Israel/Palestine, Thursday/Friday, 3/4 March

We got up a little earlier this morning than usual because Naim wanted to get started to Ben Gurion airport early. It's about an hour's drive from Jerusalem, and we were trying to go before the worst rush hour traffic. We were on the road by about 7:30, which got us to the airport about 8:30, two and a half hours before our flight.

Mark & Miriam said farewell at the bus, not going with us to the airport so as to raise no suspicions about someone not leaving. The Israelis have very good and tight security, and are suspicious of any out of the ordinary behaviors. Dan did ride with us, but went his own way at the airport to fly to Elat. That left twelve of us returning home to the USA, and Dick was now the tour leader, with very good help from Karen. Fortunately, there wasn't too much to do since Naim took us into the airport and got us situated for security and check in.

The fun started when we walked into the airport and saw that our flight was delayed about an hour and a half--the only delay on the board. Since our flight was not going to leave for a while, we stood for about a half hour before they started the security process, a three part effort. We all made it through fairly easily and quickly, with only a couple of secondary inspections. It was a good and quick (relatively speaking) process. We gathered in the large central waiting area until time to go to the gate. Ben Gurion is a modern beautiful airport.

At the announced time, we boarded the plane to begin the journey home. Going west, it's about a 12-hour flight. Even though they tried to make up time, we landed in Newark at 5:30 only thirty minutes before our connecting flight was supposed to take off. Needless to say, we didn't make the connection. In fact we didn't get through immigration and customs till about 6:05. So we went to the rebooking desk. We had been told on the plane that our group had been rebooked to Friday morning and they would put us up for the night. But it took a long time for the agents to get all the paperwork done. We went to the airport Ramada with our food vouchers and settled in for a short night.

We got up at 2:00 AM to catch the 3:00 o'clock shuttle for a 5:30 flight to Houston. Even though it was far too early, the airport procedures went smoothly. We checked our bags at the Group Check-in counter and proceeded to the gate. We used our vouchers to buy something for breakfast and for lunch on the plane. In Houston we had about 35 minutes, and fortunately our gates were close together. As I write this, we are somewhere over the western Rockies on our last leg into Portland.

It has been a very good 12 (instead of 11) days with a good group. Everyone even seems to have survived Dick's substitute leadership on the way home.

And to complete the story, we arrived home in Portland right on time. Thanks very much to all our fellow travelers and pilgrims for a wonderful and blessed trip!

Israel/Palestine, Wednesday, 2 March

View of Augusta Victoria from the tower of Redeemer Church

On our last day in Jerusalem, we began with a drive to Augusta Victoria Hospital. It is at a site founded and built by Kaiser Wilhelm II in the late 19th century. It has had serval incarnations and became the present hospital about 60 years ago. It is a Lutheran hospital run through the Lutheran World Federation, serving the Palestinian population of the entire West Bank. Now there are several hospitals in the West Bank, mostly near Jerusalem, serving that population, so each hospital has specialized in what services they provide. Augusta Victoria is a miracle of Christian Lutheran charity for the people of the West BanK. It was great to hear their story. And please add their work to your prayer list, and if possible, your charity.

The Palm Sunday route down the Mount of Olives

From there we went to the Mount of Olives to retrace the route of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The route is essentially the same after all these years, but fortunately for us it has been paved. There are great views of the old city of Jerusalem from there across the Kidron Valley and its many cemeteries. There are, of course, several churches along the way, notably the Russian Orthodox church with its cluster of bright gold onion domes. At the bottom of the hill is the Church of all Nations, commemorating the Garden of Gethsemene. There are twelve domes in the roof of is church, one for each of the twelve nations who participating in its construction. A small grove of mostly very ancient olive trees, some claimed to be 2000 years old, sits next to the church. Once again, its exact location is less important than it's symbolism.

Lunch today was at a kibbutz just outside Jerusalem. The food and selection of the typical buffet style restaurant was very good.

From there we returned to the Old City for a visit to the Pool of Bethesda and the Church of St. Anne. There is no water in the pool any more, but one can see the complexity of its structure. St. Anne's church is nice for it's simplicity, and its wonderful acoustics. There was another group in it singing, and after they left, we sang the common Doxology. What a great thrill to sing God's praises in Jerusalem in such wonderful acoustics!

To the east toward the Mount of Olives from the
Redeemer tower

The group then returned to the hotel for a free afternoon. We bypassed the hotel and walked straight to Redeemer Lutheran Church so Dick could climb the tower for one of the best views of the Old City. Since there was a group having a service, the tower closed at 3:30, but a half hour is plenty of time. The rumor is correct: it is the best view of the Old City from the highest church tower in the Old City. After two rounds of pictures in all directions, he headed down the very narrow stone circular staircase, much like cathedrals in Europe.

