Inspiration: Christina Experiences Israel

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Hailing from America’s Heartland, Christina crossed a major destination off her bucket list when she traveled to Israel, a lifelong dream of hers. As a Christian, this trip meant more to her than an interesting historical destination… it was a spiritual pilgrimage that deepened her faith in an experience she says will stay with her forever. Here she answers some questions about her dream trip:

THE BASICS

1. Where did you go and for how long? Israel; 14 days
2. When did you travel there? July 19 – Aug. 1, 2017
3. How did you get there? We flew Air Canada from Minneapolis to Toronto, CA and from Toronto to Tel Aviv, Israel
4. Who did you go with? I went with my dad (who has been to Israel numerous times, starting with an archaeological dig in the summer of 1984), my stepmom (who has also been to Israel numerous times), my brother and my sister
5. Reason for your trip? Israel has always been on my “bucket list” and I really wanted to experience Israel with my dad and stepmom (while they’re still healthy/mobile) because they have such a wealth of knowledge of Israel & the biblical sites there; it was a spiritual pilgrimage for me as well, to experience biblical sites in person, to “walk where Jesus walked,” and to deepen my Christian faith.

THE DETAILS

1. Describe what you did on this vacation. We packed a LOT into our 14-day tour of Israel. We mainly focused on biblical sites throughout Israel.

Jerusalem

On our way from the airport in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, we stopped to see the valley of Elah (where David fought Goliath).

In Jerusalem, we stayed at the Gloria Hotel in the Old City for about one week and visited many sites in the area, including (but not limited to):

the different gates and four quarters of the Old City

the Via Dolorosa (the path Jesus was believed to have walked on his way to the crucifixion)

the City of David (oldest archaeological site in Israel)

King David’s Tomb

the Upper Room

the Garden Tomb and the possible site of Golgotha

the Western Wall

Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock)

the Mount of Olives

the Garden of Gethsemane

the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

the pool of Bethesda

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

Church of the Ascension

the Tomb of the Prophets

We took a day trip to Jericho (in the West Bank) and went to the Mount of Temptation. Along the way, we stopped at one of the sites along the Jordan River where Jesus could’ve been baptized.

One day we took part in an archaeological sifting project (The Ancient Jerusalem Sifting Project) to experience what it’s like to be part of an archaeological dig.

Caesarea

After Jerusalem, we headed up to Caesarea, where we saw remains of a Herodian theater, a hippodrome, a Roman aqueduct and the Mediterranean Sea.

Galilee

Then, we went to Mount Carmel (where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal) and to our hotel, Ein Gev Kibbutz, on the Sea of Galilee. While in Galilee, we held our own private worship service at the Mount of Beatitudes (they have a designated spot you can reserve for this purpose), took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee in a replica of an ancient fishing boat and saw Magdala (an archaeological site of a synagogue where Jesus likely visited).

Every evening we swam in the Sea of Galilee (the lowest freshwater lake in the world), which was a unique experience since it was fresh water but with waves and very warm water. We also went to Tabgha and visited the Church of the Multiplication (which commemorates Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000) and the Church of the Primacy (which commemorates Peter’s confession of Jesus being the Son of God). Then, we saw a second possible site of Jesus’ baptism (Yardenit) on the Jordan River.

We saw numerous archeological sites at Korazim, Hazor and Tel Dan.

On our last day in Galilee, we went to Kursi (where Jesus drove the demons out of the pigs), Bethsaida (home of apostles Peter, Andrew & Phillip), Cana (where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding) and Nazareth (where Jesus grew up). In Nazareth, we visited “Nazareth village” and experienced what life would’ve been like in the time of Jesus. We also went to the Church of the Annunciation (built on what, according to Catholic tradition, was Mary’s house and commemorating the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary announcing that she would conceive & give birth to the Son of God), the Mount of Precipice (where it is believed the people of Nazareth tried to throw Jesus off the cliff).

Jerusalem

Then we headed back to Jerusalem and the Gloria Hotel for one night.

From there, we went to En Gedi (beautiful park with waterfalls and wildlife where David hid from Saul when Saul was trying to kill him), Masada (Herod the Great’s fortress where Jewish zealots escaped to in 73AD following the destruction of Jerusalem and eventually ended up committing mass suicide), Qumran (the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found) and last of all, the Dead Sea (where we smeared the Dead Sea mud on our bodies and floated, without even trying, in the Dead Sea).

Bethlehem

Then we headed to Bethlehem on the West Bank and saw the wall separating the West Bank (Palestinian territory) from the Israeli territory. We stayed at the Manger Square Hotel in Bethlehem for 2 nights and while we were in Bethlehem we went to a Sunday morning church service at Christmas Lutheran Church (which was preached in English and Arabic), we visited the Church of the Nativity (built on the site where, according to tradition, Jesus was born), we toured the Herodium (the site of one of Herod’s palaces and possibly where he was buried) and we saw Solomon’s pools (three ancient reservoirs traditionally associated with King Solomon, but now believed to have been built during Herod’s time as a water supply for Jerusalem and the Herodium).

