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DAY 01: NORTH AMERICA / TEL AVIV.
Evening
departure from North America. Dinner and breakfast will be served
on-board our flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.
DAY
02: EUROPE / TEL AVIV.
Upon
our arrival at the Tel Aviv airport we will be met and transferred to
our hotel in a suburb of Tel Aviv - situated on the shores of the
Mediterranean Sea. Dinner will be served at our hotel. Weather
permitting, we suggest a walk after dinner on the beach.
DAY
03: TEL AVIV / GALILEE.
 After
a good nights rest and a hearty breakfast we will begin the thrilling
journey of following in the footsteps of Jesus. Ancient Joppa on the
Sea is where Jonah set sail, and where Peter raised Dorcas from the
dead. Joppa was the home of Simon the Tanner. At Caesarea by the sea
we'll visit the Crusader's Castle, the Roman Amphitheater and water duct,
and the port from which the Apostle Paul sailed to Rome. Driving through
the Jezreel Valley we'll visit Megiddo and continue to the fields of
Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). Continuing northward along the
Mediterranean Sea to Haifa and Mt. Carmel - the biblical site of
Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal (I Kings:18). Traveling
eastward across Galilee we will view Mt. Tabor (Psalm 89:12), Deboriya -
the hometown of the prophetess Deborah - at the foothill of Mt. Tabor
(Judges 4 and 5). Overnight at our hotel on the shores of the beautiful
Sea of Galilee.
DAY
04: TIBERIAS / CAPERNAUM / CAESAREA PHILLIPI / MT. HERMON / GOLAN
HEIGHTS.
This day will be an exciting day in the Galilee area after a delicious
breakfast. We will depart from the Roman hot springs resort city of
Tiberias via a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum (John
6:24) to visit the ancient ruins of the first century synagogue where
Jesus preached (Matt. 4:13-17). Then on to the Mt. of Beatitudes where
Jesus preached the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt. 5-7) and to Tabgha - the
chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes - (Mark
6:34-44). We will then proceed to upper Galilee and the site of Peter's
confession (Matt. 16:16) at Caesarea Phillipi and to Mt. Hermon (Psalm
89:12) the probable site of the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8) and the
present day Golan Heights where Israel, Lebanon and Syria come
together. We will follow the fresh mountain waters of Mt. Hermon to the
Sea of Galilee and to the outlet passage at the southern tip of the
Sea. We will stop at the beautiful Pilgrims Park at the Jordan River.
Return to our hotel for overnight.
DAY 05: GALILEE / NAZARETH / JERUSALEM. 
Leave our hotel this morning to Nazareth, town of the boyhood of Jesus.
Visit the Church of the Annunciation, Joseph's Workshop and Mary's
Fountain. Cross the Galilean Mountains to the excavations of Megiddo to
visit King Solomon's Stables and the water conduit carved out of solid
rock 3,000 years ago. Continue through the Valley of Jezreel, the
Valley of Dothan to Sebastia, the Hill of Samaria - bought by Omri,
beautified by Ahab and fortified by Herod. Visit Jacob's Well. Continue
to the Holy City of Jerusalem. Upon arrival check into our hotel for
dinner and overnight.
DAY 06: JERUSALEM.
Drive to the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Visit
the Chapel of the Ascension, the Church of Pater Noster and Dominus
Flevit. Walk along Hosanna Road to the Garden of Gethsemane. Visit the
Church of the Nations which stands on the Rock of the Agony. See the
Pillar of Absalom, the Eastern (Golden) Gate and the Pinnacle of the
Temple. After lunch drive to Mt. Zion. Visit the Church of St. Peter
in Gallicantu on the site of Caiphas' House, the Upper Room, the Tomb of
King David and the Dormition. Continue to tour the new part of
Jerusalem: the Hebrew University, the Shrine of the Book that houses
the Dead Sea Scrolls, Ein Karem - the birthplace of John the Baptist -
Kennedy Memorial and the Model City at the Holy Land Hotel. Return to
our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 07: JERUSALEM.
View the Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives from the Eastern Gate as
we start a walking tour to the Old City of Jerusalem entering through
St. Stephen's Gate to the Pool of Bethesda, Saint Anne's Church, the
Ecce Homo Arch (Behold the Man), the Lithostrotos and the Via Dolorosa.
Continue to the temple area of Mt. Moriah. Visit the Dome of the Rock,
El Aksa Mosque and the Wailing Wall. Walk through the Old City bazaars
to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. View the Tower of David and the
Citadel as we leave the Old City through Jaffa Gate. After lunch visit
the Garden Tomb and Golgotha - Place of the Skull - for a worship
service. The remainder of the day is at leisure.
DAY 08: JERICHO / QUMRAN / DEAD SEA / MASADA / JERUSALEM.
 This
morning we drive via the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point
on earth. But first we will walk over some of the ruins of ancient
Jericho, the oldest walled city in the world. View Mt. Temptation and
visit the site of Canaanite Jericho destroyed by Joshua. Take a drink
from Elisha's Fountain before leaving Jericho for Qumran, where we will
see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Continue via Ein
Gedi, along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada, a truly remarkable
piece of history. Ascend by cable car to visit the magnificent ruins of
the fortress where from 70 to 73 A.D. the Jewish defenders made a last
stand in their revolt against Rome and where the remains of storehouses,
cisterns and a 6th century Byzantine church are still on view. Return
to Jerusalem crossing the Judean Hills.
DAY 09: JERUSALEM / BETHLEHEM.
This
morning we begin our tour to Bethlehem. We will visit the Church of the
Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, the "Old Bethlehem Museum", the Wells
of David, and Shepherds Fields (Luke 2:1-20) then the Field of Boaz and
Ruth (Ruth 1:16-17 & 4:13). Remainder of the day at leisure. Dinner
and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 10: TEL AVIV /
NORTH AMERICA.
Today we depart Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport for our return trip to
North America. The end of a most enjoyable and unforgettable tour |
