Itinerary

Day 1 Tuesday 24 January

TRAVEL TO THE HOLY LAND

We gather at London Heathrow to join a morning flight to Tel Aviv. On arrival we will be met and driven to Bethlehem and After arriving at our hotel in Manger Square, we will visit the Church of the Holy Nativity, celebrate the Eucharist before dining together in Bethlehem.

Day 2 Wednesday 25 January

BETHLEHEM

We spend the day exploring Bethlehem and reality of the vast wall being built around the West Bank. We begin with a visit to the Basilica of the Nativity and the Shepherds Fields at Beit Saour. We then visit the Holy Family Maternity Hospital to learn of the vital work it does in and around the municipality. Then we walk to the Lutheran Christmas Church where the Pastor is the Revd Mitri Raheb, author of Bethlehem Besieged (a deeply moving account of the sufferings caused by the Israel invasion of Bethlehem in 2002 and also see the remarkable work undertaken in the educational centre attached to the church. Overnight stay in Bethlehem.

Day 3 Thursday 26 January

MOUNT OF OLIVES & MOUNT ZION

After breakfast we leave Bethlehem after an early breakfast and proceed around the wall to visit Bethany on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, to visit the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. We then return around the wall and proceed to Bethphage on the summit of the Mount of Olives and the start of the traditional Palm Sunday procession. From there we will continue to the Pater Noster Convent, before walking down the Mount of Olives to visit the Church of Dominus Flevit, which commemorates the site where Jesus wept over the destruction of Jerusalem, the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane. After a break for lunch visit Mount Zion to see the traditional site of the Room of the Last Supper, the beautiful Abbey of the Dormition, and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, for a Eucharist. There we will view the recently excavated Roman pathway and steps that lead up from the Old City. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.

Day 4, Friday 27 January

THE VIA DOLOROSA

We will begin the day at the beautiful Crusader Church of St. Anne overlooking the Pools of Bethesda, before visiting the Convent of the Sisters of Zion built on the foundations of the Antonia Fortress, the Roman Garrison of Jerusalem. After a celebration of the Eucharist we visit the recently-excavated first century stone pavement (Gabbatha in the gospels) to follow the Way of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary enshrined within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We will bring the day to a close at Ein Karem, the home of John the Baptist. Return to our Jerusalem hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5, Saturday 28 January

BEER SHEBA - THE DEAD SEA - QUMRAN

This morning we leave Jerusalem after an early breakfast and drive south to the ancient city of Be’er Sheba, the capital of the Negev desert region. Here we will visit the Anzac cemetery and remains of the Allenby monument. This was the site of the famous cavalry charge that turned the tide of the Palestine campaign and led to the subsequent end of 400 years of Turkish Ottoman rule in Palestine. From here we proceed down to the Dead Sea for a lunch break and an opportunity to float unique mineral laden waters. We then visit Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947, excavations uncovered the nearby Essene Monastery, where the Scrolls may have originated. We return to Jerusalem in good time for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6, Sunday 29 January

JERUSALEM - SUNDAY SERVICE

This morning we drive the short distance to Jerusalem to join members of the local community for the Eucharist at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral. After a break for lunch we will visit West Jerusalem to see the model of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. Finally we travel to Yad Vashem to visit the Holocaust Memorial museum and Park. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7, Monday 30 January

JERICHO - JORDAN RIVER - GALILEE

After a leisurely breakfast we leave Jerusalem and drive east, down through the hills of the Judean Desert to the oasis of Jericho, the city of palms. Here we will break for coffee and a spot of shopping, before we proceed up the Jordan Valley towards Galilee. En route we will stop for a breathtaking view of the Monastery of the Temptation which clings precariously to the cliff face of the Mountain. We will drive around the Sea of Galilee to the Jordan River Baptismal site where we will have the opportunity of renewing our baptism vows. Finally we proceed to our hotel on the shores of the lake. Overnight by Galilee.

Day 8, Tuesday 31 January

MT TABOR, NAZARETH & CANA

After breakfast we will drive to the summit of Mount Tabor. After a Eucharist on Mount Tabor, which commemorates the Transfiguration of Jesus before Peter, James and John, we will continue to Cana, the site of Jesus’ first sign, then on to Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up, to visit the Church of the Annunciation and the Old Synagogue-Church. Dinner and overnight by the Sea of Galilee. We will return to our Galilee hotel in the late afternoon.

Day 9, Wednesday 1 February

JESUS’ GALILEAN MINISTRY

We start our day at the summit of the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the places where Jesus lived and worked. We will (if permitted) walk down the hillside to Tabgha to visit the Church of the Loaves and Fishes for a celebration of the Eucharist. We then continue to the Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter. We will then drive to the ancient fishing village of Capernaum, the centre of Jesus’ Galilean Ministry. After sailing on the Sea of Galilee to Nof Ginosar, to see the First Century fishing boat, and a break for lunch we will drive on to Kursi and visit the site of the miracle of the Gaderene swine. We then drive back around the lake to oiur hotel for dinner and overnight stay..

Day 10, Thursday 2 February

CAESAREA MARITIMA

After breakfast we celebrate the Eucharist at the Church of Peters’ Primacy before leaving the rolling hills of Galilee and drive west to the Mediterranean shoreline. We continue south to Roman and Crusader city-port of Caesarea Maritima. It was here where Paul was held before his trial in Rome and where Peter baptised the centurion. After a break for lunch we proceed to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and check-in for our return flight to London.