To Jerusalem
27th September 2014, Day 1, 2. From Palmerston North airport to Auckland to Hong Kong overnight then on to Ben Gurion and shuttle to Jerusalem
Old city
Day 3, Monday September 29th. We walked from Allenby II b & b at Allenby Square, down Jaffa St to the old city and back
Yad vashem
Day 4, Tuesday 30th, we took the light rail to Mt Hertzl then walked the 10 minutes or so to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. No photos are allowed inside but I took some approaching the museum and surrounds.
allenby-city
Day 5, Wednesday 1st October to Day 8, Saturday 4th October. We spent this time around Jerusalem using Allenby b&b as our base with photos up and down Jaffa St and around the Old City. Yom Kippur was celebrated from Friday evening 3rd October-Saturday evening 4th October
Kidron Valley
Day 9, Day 10, Sunday 5th-Monday 6th October. We left Allenby b&b and moved just up the road to the Jerusalem Gold Hotel where we met with and travelled with a lovely group, mostly from Holland but also our dear friend Joy from Australia, Jayne from South Africa, Mary and Kathleen from Singapore, Iris and Janny, and Hanoch Young our guide for the next two weeks or so. Day 10, Monday 6th October we went to Kidron Valley then on to Patriarchs's Way in Gush Etzion, lunching at the "Lone Tree".
Mehane Yehuda
Day 11, Tuesday 7th October. This morning we went to the Centre for Jewish-Christian Understanding. A group of religious Jews who are willing to dialogue with Christians for mutual understanding. David Nekrutman spoke to us. A walk around was Mehane Yehuda (markets) finished off the afternoon.
Temple Mt-Tunnels
Day 12, Wednesday 8th October. A morning visit to temple mount was delayed due to Arabs rioting, throwing explosives. We then went to the Western Wall tunnels.
City-Citadel of David
Day 13, Thursday 9th October. On the way to the Citadel of David for the Sound & Light Show I just caught the blood moon
through Jaffa Gate. Inside the Citadel photos were not allowed of the show - sadly.
Oz vegaon-gush etzion
Day 14, Friday 10th October. The lady speaking in the photo above is the mother of one of the three boys murdered by Hamas in June of this year. Despite the devastation the community is celebrating Sukot together, an MK was spending the day with them in this park under development as a memorial to their "three boys". Photos of Gush Etzion Hertiage Centre also. This evening we moved to the Eshel Hashomron hotel, Ariel.
Eshel hashomron
Day 15, Saturday 11th October. We spent the day at Eshel Hashomron and realaxed for the day. Some went to a local Synagogue for Shabbat. Later we watched a heart wrenching movie of the Jewish people being literally dragged from their homes in Gush Katif. This was the Israeli evacuation as a "PEACE INITIATIVE" of the area now called Gaza, so the Arabs could live there. Since the giving up the land for "PEACE" there have been over 40,000 rockets fired into Israel built with international humanitarian aid funds and building materials.
shiloh-shomron
Day 16, Sunday 12th October. Visit to Tura Estate Winery, Shiloh, Har Brachah then Har Kabir for sunset
More in shomron
Day 17, Mondy 13th October. Today we visited Pedu El, then our friend Murray's house in Neve Menechem, followed by a visit to
Ebeneazer. We finished the day at Har Ebal at the remains of the altar Joshua built when he first crossed into The Land 3,200 years ago. The altar is built with natural stones only, just at
the Lord commanded him in Deuteronomy 27:4-8. Amazing to see.
jerusalem march
Day 18, Tuesday 14th October - Jerusalem March. We participated in the March under a banner of United to Restore with Hanoch Young. Thousands lined the streets and the reception was amazing - the people sincerely appreciated our support. It seems to me that with all the hatred directed at Israel by the neighbouring Arab nations and people living within the land, not to mention a great many people world wilde now, they are touched that people like us still come from nations around the world to support them.
beneath jerusalem
Photos of day 19, Wednesday 15th, which began with a walk along the Old City walls past the Golden Gate (East Gate that was walled up by the Ottomans around 1530 CE) and around to the City of David. The Golden gate is the one overlooking the Kidron Valley, facing the mount of olives. We continued around the walls to the City of David then walked the Dry Tunnels Tour under Ir David, the Pool of Siloam, the ancient Herodian St under the Old City of Jerusalem, through tight tunnels to the excavations outside the Temple Mount walls. Then a bus trip back to Eshel Hashomron (hotel in Samaria).
biblical gardens
Day 20, Thursday 16th October. Today is Hoshana Rabah, the seventh day of Sukkot (feast of Tabernacles). The day was spent at the hotel relaxing and the day ended with a Biblical Gardens historical show which was brilliant, very well put together and presented as the photos will show.
to the aravah
Day 21, Friday 17th October. Today we left Eshel Hashomron travelling south to the Aravah where we will spend two days at the Blossoming Rose Park archaeological excavations of ancient Tamar. We visted the Fountain of Tears where we bid lehitraot (goodby for now in Hebrew) to Hanoch Young our guide for most of the our trip.
blossoming rose
Day 22, Saturday October 18th. We arrived at the Blossoming Rose last night, the Biblical Tamar Park in Ir Ovot, Aravah. Today we have a look over the old archaeological excavations, then onto Hatzevah where Iris and Janny are currently living on a Moshav.
To tel aviv
Day 23, Sunday October 19th. Today we leave for Ben Gurion after breakfast and our group of the last two weeks go our separate
ways. We will spend a couple of days in Tel Aviv to relax before the long flights home.