Our last day in Bethlehem, we visited the Shepherd’s Field (site commemorating the shepherds being visited by the angels with the news of Jesus’ birth). On our way back to Jerusalem, we stopped at Ein Karem (site where, according to Christian tradition, John the Baptist was born) and visited the Church of the Visitation (commemorating when Mary went to visit Elizabeth and sang the Magnificat).

We also stopped at the 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza (the first and only 9/11 monument outside the U.S. which lists the names of all the victims of 9/11). On our last night in Israel, we went out for dinner and explored shops on Ben Yahuda Street (pedestrian mall in the heart of downtown Jerusalem).

2. What were your accommodations during your stay? While in Jerusalem, we stayed at the Gloria Hotel (in the Christian Quarter of the Old City); in Galilee, we stayed at the Ein Gev Kibbutz; in Bethlehem, we stayed at the Manger Square Hotel

3. What mode of transportation did you use while there? Our tour package included an 11-passenger van with a driver

4. Any special food/restaurants to describe from your trip? We ate some traditional Middle Eastern foods, including kanafe (sweet pastry dessert), falafel, baklava, hummus and olives

5. Cost of trip: Budget ($), Mid-range ($$), Expensive ($$$), Luxury ($$$$)?  Expensive ($$$)

$1,500 (airfare)

$2,300 (my share of “ground costs” paid to Select International Tours, which included: breakfasts and suppers, all tips, all housing, driver, guide, vehicle, entrance fees)

+ $500 (lunch money & tips)

+ $200 (souvenirs)

$4,500 TOTAL

THE MEMORIES

1. What’s your favorite memory from this trip? That’s a REALLY tough question because I had SO many favorite memories from this trip! But here are some that top the list:

• • 

    Taking the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee was definitely one of my favorite memories from the trip because I could easily imagine being with Jesus and the disciples on the Sea of Galilee and it was one of the most peaceful and “authentic”-feeling experiences I had while in Israel.

  • I also really appreciated spending time in the Garden of Gethsemane and at the Garden Tomb. Both were very contemplative sites for me.
  • Seeing the two very different sites on the Jordan River where Jesus could’ve been baptized was also a big highlight for me.
  • Floating in the Dead Sea was a super fun/cool and memorable experience — an experience like none other!

2. Did you bring back a favorite souvenir? Yes, more than just one:

• • A silver cross & crown of thorns necklace from Salman’s Souvenir shop in the Old City
  • Hebron glass from Jericho (beautiful and very strong, almost indestructible, glass)
  • Olive wood ornaments from Bethlehem
  • seashells from the shores of the Sea of Galilee
  • seashells and broken pottery fragments (possibly Roman pottery) from the beach at Caesarea
  • smooth rocks from the valley of Elah (where David fought Goliath)

3. Any bad experiences or lessons learned during this travel?

• • Avoid going to Israel in the summer, if you can — it’s EXTREMELY hot and it’s nearly impossible to avoid getting heat sickness (4 out of the 5 of us got it at some point during our trip). On the positive side, it’s cheaper to travel here in the summer and the sites are definitely less crowded. J
  • Be prepared to see a lot of garbage (empty water bottles, trash, etc.) at many of the outdoor sites. My sister and I were appalled at the amount of litter we encountered at many of the sites and couldn’t believe that tourists and/or citizens would treat these historical/biblical sites in such a disrespectful way. We swore that if we ever came back to Israel, we would do a service project and pick up as much of the trash as we could.

4. Why does this rank as one of your most memorable trips?

My Christian faith is central to who I am and this trip has strengthened my faith by showing me that the people and places mentioned in the Bible really existed. Even though I believed this prior to going to Israel, it’s different when you can actually see the places where the stories took place and experience the geography, the climate, the culture, etc. This trip has convinced me that not only is the Bible the inspired word of God, but it is also a trustworthy historical text. To see the places where Jesus lived, preached, suffered, died and rose from the dead is a blessing that will stay with me forever and I hope that someday I will be able to go back to Israel and share that experience with my husband and three children.

5. What do you want others to know about this destination/itinerary?

• • Because of the political situation in Israel (i.e., the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict), I would highly recommend having a tour guide who is from the area, who can speak both Hebrew and Arabic and who can navigate any conflicts as they arise. Our guide, Ruby, is a Palestinian Christian who grew up in the Old City, has lived in Israel/Palestine her whole life and is fluent in Arabic, Hebrew and English. She was amazing and we all trusted her to keep us out of harm’s way while we were there, which she did.
  • Be flexible with your itinerary (since you might have to reschedule some planned destinations due to conflict/protests, religious observances, etc. and visit other sites that day).
  • Despite the conflicts in Israel and all the negative press it gets here in the U.S., I actually felt very safe the majority of the time I was there (thanks in large part to our awesome tour guide, Ruby, and our driver, Jalal).

SO WHAT TOPS CHRISTINA’S TRAVEL BUCKET LIST NOW?

New Zealand!

Thanks, Christina. Cheers to more dream travel in the near future!