Israel 2011

 

Your Hosts,

Glynn & Carolyn Davis – Senior Pastors, ALC

David & Julie Butler – Associate Pastor, ALC

Depart from DFW on our flight to Frankfurt. Meals and overnight on board. After dinner relax and enjoy the on-board entertainment.

 

This morning we arrive in Frankfurt. Change planes and depart for Tel Aviv. Arrive at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport and meet our guide who will welcome us to the Land of the Bible and escort us throughout our stay in Israel. Israeli guides are legendary for their knowledge and dedication. Ours will instruct us on the many sites we will visit and their relationship to the religion, history, archaeology, culture, and modern life in Israel. Time permitting, visit Old Jaffa, the traditional home of Simon the Tanner and the port from which Jonah sailed. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

 

Refreshed from a good night's sleep you may wish to stroll the beach before a full Israeli Buffet Breakfast. Today we pass through the fast growing towns and farms of the Plain of Sharon en-route to Caesarea, site of major events in the lives of Peter and Paul. It's on to Megiddo, inspiration for James Michener's "The Source". Archaeological digs reveal 20 layers of civilization, including fortifications of King Solomon and the water tunnel of King Ahab. Megiddo provides a magnificent view of the fertile Jezreel Valley, prophesied site of Armageddon, at the crossroads of the ancient Via Maris.   Continue through the rolling hills of the Galilee to Nazareth, site of Mary's Well, and Cana, site of His first miracle, before arriving in Tiberias. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Tiberias.            

 

This day alone is worth the trip! We are now literally walking in the footsteps of Jesus. We will take a most memorable boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, in a replica of the ancient wooden boat used in Jesus’ day. We will visit an ancient boat believed to be from Jesus’ time found in the Sea of Galilee in 1986. We walk into old Capernaum with the ancient synagogue; on to the site of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes (Tabgha), the Sermon on the Mount and the Mount of Beatitudes. You will have an opportunity for a lunch of St. Peter's fish (optional.) In the afternoon we will journey north to Caesarea Phillipi (Banias Spring) where Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16.) Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Tiberias.

  

This morning we will visit the Jordan River and have the opportunity for a baptismal service. Drive along the Jordan Valley to Beit She'an to see the expansive excavations taking place at this ancient Roman Decapolis city. Stop at Gideon’s Spring where Gideon selected his soldiers to do battle against the Midianites.  It's now time to “go up” to Jerusalem. We will enter the city as pilgrims did since ancient times to fulfill the words of the prophet "I was glad when they said unto me: 'Our feet shall stand within thy Gates, O Jerusalem' " (Psalms 122:1-2.) Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

 

Start the day with a magnificent view of the Old City from the top of the Mt. of Olives. Take the “Palm Sunday Walk” to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations and drive across the Kidron Valley. Enter the Old City through St. Stephen's Gate (Lions’ Gate) to the Muslim Quarter, visit the beautiful Church of St. Anne and the Pool of Bethesda, Pilate's Judgment Hall, and the Ecce Homo Arch. Walk along the Via Dolorosa, into the Christian Quarter, and see the Stations of the Cross. Drive to Mt. Zion to see the House of Caiaphas and the Upper Room of the Last Supper. We will visit Bethlehem and see Manger Square, the Church of the Nativity, and view Shepherds' Fields and the Fields of Boaz and Ruth. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

 

Depart to Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on Earth, where we ascend by cable car to visit the remnants of Herod's Palace and where in 73 A.D. the Zealots made their last stand against the might of Rome. Visit Ein Gedi, fabled Spring of David, and proceed to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. Time permitting, we will go for a swim, rather a "float", in the salted waters of the Dead Sea. Return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

 

We will begin the day with a visit to the reconstructed Jewish Quarter, walk through the Cardo, the original Roman street and see the amazing remains of the massive wall built by King Hezekiah. See the important excavations taking place at the Western Wall and the Southern Temple Staircase. On to the Temple Mount, where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac. See the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque that now stands there.   End the afternoon at Golgotha (Gordon’s Calvary) and the empty Garden Tomb. Special time is planned for worship, communion, meditation and inspiration. This evening we will share in a Farewell Dinner and the presentation of a Certificate of Pilgrimage to each tour participant. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

 

Today we transfer to the airport. Our guide will assist us with check-in procedures. Depart on our flight to Dallas. We arrive home today with wonderful memories of a visit to the Land of the Bible!

SPECIAL NOTE: The tour operator and/or guide reserve the right to alter the sequence of the daily itinerary and make substitutions in order to meet changes brought about by weather, airline delays or as deemed necessary for the best interest and overall comfort of the group.