A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Join us September 1-13, 2012

What will we see each day?

Our itineraries are designed to be not too full - or too empty! Each day we'll have breakfast at our hotel, followed by the day's activities. In the evenings, you'll have the opportunity to join the devotional time. Enjoy browsing the proposed itinerary.

IF = In flight meals, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Day 1: Saturday, September 1, 2012: Fly to Israel
Our journey to amazing Israel, to deepen our Christian faith, begins with our flight to Tel Aviv, via Frankfurt.  IF

Day 2: Sunday, September 2, 2012: Fly to Israel
With a long layover in Frankfurt, we board a coach and drive to a vineyard along the Rhine for lunch and time to relax before our late night flight to Tel Aviv.  On arrival at Tel Aviv international airport, we meet our local representative then transfer to the Mercure Tel Aviv Hotel (or similar) for overnight.  IF/L

Day 3: Monday, September 3, 2012: Caesarea, Joppa/Jaffa
After a late breakfast, we drive along the coast to the archaeological ruins of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great in honor of Augustus Caesar. Here the Gentiles first heard the Good News from Peter and were baptized, and where Paul was imprisoned and appeared before Festus, Felix and King Agrippa. We tour the Roman theater, the hippodrome and promenade to the renovated Crusader city and home of Philip the Evangelist. Returning south, we explore ancient Joppa/Jaffa, the ancient seaport, where we walk in the old city and learn about the Miracle of the Resurrection of Tabitha by Peter (Acts 9:36-42) and his vision in which God told him not to distinguish between Jews and Gentiles (Acts 10:12-13). We have a second overnight stay in Tel Aviv.  IF/D

Day 4: Tuesday, September 4, 2012: Megiddo, Nazareth, Cana
We begin our day with a visit the top of Mt. Carmel/Muhraka, where Elijah prayed down fire from heaven and defeated the 450 prophets of Ba’al, (I Kings 18). We continue to Megiddo in the Valley of Armageddon, an ancient city inhabited continuously for more than five millennia (6000-500 B.C.). We visit the museum, see the water system and an archeological site. We continue to Nazareth, childhood town of Jesus, with the Basilica of the Annunciation; the Church of St. Joseph; Mary’s Well; the Church of St. Gabriel; and the reconstructed Nazareth Village Museum, a full scale reconstruction of life in Nazareth during the time of Jesus. We drive to Cana, the village where Jesus performed the first miracle, turning water into wine, and tour the Church of Nathanael and the Wedding Church, where couples have an opportunity to renew their wedding vows. We briefly visit the Arbel cliff, with incredible views over the Sea of Galilee and the main sites of Jesus' ministry.  We will have three overnights in the Leonardo Hotel (or similar) in Tiberias. B/D

Day 5: Wednesday, September 5, 2012: Sea of Galilee
After a tour of Tiberias, we’ll visit the Yigal Alon Museum at Kibbutz Ginosar, featuring a magnificent display of the wooden Galilee Boat, dating from the time of Jesus, discovered mired in the mud on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We visit the Mount of Beatitudes, and read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and enjoy the marvelous view of the lake and its sacred sites. Next is Tabgha, the site of Christ’s miracle of feeding the 5,000 and at the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves & Fishes with its mosaic floor depicting a basket with loaves and two fish. We’ll enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee from Tabgha to Capernaum, while our guide tells about Jesus’ ministry in the area. Here at Capernaum on the north shore, Jesus spent most of his ministry and chose his first disciples – Andrew, Peter, James and John. We visit Israel’s best preserved 3rd/4th century synagogues on a spot where Jesus once preached. We visit Bethsaida and return to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight. Optional activities of meeting local Christians are available. B/D

Day 6: Thursday, September 6, 2012: Golan Heights, Galilee
This morning begins with a visit to the Golan Heights, and Caesarea Phillippe-Banias.  This afternoon we return to our hotel where the remainder of our day is at leisure.  Numerous group or individual options are available, from archeology to art, hiking or sailing the Sea of Galilee. Additional sites related to Jesus’ ministry can be visited. Dinner and overnight in our Tiberias hotel. B/D

Day 7: Friday, September 7, 2012: Jordan River, Jerusalem
Before saying farewell to the Sea of Galilee area, we visit Yardenit – the baptismal site for pilgrims on the Jordan River south of Tiberias. We have an opportunity for vow renewal at this modern location, thought by many to be where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. We continue through the Jordan Valley to Beit- She’an/Beth Shean, Saul’s final resting place, with its recently excavated amphitheater and the ruins of Roman Scythopolis. We visit Beit Alfa National Park, see the remains of one of the most beautiful synagogue mosaic floors in Israel, dating from the early sixth century CE., located on Kibbutz Heftziba. We visit Harod’s Spring (Gideon’s Spring), where Gideon chose his army of 300 by observing how they drank from the spring (Jg. 7). We follow the Jordan River Valley to Jerusalem and check into the Prima Kings Hotel (or similar) for the first of four nights. This evening there is an escorted walking tour of the old city, with time for shopping. B/D

