Jordan Valley, with the Dead Sea northwest in the distance.

The town of Madaba is a 30-minute drive away and is famous for its Byzantine mosaics. The main attraction was a map of the region prepared around 670 AD and now relocated to the St George Church. The original would have contained 2 and a half million mosaic pieces. It was incredible viewing the exquisite work and attention to detail. Somebody got lost on the mountain and nearly missed the bus. Yes, you guessed right.

Believe it or not, our local guide is named Moses!

We also took in a visit to a mosaic-producing outlet and watched the artisan at work. A lot of patience and cutting to prepare every finished product. I found the perfect coffee table but it did not fit into my suitcase.

Jordan is not an oil-producing country. It’s not wealthy either but accepts a significant intake of refugees from its war-torn neighbours.

ISRAEL

We descend from the mountains to sea level and into the Jordan valley through fields of olives and banana plantations. Corn, sunflowers, cotton are their other crops. Water is at a premium here. Our entry into Israel is through the Jordan River Crossing – 2 checkpoints on the Jordan side, then through No Man’s Land and 1 checkpoint in Israel. We had to lug our bags across and get into a new coach on the Israel side. Unusual experiences for those of us who are used to exiting through airport halls pushing our luggage on trolleys.

Tiberias / Nazareth / Galilee

We now drive to Tiberias, the city named after the Roman Emperor Tiberias in 21AD. This place is famous for its mineral springs. One of today’s highlights is a visit to the Kafr Kana, also known as the Wedding Church or Cana church. Its Biblical significance is the place of the wedding feast where Jesus turned water into wine. We had an opportunity to renew our marriage vows, so Malcolm and I said “I still do”. Coincidentally, my longtime friend and bridesmaid was also present, a great reminder of our big day years ago.

We arrive at the Rimonim Mineral Tiberias Hotel on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. It is actually a lake, the lowest freshwater lake, aka Lake Kinneret. Being Saturday, it’s the Jewish Sabbath Day which explains the short staff and long wait for room check-in. .

The next day is an early start for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It’s a pretty windy day. We got blown away on board when the PA system started playing Advance Australia Fair for the second largest contingent on the boat!  In contrast to land, it was peaceful and calm in the middle of the lake, as we cruised, sang and reflected on this unbelievable experience.

We visited some significant places of Christ’s ministry in Capernaum… the site of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and the sermon on the mount. Being a Sunday, we attended Mass outdoors in an amphitheatre overlooking the Sea of Galilee which again was an awe-inspiring occasion. Lunch was a traditional fish meal, in deference to St Peter the fisherman, with plenty of salads, spiced olives and dates. We finished the day by wading in the cool, green waters of the River Jordan at Yardenit, the traditional baptismal site. The Jordan river flows along the borders of Israel and Jordan, ending in the Dead Sea.

Haifa

The next day we head to Haifa. Driving along, the roads are lined with date palms. Israeli flags hangs from all the light poles. Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. All around Israel, sirens sound at 10am and people stand still as a mark of respect. The port city of Haifa overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. The closest land to the west is Cyprus. We stop at the Hanging Gardens of the Baha’i Shrine on Mount Carmel. The terraced gardens were simply spectacular, as was the view from the top.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Our next stop is the birthplace of Jesus … Bethlehem!  It’s a dream come true to finally see this blessed land we have always read about since childhood.

Bethlehem is located in the West Bank and we will spend 3 nights here. After decades of hearing about the Palestinian conflict from afar, it’s hard to imagine we are actually here. We are in an “orange” area (seriously reconsider travel to this area) designated by the Aus Govt on the SmartTraveller website.

As we enter, we see the Palestinian settlements on the right separated by high walls and fences. We have to cross a border post to enter from Israel into the Palestinian territory.

We queue for over an hour in the Church of the Nativity to see the star which marks the birthplace of Jesus. Emperor Constantine commissioned this basilica in 379AD. Though numerous wars and invasions have occurred over the centuries, the Basilica has never been a target for destruction by invading forces. This reportedly was due to invaders seeing a picture of the Three Wise Men (Magi) from the East. We also visit the Shepherds’ Field which is still undeveloped and looks as simple and natural as it would have been at the time of Christ’s birth.

Jerusalem – The Holy City

We are midway through our trip and today is a special day. We travel to Jerusalem, the Holy City.  It is a walled city with 4 gates and we enter by Lions Gate.

We start a walking tour of the sacred sites in the old city. We proceed up to the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of the city. You can see the Dome of the Rock glistening in the sun. Next to it is the Al-Aqsa mosque. On the other side is the Christian Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Jewish Wailing Wall to the left. Incredibly, the holy places for the 3 religions are located close to each other. The Dome is currently an Islamic site but has historic significance for the other religions too.

We follow the Palm Sunday route – which marked Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Next is the Garden of Gethsemane and Caiaphas’ house. Jesus was held here after his arrest. The steps outside are still the original ones up the hill, rough and high. It must have been hard to climb them with people beating you and jeering at you.

Via Dolorosa

After lunch, we traced the path to Calvary … the Via Dolorosa. The 1st Station is in the Muslim Quarter. The whole way is lined with shops which spill out into the laneways. Everyone in the group made an effort to complete the Way of the Cross uphill and downhill. It was shorter than I expected, but if you were carrying a cross it would have seemed endless.

We finish in the Holy Sepulchre church, the site of the Crucifixion. There are contrasting architectural styles in this church whose ownership is shared by Armenians, Greeks and Catholics.  The queues were long again to venerate this site. You can touch a section of the mountain where the cross stood. It was a powerful and moving experience.