Along the Cardo

Karen was waiting at the bottom and we did grandchildren shopping. On the walk back to the hotel, we went through the suk, trying to avoid all the eager shopkeepers. We did a Rick Steves and got a little lost. That led us to the Cardo, the old Roman main street in Jerusalem. We found some areas we had not seen before, which made our "detour" worth the effort. On the way back to the hotel we asked directions several times. It was a good thing the Gloria Hotel is near the Jaffa Gate so everyone can help.

Back at the hotel we rested till dinner, our "farewell" dinner. It was the usual salad buffet with Nile River fish and beef. After dinner we moved to a meeting room for Mark & Miriam to hand out "tour awards" to each member of the group. It was a fun time.

Happy Hour at the King David

A little later, about 2/3 of the group went out to the King David Hotel for drinks, or maybe late Happy Hour. It was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. A couple waiters gladly set up a large area with three small tables. We all ordered a drink and sat sharing stories and thoughts about the pilgrimage. It was a great social finish for our tour. The walk back to the hotel was good. It was then time to finish packing.

Israel/Palestine, Tuesday, 1 March

Approaching the checkpoint leaving
Bethlehem

This morning we said farewell to the guest house at the ICB at  Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. After passing through the checkpoint at the edge of Bethlehem, we drove to Jerusalem to begin a two-day exploration of the old city.

In front of the Dome of the Rock

We entered the Old City through the Dung Gate and went to the Temple Mount. This is Mount Moriah where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac, and where Solomon and Herod built temples. It is now the site of two mosques, one being the Dome of the Rock built over the rock of Abraham's sacrifice. We were able to visit the mount, but the Dome of the Rock is still closed to visitors which was disappointing. The outside of the building is spectacular with its many mosaics and gold dome.

From there we left the Temple Mount and came down to the Western Wall, formerly known as the Wailing Wall. This foundational wall of the Temple Mount goes back to Solomon's time, with additions by Herod and the Ottoman Turks. It is a most sacred site for Jews, who come here to pray and celebrate rituals. Men, who must have head covering, and women, without head covering, are separated. Many people put prayers written on scraps of paper into cracks in the wall.

On the Herodian steps

On the south side of the Temple Mount is the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, which may be the best place to see and experience things from the time of Christ. Particularly interesting is the temple steps, a few of which are original from Herod's temple, so it is most likely a place where Jesus walked. There are several other things of historical interest, notably Herodian streets and shops, and large stones left from the destruction of the temple.

Leaving the Western Wall area, we drove to our hotel, the Gloria Hotel, or at least near it outside the city wall. From there we walked into the city and our luggage was taken in by van. Our rooms were not ready, so we left our luggage and headed out for more exploring.

Our first stop was lunch where we once again had falafel and shwarma. We went out of the old city at the New Gate and walked around the city past the Damascus Gate to Herod's Gate. The Damascus Gate, which we remember as our main entry to the Old City on our previous visit, was being reconstructed. Entering through Herod's Gate, we walked to the Church of the Flagellation at the site of the Antonia Fortress, where Christ was tried by Pontius Pilate.

Grave caves in Holy Sepulchre Church

We followed the Via Dolorosa from there to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We passed Stations of the Cross on the way as well as passing through markets. The church is a bit overwhelming in its complexity and ornamentation. There is good argument for the site being authentic: it was outside the city wall at the time of Christ, it is a rocky hill, and there were burial sites nearby. It is a chance to think about Christ's sacrifice.

Naim's candlesticks

Redeemer Lutheran Church is very close by, and was a refreshing change for its simplicity. It is the home church of our guide, Naim, who gladly shared the church with us. He was baptized and confirmed there and is still a member. The altar candlesticks were made by him. It being a stone church, it has very live acoustics, so we sang "Beautiful Savior" as we did at Christmas Lutheran.

From there we returned to the hotel. Our luggage had been delivered to our room and we had time for rest. We went out for a walk through some of the suqs (market areas) near our hotel. It's not always easy to fend off all the eager shop keepers. Returning to the hotel, we took a circuitous route through some back streets of the area, and only had to ask directions once. Back at the hotel, it was about time for dinner, consisting of the usual spread of salads and the main course of salmon and beef with rice. The salmon was good, but very pale, not pink as we are used to.

After dinner we met in a room in the hotel for a Eucharist service. It was very good to share this meal in this place.