Join Dave & Vanessa’s adventure as they tour Israel!
Day 1 in Israel. Arriving at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, driving north to Netanya, watching the sunset and the moon rise over the Mediterranean and reconnecting with dear friends Mark and Nancy from Eau Claire, WI.
Day 2 in Israel. Caesaria on the Mediterranean and the Roman ruins of Herod the Great. Peter preached to the Gentiles there and the Apostle Paul was imprisoned. Megiddo, site of Solomon’s stables and the ‘last battle’ and then Nazareth, Jesus’s boyhood home.
Day 3 in Israel. A visit to Dan in the upper north and the sources of the Jordan River. Exhilarating. My selfie shows Lebanon behind me and Golan Heights nearby. Caesaria Philippi, then a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee!! Final stops at Capernaum and Magdala on the lake!
Day 4 in Israel. Baptizing people in the Jordan River, visiting the ancient ruins of a Roman city now known as Bet Shein, driving through the West Bank, seeing Qumran where the Essenes miraculously preserved the Dead Sea scrolls, going to Masada (very sobering) and, of course, floating in the Dead Sea!!
Day 5 in Israel. Hiking in En Gedi desert where David hid in caves from Saul. The Dead Sea behind and waterfalls in clefts of the rocks; amazing!!! Vanessa is standing by a juju tree; the kind they used for Jesus’ crown of thorns. We also spent the afternoon in Bethlehem at the Church of the Nativity. It’s cooler in Jerusalem and we travel thru the Old City tomorrow!
Day 6 in Israel. The walled City of Old Jerusalem. Including first a visit to the Garden of Gethsemene, then the Wailing Wall, the tunnel under the Temple Mount, the Southern and Lions gates, touring the streets of the Old City and traveling the Via del a Rosa. Very moving and profound.
Israel Day 7. The Upper Room, Peter’s denial in the courtyard of Caiaphas, the high priest, the garden tomb (it was empty), the Mount of Olives, King David’s tomb, the Good Samaritan site and a camel ride and lunch at Abraham’s tent.
Israel, Day 8. The Israeli Museum with it’s large scale recreation of Old Jerusalem and housing of the Dead Sea scrolls. The Friends of Zion Museum with it’s hi-tech and interactive description of Israel’s history. Exceptional!!! The Israeli Holocaust Museum; it moved me to tears, especially the memorial to the 1.2 million children who died. Capped off the day lingering in City Center.
Day 9 in Israel, the last day. In the Old City of David, just below the Temple Mount. The remains of his palace, other officials houses and the Pool of Siloam all in view. Walked the tunnels under the city and saw Hezekiah’s underground aqueduct! Then a visit to the Tower of David and Herod’s Palace where Jesus might have been sentenced. Finally, a run from hotel to Old City and the Damascus Gate and New Gates. Wow Tonight we are coming home!!