13-Night Holy Land Cruise plus Pre & Post Cruise Excursions
Oct. 2 thru Oct. 19, 2010
Our group departed for Rome on Oct. 2 and arrived around
noon on Oct. 3. We spent 2 nights at
the hotel before leaving for our ship the “Equinox” from the Celebrity Cruise Line on Oct. 5.
On Oct. 4 – We were transported to “Italy with Us” and toured
through the Vatican Museum including the Sistine Chapel before we toured St.
Peters and walked through Vatican Square where we had reservations for lunch
in Piazza Risorgimento. After lunch we had
a tour of Rome and some of the countryside plus a tour of the Roman catacombs
of St. Agnese.
On Oct. 5 – Our motor coach picked us up and transported us to our ship. The Equinox is a beautiful
ship and we had a balcony cabin that would become our home for the next
13-days. We sailed at 6:00 pm and spent
the next day at sea getting acquainted with the lawn club for some feirce bocce ball competition.
Oct. 7 – Athens: This was the one port where we did not
have any private tours planned since our ship did not dock until 10:00 am. Although at first glance a visitor may not
see the splendor of ancient Athens, the mental images of an historic
civilization come alive with the first glimpse of its most prominent
architectural masterpiece, the Acropolis.
Athens is a city where past and the present coexist.
Oct. 8 – Kusadasi, Turkey – Twenty minutes outside the port
of Kusadasi, is the well-preserved ancient city of Ephesus, on the eastern Mediterranean
founded in 2000 BC. The findings at this
ancient city are the remains of one of the most important cities in the Roman
Empire. The ruins from the Roman and
early Christian era are so extensive and well preserved that it is easy to
imagine the daily interactions of the 250,000 people who used to live here.
After leaving Ephesus, we traveled to the house of the
Virgin Mary, Jesus mother. Shortly after
Jesus was crucified, St. John took her to a place near Ephesus to a peaceful
quiet forested mountain top on which St. Mary’s house still stands where she
found peace and refuge. The house is
made of stone and is in a very beautiful setting. After leaving Mary’s house, we went to the
remains of the Church of St. John, where he lived and died here after writing
the fourth book of the New Testament.
Oct. 9 – At Sea
Oct. 10 – Israel - Today we docked in Haifa, Israel’s third
largest city, the city which was the first territory secured after the Israeli declaration
of independence in April 1949. Our first
destination was the city of Nazareth, which is nestled within the Galilean
Hills. The centerpiece of Nazareth is
the Basilica of the Annunciation, the largest church in the Middle East. We then went to Tabgha which is situated on
the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea
of Galilee is actually a lake. You can
look across the Sea of Galilee to the Golan Heights where you would be just 25
miles from Damascus. After lunch we went
to the Mount of Beatitudes where Christ was said to have given his famous
Sermon on the Mount. Atop the mountain
is a Catholic chapel in an octagonal shape which represents the eight
beatitudes.
Basilica of the Annunciation
We then traveled to the ancient fishing village of Capernaum
located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus spent most of his adult
life preaching and teaching.
Sea of Galilee
Oct. 11 – Israel, Ashdod – We first visited the
Mount of Olives which overlooks the Garden of Gethsemane, the walled city of
Jerusalem and the place where Jesus was crucified. Jerusalem is the highly disputed capital of
Israel. It is also can be divided into
three parts: the walled Old City, East Jerusalem and the New City. The Old City is the main attraction. Within its walls you will fine the Wailing Wall,
plus the holy Christian sites of the trial of Jesus, His crucifixion, burial
and resurrection. A bazaar of living
history, the Old City is a densely packed labyrinth of more than 100 streets,
1,000 shops and stalls, and 3,000 years of human experience. As you walk along the Via Delarosa (the way
of the cross) you are treading on the same paving stones that were there at the
time of Christ.
Later in the afternoon, we drove to Bethlehem. The Church of
the Nativity is honored as Christ’s birthplace and in an underground cavern
beneath the church we saw what was believed by many Christians to be the spot
where Christ was born.
Oct. 12 – Egypt, Alexandria – Alexander the Great founded
the city in 332 B.C. We visited the site
where the Pharos Lighthouse once stood.
Alexandria is a modern city with many shops.
Oct. 13 – Cairo – This is the capital of Egypt and is home
to 22 million people. It was a three
hour drive from Alexandria (our ship stayed overnight in Alexandria). Our first stop in Cairo was at the Egyptian
Museum, home of the King Tut exhibit (we were not allowed to take picuture in the museum). Next
we visited the Pyramids of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. These mausoleums were built to show the
ancient Egyptians’ belief in eternal life. Several of the men in our group rode
on the camels that were located at the pyramids. We then continued to the Pyramid plateau,
where the Sphinx is located. It is
carved almost entirely from one tremendous piece of limestone. At the end of our tour we stopped at the
Papyrus Institute in Cairo before beginning the long 3 hour drive back to our
ship.
Oct. 14 & 15 – At sea for 2 days of rest, relaxation
and a little bocce ball.
Oct. 16 – Italy, Port of Messina & Sicily. A mountainous and rugged island, the highest
point is Mount Etna. Taormina is one of
the main reasons for visiting Messina, approximately 35 miles away. It is a beautiful town perched on high cliffs
midway between Catania and Messina. The
town has a medieval atmosphere and the buildings, dating mostly from the Middle
Ages, have great charm and spectacular position overlooking the bay and rugged
coastline below. We had lunch at a very
pleasant restaurant with a magnificent view.
We then went to a little village atop a mountain call Savoca. It is known for it’s location of many of the
scenes in the movie The Godfather. It is
listed as one of the seven most beautiful villages in Sicily.
Oct. 17 – Italy, Port of Naples. Today we drove the beautiful Amalfi Coast and spent several hours
on our own in the town of Amalfi. Next
we went to the historic section of Pompeii (Herculinium). Well preserved ruins from the volcanic
eruption of Vesuvius.
Oct. 18 – Port of Civitavecchia – Rome – Out motor coach
picked us up at 7:15 and we dropped passengers off at the airport and the rest
of us checked into our hotel near the Rome Airport. We had arranged a 5 hour tour to the Rome
countryside to see the outskirts of Rome, including the Appian Way. We visited Gondolfo, the
Pope’s summer home. It is located in a
quaint village overlooking Albano Lake.
The streets are all cobblestone and there is a beautiful church and a
fountain in the middle of the square. We
then proceeded to have lunch in a little Ristorante on the lake.
Oct. 19 – Was the long flight home!
