By Chris Meyer
We are getting excited about our trip to the Holy Land in October 2019. Ever since Chris got a chance to visit Israel in 2013, he has wanted to return and share the awesome experience with friends.
This nine-day tour (Oct. 17-25, 2019) by Globus Faith Journeys is a great value at about $2,000 per person double occupancy (including travel insurance but excluding flights which will likely be around $1,000 per person). This includes two nights in Tel Aviv, two in Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee, and four in Jerusalem – plus expert guidance by a tour director and local guides certified by the Israel Ministry of Tourism and Globus Faith Journeys, eight buffet breakfasts, six dinners, transportation throughout the country and travel insurance.
We will visit Bethlehem, Nazareth, Cana, the Mount of the Beatitudes (site of the Sermon on the Mount), Magdala, Tiberias, a Jordan River baptismal site, and the holy city of Jerusalem for the Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Upper Room Last Supper site, King David’s Tomb, Stations of the Cross, Church of the Holy Sepulchre (built on the crucifixion site), Western Wall, Dead Sea Scrolls and Vad Yashem Holocaust Museum.
We will experience the most ancient of lands and the miracle of modern Israel with full-throated narration through the Old and New Testaments. It may seem early to be planning a trip for October 2019, but these itineraries are already filling up. We currently have 20 seats with the world’s largest touring company and largest faith-based touring company. We are thrilled to offer our friends the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in good company and at an affordable price. For details and questions, contact Chris @ chrismeyeroc@gmail.com or (800) 745-4015.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges where applicable.
Oct. 16
Depart LAX
Oct. 17
Welcome to Israel! Check into hotel, and check out Tel Aviv.
Oct. 18 Free day in Tel Aviv, Israel
Shake off jet lag and explore the wonder of modern Tel Aviv before stepping back in time. This day is not officially part of the tour, but Chris, who has been to Tel Aviv, will set up an overview walking tour including the colorful souk (market) where we will find a tremendous array of fresh produce and all types of food. This will be our first chance to sample shawarma, a tasty Middle Eastern pita sandwich. In the evening, we will have a group orientation dinner with our tour director.
DinnerOct. 19 Tel Aviv–Jaffa–Caesarea–Muhraqa–Megiddo–Tiberias
Leave Tel Aviv and drive to the old port of Jaffa. Sightseeing continues at Caesarea, an ancient port turned stunning archaeological zone. Admire the restored 3,500-seat Roman THEATER, the aqueduct, harbor, and the crumbled moat and towers from the 12th-century CRUSADER FORTRESS. Next, visit MUHRAQA on Mount Carmel, site of Elijah’s contest of faith with the priests of Baal. From here, travel to the ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF MEGIDDO, an age-old fortified town and site of the Battle of Armageddon in the End Times, according to the Bible. Overnight in the lakeside city of Tiberias.
Breakfast
DinnerOct. 20 Tiberias. Excursion To Kibbutz Ginosar, Capernaum, Mount Of Beatitudes, Tabgha & Caesarea–Philippi
Today, travel to Kibbutz Ginosar to see the ancient boat at the JESUS BOAT MUSEUM, followed by a CRUISE on the Sea of Galilee. Next, visit Capernaum and see its ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE AND THE HOUSE OF ST. PETER. Travel north to the MOUNT OF BEATITUDES, where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount, and continue to Tabgha to visit the CHURCH OF THE MULTIPLICATION, the site where Jesus fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves. On to Caesarea-Philippi (Banias), home to one of the springs of the Jordan River and a place where Jesus taught his disciples.
Breakfast
DinnerOct. 21 Tiberias–Cana–Nazareth–Jericho–Qasr El Yahud–Jerusalem
This morning, stop in CANA, site of Jesus’ first miracle when he turned water into wine at a wedding. Continue to Nazareth and visit the CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION, ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH, and of the old village. Leave the Galilee area, drive through the Jordan Valley, and visit Jericho, where the shouts and trumpet blasts of Joshua and his army caused the city fortifications to crumble. Then, visit the Qasr el Yahud BAPTISMAL SITE and ascend the Judean Mountains to Jerusalem, with a stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Old Town.
