Ashdod, Israel

April 6, 2011 – Wednesday                                                   7:00 AM – 10:30 PM



Wall around the old city of Jerusalem

Overnight we sailed east using recommended traffic routes which keep shipping away from the coast and off-lying dangers.  The port of Ashdod is situated 16 miles south-southwest of Tel Aviv.  It is the largest port in Israel and handles about 60 percent of the countries cargo.  The port can handle most types of vessels including bulk carriers, container ships and passenger and cruise ships.

The sprawling southern port of Ashdod serves Tel Aviv, Ashquelon, and Jerusalem.  This maritime port offers visitors the opportunity to visit the UNESCO World Heritage city of Jerusalem, central to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.  It is a place of pilgrimage for the faithful.  Perhaps it is ironic that yerushalayim is Hebrew for ‘Abode of Peace’, but however turbulent its history, it is a fascinating place.



Overlooking Jerusalem



We took a shore excursion to Jerusalem.  After a 1-1/2 hour drive we began our tour with a magnificent view over the “Golden City” from atop the Mount of Olives.  We then followed in the steps of Jesus as we walked through Gethsemane.  We saw some of the oldest olive trees which have a hollow trunk, with young trees protruding from them.  This is where Jesus spent his last moments before his arrest.  We visited The Church of Gethsemane which is built on top of the rock where Jesus knelt down and prayed.  Painting outside above the entrance shows old man holding Alpha/Omega.  People on the right side looking sorry; people on the left side look richer because of golden crown and as if they are thinking. 

Church of Gethsemane

We visited the Temple Mount considered holy among Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike.  It is one of the world’s most visited places.  According to Jewish tradition, God will answer prayers made before the Wailing Wall.  This is the last vestige of the ramparts that surrounded the Holy Temple of the Jews.  Chris and I both wrote a prayer and slipped it between the bricks.  Above the site, Al-Aqsa Mosque, is one of Islam’s holiest places.  From the Dome of the Rock, Muhammed ascended to heaven.



Mount of Olives Hotel for lunch

After lunch we drove to the Jaffa Gate.  We walked through the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Visited the last 5 stations of the cross.  Continued walking through the Christian Quarter to the Roman Cardo in the Jewish Quarter.  This was probably the very center of life in the old times.  Today’s  Cardo shops are exclusive versions of their predecessors. 

Wailing wall

Through the Zion Gate where you can see the bullet holes on the outside of the wall.   The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is build over the Crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha as well as the Tomb of Jesus where he was resurrected.  The 11^th, 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th station of the cross are in this church.   The room where the Last Supper was held is in this church.  Just inside the entrance of the church, is this rock, in the place upon which the body of Jesus was placed, anointed with ointments and wrapped in a linen shroud, the common preparation for burial among Jews.  On the roof of the Holy Sepulcher Church there is an Etheopian Village.  The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon and went back to Etheopia pregnant.



The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Drove to Sherover Promenade to overlook the City of David.   Drove to Mar Elias Monastery for a panoramic view of Bethlehem.