Day 1      Tuesday, 27 April

We gather at London Heathrow to join a morning flight to Tel Aviv. On arrival we will be met and driven north to Galilee and our hotel by the lake, arriving in good time for dinner.

Day 2      Wednesday, 28 April

Nazareth, Sephoris and Tiberias

After breakfast we drive to Nazareth where Jesus grew up. We begin our day by paying our respects to the Anglican Church of Christ Church where we formally commence our Retreat. We then visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, the Orthodox Church of Mary’s Well and the old Synagogue Church. Late morning we drive to Sephoris, which is possibly where Jesus worked with Joseph and is still under excavation. We continue our journey to the one time Roman and Gentile city of Tiberias where we will have an opportunity of experiencing what some call modern Israel’s Brighton! We leave by boat and sail across the lake back to our hotel for dinner.

Day 3      Thursday, 29 April

By Galilee

A full day at leisure to relax by the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight stay by Galilee.

Day 4      Friday, 30 April

Chorazin, Capernaeum and Mt Beatitudes

This morning we drive to nearby Chorazin to visit the ruins of this recently excavated village, which appears to be one of the places that refused to receive the ministry of Jesus. We then visit Capernaeum, an important trading town for both Jews and Romans, the home of Simon Peter and the centre of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. We then continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, where we remember the Sermon on the Mount and enjoy the Sea of Galilee spread beneath us. We hope to have more time than usual to enjoy both Capernaeum and the Mount. We return for dinner at Nof Ginosar.

Day 5      Saturday, 1 May

Journeying up to Jerusalem

Today we take a leisurely leave of Galilee. Proceeding south to Jerusalem along the Jordan valley, we arrive at the oasis city of Jericho, possibly the oldest inhabited city in the world. After lunch, we view the Mount of Temptation before driving up through the hills of the Judean Wilderness towards the summit of the Mount of Olives. We will also see the stark reality of the Wall being built around the Palestinian West Bank of the Jordan. Following in the steps of the Lord, we visit the beautiful church of Dominus Flevit and see Jerusalem from the spot where tradition says Jesus wept. We then proceed down to our hotel within the old walled city. We plan to experience the modern city by having our evening meal in unashamedly tourist style and sharing in the relaxed end of the Sabbath.

Day 6      Sunday, 2 May

Christian Jerusalem

For early risers, there will be a chance to hear the Resurrection proclaimed at the site of the empty tomb itself and in a language and liturgy that has not changed since the Roman (Byzantine) Empire still flourished. We will then be able to celebrate the same Resurrection in a more familiar Anglican way at St George’s Cathedral, but in unfamiliar Arabic. We begin to follow Jesus’ last earthly journey by visiting the site venerated by the Crusaders as the ‘Upper Room’ of the Last Supper and then the Roman steps down which Jesus and the disciples made their way down towards the Mount of Olives. Near these steps, we visit the ancient dungeons where Jesus was imprisoned that same night and where Peter denied his Lord as the cock crowed. We will have time to meditate where Jesus prayed among the ancient olive trees in the garden of Gethsemane before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7      Monday, 3 May

Jewish & Islamic Jerusalem and Bethlehem

We start the day by spending some time seeing the vast foundations of Herod’s Temple and returning to the ‘Wailing’ Wall for our own time of prayer at this ancient site of mourning for the lost Temple. To move from a Jewish to an Islamic experience, we hope to be able to visit the Temple Mount itself and the magnificent Mosque where the Jewish Holy of Holies once stood. We then drive for lunch in Bethlehem. After lunch, there will be time to experience the town and do some shopping, before visiting the Church of the Nativity. Not only is this the site of the birth of Jesus it is also one of the oldest buildings in the Holy Land, dating as it does from the 4th century. We return to Jerusalem via the Shepherds’ Fields and will then have the chance of dining in the Old City. Overnight stay in Jerusalem.

Day 8      Tuesday, 4 May

The Way of the Cross

In the morning we follow the Via Dolorosa, standing where Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate and journeying with him to the hill of Golgotha and the Holy Sepulchre itself. In the afternoon, we will consider the reality of a different kind of passion and resurrection by visiting the Holocaust Museum of Yad Vashem. Return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.

Day 9      Wednesday, 5 May

Qumran, Masada, Dead Sea and En Gedi

Today we leave Jerusalem after an early breakfast for a full day tour of the Dead Sea basin. We drive down to Qumran on the Dead Sea to view the Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and visit the excavations of the nearby Essene monastery where the scrolls may have originated. We then continue south along the shoreline to Mount Masada and ascend the summit by cable car to visit Herod’s Palace complex. It was here that Jewish Partisans committed mass suicide during the Jewish revolt. From Masada we drive to Ein Gedi and break for lunch and the opportunity to bathe in the unique mineral –laden waters of the Dead Sea. Late afternoon we return north and back up to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 10      Thursday, 6 May

Jerusalem and our journey home

The morning will be free to explore the Old City. In the afternoon we leave Jerusalem and drive to Tel Aviv airport and check-in for our return flight to London, arriving back in London around 9pm.