Little Lolly's Small Adventures: Haifa, Israel. Excursion: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth & the Sea of Galilee. Day 2.

View of Jerusalem from Mount Scropus/Mount of Olives.

As I checked out at the Renaissance Hotel and headed to the waiting bus, I wondered what the day was going to be like, knowing full well that Jerusalem would be very busy with visitors and pilgrims alike, let alone tourists!

Jerusalem and its walls across the valley where we are standing
before going to the Garden of Gethsemane

Before boarding the bus one couple mentioned they were going to sit in a different area on the bus because they felt that another guest was very rude to Tali and disrespectful in the way that he spoke to her. They also felt he was very ‘negative’ for most of yesterday’s tour. They pointed him out to me and I kept an eye on him today. Yes, he was a strange character. After lunch his demeanour changed and he had some positive things to say and the trip and also about Tali! So it ended well.

Garden of Gethsemane

On the drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem we drove past one of the places that Jesus was seen after his resurrection. We also passed wineries, Taru, “Gates of the Valley” and had a brief toilet stop before continuing to Jerusalem, passing through the Valley of Cedars and past French Hill.

Church of the Nations

At Mount Scopus/Mount of Olives we had time to get out of the bus and take photographs. There were good views of Jerusalem with its temples, the rest of the Mount of Olives, Mormon church, Temple Mount and other buildings or sites of interest.

On the way to the Garden of Gethsemane we could see the Kidron Valley; we went past the Tomb of St Mary, Lion Gate and many cemeteries.

Our driver briefly stopped the bus somewhere down the road from the Garden of Gethsemane, much to the annoyance of some Gethsemane, much to the annoyance of some vehicle drivers. The road is very busy and there isn't really any place to stop. Tali had already got us psyched up to get off the bus at the quickest possible pace without loosing our footing. We didn't want the bus driver to get a ticket! We stopped to look at Jerusalem's formidable walls across a valley from where we stood.

Room of the Last Supper

We had a brief walk around the Garden of Gethsemane and then went inside the house of the Nations which is right next to the garden. It was extremely busy inside; a sign of what was in store for us during the remainder of our tour. After we had had time in the church and in the garden, Tali called our bus driver to come and fetch us, meeting us on a road corner where it is easier for traffic to pass the bus if need be. Once again everyone made short thrift of getting back on the bus.

Western Cardio

Our walking tour of Old Jerusalem started at Mount Zion, visiting the Tomb of King David and Room of the Last Supper before heading through Zion Gate. From there we continued on through Jewish Quarter and saw the 2nd Century Cardo or main street where one can see the walls of the second Temple of Jerusalem. Continuing on, we walked through narrow streets through the bazaar but there was no time for shopping. It was a very interesting place and certainly worth a visit if I were to go back there again.

The bazaar

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The streets were very narrow and crowded and so the group got spread out. On top of it I was trying my best to keep an eye on the last people at the back of the group and hoped that nobody would try to do stop and shop. Fortunately our guide kept us informed, via our head sets, as to where she was going; such as "continuing on this street", or "turning left into the street at .... shop", etc. Now and then when Tali stopped and couldn't see me, she would call out. I would eventually catch up to the group, with the last person of the group in tow, and then someone tall would invariably point down at my head to signal I was here. Sometimes I would try to jump high in the air so that she could at least see my hands! (This is something that the group members and I would do throughout the rest of the day - and it seemed to work and nobody got lost, whew!)

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

After walking through the streets of the bazaar we reached an area where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is sited. A few decided to remain outside, the rest of went inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It is a huge place that includes Golgotha Hill - the place of the crucifixion, the Stone of Anointing where Jesus' body is said to have been anointed before burial, and caught sight of the tomb where Jesus had been buried – there long queues to go in so we didn’t visit it.

Our walk took us back through the bazaar and Christian Quarter and through security towards the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall) where people were in prayer, others were reading the Tanakh or were in deep thought. Guests were able to go up to the wall if they wished to do so.

We then headed out via Jaffa Gate in time to meet up with our bus and headed to Grand Court Hotel for lunch.

The Western Wall

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

Feeling rather full, we re-boarded the bus for our last visit of the day - Bethlehem. As we entered Bethlehem we picked up a Palestinian guide – Kalid who took over from Tali for this part of the tour. He pointed out modern and old cities of Bethlehem, King Herod Mount and Shepherd Field.

We stopped for a few minutes at a souvenir shop and then headed on to the Bastille or Church of the Nativity, believed to be the site of Jesus' birthplace. The entrance to the church was very small and narrow, built to prevent carts being driven in by looters. The church was beautiful but very busy inside. It is currently undergoing restoration.

We didn't have time to visit the Grotto of the Nativity - the exact site Jesus was born.

Within the complex there is also Church of St. Catherine which we visited. This church is said to be built on the site of Jesus' appearance to St. Catherine of Alexandria.

Church of St. Catherine

Our guide did his best with keeping the group informed of what was going on but someone complained she didn't know what our guide was talking about because he was moving too fast. In actual fact the woman seemed to write copious notes and photographs - no wonder she got behind!

After our tour in Bethlehem we were able to sit back and relax during the journey back to the ship. Tali guessed that some of the guests had fallen asleep and very gently woke everyone up with some lovely music.

It has not been an easy two days for some people. The days have been filled with non-stop activity. It was literally a whistle stop tour in two days, a bit of this and that to give us a feel of Israel and its people, to learn and delve into the past and present.

Our route today, more or less.

Sadly someone was grumpy because some people were slow due to mobility/health issues, and felt they were selfish by slowing others down. (I understand but also try to see the other side of the story too: an elderly ‘spring chicken’ whose energy and bones suddenly can no longer cope but the person still has the will and desire to go on this strenuous but special tour while they still can.)

All in all, I had a great time and almost everyone enjoyed taking in the history and sights of the place. Despite seeing a lot in so little time – they had a great time.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Views over Jerusalem from Mount Scopus