Breakfast
DinnerOct. 22 Jerusalem. Excursion To Bethlehem
Start today by assisting the volunteer organization PANTRY PACKERS in assembling food parcels destined for Jerusalem’s needy. Then, set off on a touching walking tour of Jerusalem’s Old Town. From the MOUNT OF OLIVES, take in memorable views over the city. Descend via the PALM SUNDAY WALK and visit the GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, where Jesus prayed on the night before his arrest. Visit the CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS, located next to the garden, then enter through St. Stephen’s Gate and arrive at the POOL OF BETHESDA. Follow in Jesus’ footsteps along the Way of the Cross to the CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. Walk through the JEWISH QUARTER, reconstructed following unification of the city after the Six-Day War in 1967. Stop at Mount Zion to visit KING DAVID’S TOMB and the CENACLE—the Upper Room where Jesus and his disciples had the Last Supper. A special point of interest is the Cardo, Jerusalem’s main street 1,500 years ago. View the unearthed colonnaded thoroughfare with its ancient marketplace. Travel to Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus and King David. Visit one of Christianity’s holiest places, the CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, situated on the site where Jesus was born.
Breakfast
DinnerOct. 23 Jerusalem
Today, head for the Southern Wall excavations and visit the DAVIDSON CENTER, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the country. Continue with a stop at the WESTERN WALL, the holiest place in Judaism today. Next, visit the GARDEN TOMB, where you enjoy the scenery of the beautiful garden, a perfect place for personal reflection and worship. Then, visit the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book and the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as a scale model of Jerusalem at the time of Christ. Later, tour YAD VASHEM, the “World Holocaust Remembrance Center.”
Breakfast
DinnerOct. 24 Jerusalem. Optional Excursion To Qumran, Masada & The Dead Sea
Today is free to relax, revisit some of the Jerusalem sites at your own pace, or join an exciting optional excursion to the Dead Sea, the planet’s lowest point on dry land. Travel through the mountainous Judean Desert to Qumran with an included visit to the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada and ride the cable car up to the magnificent rock fortress. The fortification, perched high on a clifftop plateau above the Dead Sea, was where 960 Jewish rebels made their last stand against Roman forces in 73 AD. Later, head for the shores of the Dead Sea, where you’ll have time to experience the incredible buoyancy in the salt water. Return to Jerusalem in the late afternoon.
BreakfastOct. 25 JERUSALEM, ISRAEL–PETRA, JORDAN
Drive to Allenby Bridge, where you will cross into Jordan and arrive at BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. On to MOUNT NEBO, where Moses saw the Promised Land and where he is believed to be buried. Next, travel to ancient Madaba, the “City of Mosaics.” Later, see the spectacular BYZANTINE MOSAICS and the precious 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, and visit ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH.
Dinner
Oct. 26 PETRA–AMMAN
This morning, visit the archaeological site of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World®. Enjoy an unforgettable experience as you walk down the SIQ, the narrow gorge made famous in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and stand in awe in front of the iconic Treasury. This afternoon, travel north to Amman for two overnight stays.
Breakfast
Dinner
Oct. 27 AMMAN. EXCURSION TO JERASH, AJLOUN & ANJARA
Begin your day with a stop in JERASH, which was inhabited as early as 3200 BC. Although the city was impacted by the earthquake of 749 AD, it is the site of the best preserved Greco-Roman ruins in the Middle East. Travel through beautiful pine forests and olive groves before arriving in AJLOUN, where Hadrian stayed during the winter of 129-130 AD. Next on the agenda is the biblical city of ANJARA, where Jesus, his disciples, and the Virgin Mary stopped and rested in a cave as they traveled between Jerusalem and Galilee. Today, the cave is a holy place for pilgrims.
Breakfast
Dinner
Oct. 28 AMMAN
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
Breakfast