Day 8: Saturday, September 8, 2012: Jerusalem,
We begin with the inspiring panoramic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives. From here it is a short walk to Dominus Flevit and then a walk (or drive) to the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane.  We pass through Stephen’s Gate in the city walls and continue to the Temple Mount, scene of Abraham’s offering of Isaac, today marked by the Muslim Dome of the Rock. Then it’s on to the Western Wall, revered as Judaism’s most sacred site as the last remnant of the Second Temple. We continue to Mount Zion to visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied Jesus, King David’s Tomb, the Room of the Last Supper and the Church of the Dormition - where by Catholic tradition Mary fell into eternal sleep. We enter the city walls at St. Stephen’s Gate, also known as Lion’s Gate, and visit the Pool of Bethesda - site of the miraculous healing of a paralyzed man by Jesus. We tour the Church of St. Anne, where Christian groups love to sing hymns as they visit.  We walk the Via Dolorosa passing the Stations of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the ancient site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus- although many believe it was at Gordon’s Calvary, known as the Garden Tomb. We see more of the Old City and return to our hotel for dinner. We overnight in Jerusalem. B/D

Day 9: Sunday, September 9, 2012: Jerusalem, Bethlehem
We go to the site many believe to be Christ’s crucifixion, the Garden Tomb (Gordon’s Calvary), where we have Communion and prayer and a brief devotional. Next we go to Bethlehem to visit the key sites. We’ll tour the Shepherd’s Fields (YMCA of Beit Sahour), Basilica of the Nativity, Church of the Nativity, Chapel of the Milk Grotto and Rachel’s Tomb. We to the village ofEin Kerem, home of John the Baptist, to see the Church of Visitation. In modern Jerusalem, we drive by the Knesset (Parliament) and the campus of Hebrew University. We visit the the Israel Museum, where we see the detailed model of Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple and the Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and then return to our hotel in Jerusalem. B/D

Day 10: Monday, September 10, 2012: Bethany, Qumran, Masada, Dead Sea
We drive through Bethany, the town of Christ's anointment and home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. We head into the Judean Wilderness and the Jordan Valley and go to the Dead Sea. On the way we’ll watch a great DVD about the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls. At Qumran we view Cave # 4, which contained the greatest quantity of scrolls. We continue south to Masada and take the cable car to the top, visiting Herod's mountain fortress and the last stronghold of the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-73 AD). We have a brief float in the Dead Sea and then return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. B/D

Day 11: Tuesday, September 11, 2012: Jordan
We meet our Jordanian guide at the Arava border, and finish arrival procedures, then drive to visit Madaba & Mt. Nebo. The trip south of Amman along the 5,000 years old King’s Highway is one of the most memorable journeys in the Holy Land, passing through a string of ancient sites. The first city along the way from the north is Madaba, "the City of Mosaics" which has been intermittently inhabited for nearly 3,500 years.  The chief attraction in this city is a wonderfully vivid, six-century Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and other holy sites; there are also literally hundreds of other mosaics scattered throughout Madaba's churches and homes.  Ten minutes to the west is Mount Nebo, the memorial of Moses, and the presumed site of the prophet's death and burial place. From a platform in front of the church one can enjoy a breathtaking view across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. We then check into La Maison Hotel (or similar) in Petra for dinner & overnight. B/D

Day 12: Wednesday, September 12, 2012: Petra
After breakfast, we visit Petra, the rose-red city which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Petra is the legacy of the Nabateans, an industrious Arab people who settled in south Jordan more than 2000 years ago.  Much of its appeal comes from its spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge.  From the main entrance, we walk through the awesome "Siq", an immense crack in the sandstone that winds for one kilometer between overhanging cliffs. Petra's most famous monument, the Treasury, appears dramatically at the end of the Siq and various walks and climbs reveal literally hundreds of buildings, facades, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples and a 3000 seat theater from the 1st Century AD. We return to our hotel in Petra for our evening meal and final packing. After dinner, we board our bus and head to Amman airport for our overnight flight. B/D

Day 13: Thursday, September 13, 2012: Return
Our inspiring journey comes to an end as we fly back to the USA via Frankfurt. B/IF

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