Trips

Fri., 2/3/23 - Jerusalem to Tel Aviv

This morning we visited the Garden of Gethsemene and the Church of All Nations.

Northern wall of the Old City	Herod's Gate - In the Northern walls
Walled up Golden Gate - In eastern wall - Once opened into the Muslim Quarter The Golden Gate entrance to the old city was sealed up in the 16th c. by the Muslims. According to Jewish tradition, the Messiah will enter Jerusalem through the Golden Gate.	Wall on the east side of the Muslim Quarter
Catholic Cemetery
The Garden of Gethsemane has several very old olive trees. They may be two- to three-thousand years old but they still produce olives. This was the first Holy Land site we visited that appears to be well preserved and sacred.	Garden of Gethsemane
Old olive tree	Old olive tree
The Church of All Nations has a wonderful mosaic above the main entrance doors. The church is built above a Byzantine church in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mt. of Olives. The mosaic floor is a replica of the original pattern. The ceilings of the church and mosaic front walls are very pretty depictions of Jesus’ life.
Church of All Nations	Church of All Nations
Church of All Nations	Church of All Nations
Church of All Nations	The main attraction in the church is the large flat stone/rock in front of the altar. It is reputed to be the one Jesus prayed on the night of his betrayal and arrest.
Church of All Nations - May be the rock Jesus prayed on the night he was betrayed	May be the rock Jesus prayed on the night he was betrayed
Church of All Nations	Next we went for a visit to the new Israel Museum. It is a sprawling museum complex that houses art and Holy Land artifacts.
Hostel	Israel Museum
Mosaic illustrating the Old City at the time of the Second Temple - 66CE	Israel Museum - Large model of the Old City at the time of the Second Temple - 66CE
Our visit started at the huge out-door model of the Second Temple period of Jerusalem around 66 CE and before the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Romans and the destruction of Jerusalem. The model is all built with limestone pieces and was researched sufficiently to appear probably the way the city was at the time. Fascinating! One could probably spend days identifying all the structures, etc.
The gallery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is in an interesting building but the display was disappointing. There was more information about the 10th c. Aleppo Codex than of the scrolls. There was a copy of one scroll with a book of the Bible and a TV presentation of opening and preserving a scroll.
Museum for the Dead Sea Scrolls	Museum for the Dead Sea Scrolls
It started to rain and some of our group - without raincoats or umbrellas - wanted to go to the gift shop and then to the bus. Others of us objected. So six of us went off to the archaeological section of the museum without Ilan and no map or guide. We found our way and wandered through several galleries - glass through the ages, dawn of civilization, the land of Canaan, Israel and the Bible, Greeks, Romans and Jews, etc. There were some wonderful displays but not much information was given about the artifacts on display or where they were found.
Israel Museum - pieces of pots	Israel Museum - pieces of pots
	Toys and games
	Mosaic
Ossuary	Mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic	Instead of lunch at a restaurant, Ilan took us to a hole-in-the-wall place he likes. We each got a falafel wrap and ate it on the bus on our way to Tel Aviv. Our arrival at the Royal Beach Hotel in Tel Aviv was too early, so after our Welcome drink - pineapple juice or white wine - we went on an orientation walk into the Yemenite Jewish Settlement and the crowded Carmel Market - very crowded with young people eating and drinking. It was too crowded and small and not impressive.
Lunch - falafel	Tel Aviv - Carmel market
Tel Aviv - Carmel market	Tel Aviv - Carmel market
Tel Aviv - Carmel market	Tel Aviv - Carmel market
	Playground
	Vase in the hotel lobby
View from our hotel room - surfers	View from our hotel room - surfers

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