Day 7 Pictures

Day 6 Pictures

Day 5 Pictures

Day 4 - Jerusalem

About 7:30am - in old Jerusalem, fresh bread with ground herbs & coffee

The Temple Mount

Entered through Arab security right beside the Jewish, we had to walk up a ramp to the Temple Mount

[old cleansing area before entering the temple to pray]

[the Golden Dome of the Rock]

[a photo of the group photo]

[the Eastern Gate - existed in Jesus' time]

[The acoustics where amazing in this church. So the thing to do was to sing, of course :-).

When we started to sing the presence of God was so strong many began to weep.]

Walk through old Jerusalem

~Via De La Rosa~

The path of the "stations of the cross".

Each station represented an event surrounding Christ's crucification.

[yes this was Catholic]

[one of the stations - Crown of Thorns Church]

[walk, walk, walk]

The Temple Institute

Where we able to view some of the furnishing waiting

to be installed in temple when the Jews reclaim the Temple Mount.

[model of King Solomon's Temple]

[model of King Harod's Temple

this would have been what stood in Jesus' time]

The Kidron Valley

We were able to walk down this valley Jesus walked through many times.

[goats grazing]

[yes the same goats that were grazing, we meet again]

[our very own photo-journalist ;-)]

Day 3 - The Dead Sea

Masada

Herod's mountain top palace & fortress. 

Also where Jewish zealots lived & died defying the Roman army. 

[inside part of the Roman Baths - the sauna]

[those brave enough to face the heat walked down the mountain]

Dead Sea

Stopped for lunch here and had to time to put our toes in the water...

En Gedi

Where David hid from Saul and his army.

Qumran

Home the ancient Essenes where they wrote the Dead Sea Scroll almost 2000 years ago.

Old Jerusalem

Western Wall - The holiest place of pilgrimage for Jews. 

Rabbinical Tunnel

Walked through excavations of the wall allowing us to see & touch the stones from Herod's time (when Jesus walked the earth)

Day 3 Video

Day 2 - Tiberias up to Jersalum

Bet She'an

Where King Saul's body was hung on the gates of the city after his death

Tel Megiddo

Walked the underground tunnel that supplied the city when surrounded by the enemy.

[looking into a grain silo]

[underground tunnel diagram]

A family grave by the roadside.

Mount Carmel

Where the Prophet Elijiah called fire to conquer the Prophets of Baal.

Over-looking the alley of Meggido (Armageddon)

City of Nazareth

Caesarea

The ancient Roman seaport capital of Israel where Pontius Pilate had his base.

Ben Yehuda Street

Very lively at the end of Shabbat (Sabbath)

Day 2 Video

Day 1 - Galilee

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

Breakfast on the patio overlooking the Sea

or inside if you wish

[did the food taste better if you ate it outside? - fresh fruit, yogurt, olives, fresh veggies, eggs of choice, fresh bread...

Sea of Galilee Boat Ride

Tiberias to Ginossar

Ginossar

The remains of this fishing boat that would have existed during the time of Jesus

were discovered during a drought in 1986 and are now a timeless reminder of life during that time.

The Mount of Beatitudes

Here Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount

and today David H. also delivered a sermon... looking over the Sea of Galilee

Korizam

Land of Basalt (black rock)

We are gathered around the remains of an old olive press...

Capharnaum

This town was the centre of Jesus' Galilee ministry.

He spent time here healing the sick, preaching in the synagogue and performing miracles.

This was a port city so He was in contact with people

from all over the world as it was 2000 years ago.

Peter's house is said to be here by the Catholics who have built a shrine over it.

Tabgha

site of the multiplication of loaves & fishes

[sorry but the photos are boring for this one, as the Catholic's have once again built a shrine over the "rock" Jesus stood on the break the bread...

Our Lunch up in the hills in the land of the Drews...

Night on the Sea...

Day 1 Video

Chicago - Frankfurt - Tel Aviv - Tiberias

The Tour Begins - Chicago Airport

can I sit with..? no sorry the seats are already pre-assigned...

Our Air Host for the next 12 hours - Lufthansa (German Airline)

Tel Aviv!

yes solid ground, well for a few minutes before finding a seat on the bus...

the view from the back of the bus :-)

our kind tour guide stops so that we can all get out for a few breaths of fresh sea air.

The Mediterranean Sea

an ancient Roman Aqueduct

[well ok, this is the tour bus and the photos below are the aqueduct]

Tiberias

- after what seemed like a very long bus ride when one is in that land of half dazed sleep. We were told to go explore and put off going to bed till at least 9 pm...

Letter from the Hosts

Welcome to Israel 2009!

You will actually visit many places that you have always read and heard about. You will find that as you travel the Holy Land that your own Christian experience will be greatly enriched. This tour will make it so very real for you.

This is a time of learning, worshipping, rededicating... We hope to make it a spiritual trip of a lifetime.

Remember that you are not home and will not have the “comforts” of home. The best way to enjoy a foreign trip is to chill out and just enjoy it! Go with the Flow! Don’t expect it to be North America and you won’t be disappointed.


We are so glad you have chosen to be a part of this trip. Let us know if there is anything we can do that will make this trip better for you.

Experience the Holy Land! Soak in all the “moments”.

Yours for a great trip,