We stopped at the Church of Saint Anne which had high ceilings and remarkable acoustics. Our group sang How Great Thou Art with full gusto and I’m sure we sounded like a choir of angels.

Still more walking to do. We now head to the Jewish quarter to visit the Wailing Wall or the Western Wall where the Jews pray. Malcolm was rapt he could enter the area after borrowing a kippah/tanaka (skull cap). The men were in black, praying on the left, and women on the right, all dressed very modestly.

We are quite exhausted by the end of the day but elated at being able to walk in these sacred places. Our spiritual experiences will last forever.

Lying Low in Jericho

The next day we descend to Jericho, driving along Highway 90, the lowest road. It is desert country 400m below sea level and the lowest point on earth. We head for the Dead Sea the lowest saltwater lake with 35% salinity in which no marine life exists. We left our belongings like watches, phones etc on the bus to avoid damage by the sand. I felt like a pig in a trough as I smeared myself with mineral-filled asphalt – the perfect beauty treatment! The water was  buoyant and great fun to float in but we had to be careful not to ingest any of it and not stay too long.

Jericho is the oldest city going back 7,000 years. It is the place of the Biblical battle fought and won by Joshua, and also was a refuge for King David. The road into it is lined with date palms. On our return journey, we stop at the beautiful church in Bethany where the Tomb of Lazarus is located. My claustrophobia held out long enough for me to crawl in and out of the cave tomb. It was spine-tingling!

There is a tinge of sadness as our time in Israel draws to an end. I wish we had more time to visit some of the Jewish places of history. Well, we can always come back….

EGYPT

Taba

Egypt straddles two continents with 16% located in Asia and 84% in Africa. The Red Sea divides it and Sinai links the two on-land parts.

Early departure today with 5am wake-up call to avoid the Jerusalem peak-hour traffic. We have breakfast and check out half sleepy so there’s no time to be sad as we leave this blessed land. We can recover lost sleep on the next leg … it’s 500kms until Eilat on the Israel border. Same story at the Menachem Begin border crossing. Get off and lug our bags through to the other side after buying Dead Sea beauty products at the duty free shop. New bus awaits. We are now in Taba Egypt, a resort on the Red Sea. It’s pretty hot so we have a relaxing afternoon in the Movenpick hotel pool while some cool off the beach.

Mount Sinai

The next day we head towards the Sinai Peninsula. Our destination is St Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai. We travel in a convoy of a dozen buses accompanied by security vehicles at the front and rear. There was an incident a couple of years ago involving a tour bus, so security has been ramped up. The bus takes us way up the mountain. We then hop into taxis driven by local Bedouins for 1km on a narrow dirt road. The mountains are high and imposing but barren.

St Cath’s was built under the patronage of Helena the mother of Emperor Constantine. It houses some of the oldest and most valuable Christian icons and books. Amazingly, it through centuries and survived invading Ottomans, Mamluks and Crusaders. It’s well-hidden in the desert so I’m not surprised … it would be pretty hard to find and would be a test of toughness and resilience.  Mount Sinai is where Moses encountered God in the burning bush. After watching several re-runs of the movie since childhood, I am half-expecting Charlton Heston to come down the mountain bearing two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments! 

Sharm El Sheik

Hotel Jolie Ville in Sharm El Sheik is like an oasis after our desert journey. It has a stunning layout and beautiful gardens. This golf resort on the Red Sea is also a popular place for holding international conventions. We attend Mass in the heavily guarded church of Sant Maria after going through a security scanner to enter! As you are aware, Egypt is under a 3-month emergency rule following recent attacks on churches. In the evening there’s free drinks at the hotel bar so we unwind with fancy cocktails, fabulous food and entertainment by local dancers.

CAIRO

Leaving Sharm, we cross the Suez Canal through an underground tunnel and are now in the African part of Egypt. We drive to Cairo, our last stop on the tour. Microbuses are a popular means of transport in peak-hour traffic. They seat 10 persons but I counted 16 in one. Sometimes they ride on the bumper.  We pass through affluent and impoverished sections of the city. There are new and old apartments all along the route but they don’t seem to have many windows! In the evening we have a dinner cruise on the River Nile. This river has seen many glorious and dark eras over the centuries.

On the final day of our trip we visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. It’s incredible to see them in their real proportions. The big pyramid is 220m long on each side with limestone core and outer mud bricks. 

Our visit to the Egyptian Museum is fascinating. Mummies, chariots and artefacts galore … many from King Tut’s era plus others. They mummified their food and animals … cats, horses, even a crocodile. There’s enough time for a shopping expedition to a papyrus and perfumed oil store to spend our last US$.  We have a farewell dinner before we start heading home.

WRAPPING UP

I can relate this trip to the movie “Night at the Museum” in which the exhibits come alive. I remember my mum bought us a beautiful leather-bound Bible with glossy pictures when we were kids. All those pictures sprung to life in the last few days as each place named in the Bible became tangible. I am elated that we finally made this journey and are returning home safe. We have been energised and revitalised by the rich history and spirituality of the Holy Land.

I end with a question that Malcolm raised when we were in Israel.

What is it about this place – an arid, barren desert land – that everyone wants a piece of, and has wanted throughout history? Whether you are a believer or not, most will agree there is something mystical, blessed and special here.

Thanks to our long-time friends who joined us on this journey, the new people we met and our tour managers Errol & Vanita who went the extra mile to make this an unforgettable experience!