A Day in the Holy Land

The truth is, Rob is really not a huge fan of international travel. Over our 23 years together, though, he has inched his way out of his comfort zone for me. So believe me when I say how impressed I am with where Rob and I journeyed today. Indeed, they are places a bit out of my comfort zone as well.

Today we were in Israel. We walked through Jerusalem this morning. We had lunch on a kibbutz outside of town. We then rode a bus into Palestine so we could walk around Bethlehem. On our way back to the ship, we rode through the West Bank. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around this itinerary.

We did everything we could think of to travel today as safely as possible. So that means we were on guided tours with other cruisers. We never ventured out on our own, other than to pause to take photos. And we did feel very safe. Perhaps it was the seven security checkpoints we went through, some with bag searches, some with metal detectors, some with armed guards.

Israeli immigration boarded the ship this morning and each passenger had to present themselves in person with their passport before getting off the ship. We had to show our documentation before getting back on, too. We went through a bag search and metal detector to enter Old Jerusalem near the Wailing Wall. When we entered Palestine, we went through the guarded wall and picked up a Palestinian tour guide since our Israeli guide was not legally allowed to work in Bethlehem. When we left Bethlehem, two armed guards boarded our bus, walked through, asked a few questions, looked around, and got off. So with all these checks and scans and shows of authority, I never felt any concern for my safety. The locals seemed to have it covered.

It was rather disconcerting when we left the port, though, to realize that I couldn’t read any signs. Not only did I not recognize any words, I didn’t recognize any of the letters and symbols used to comprise them. It got easier as we got closer to Jerusalem, as many signs were written in three languages: Hebrew first, then Arabic, then English.

The Israel countryside and landscape was arid with pale yellow rocks and heavily dotted with pine trees and olive trees. So many olive trees! We also saw a lot of fields of various crops including lots of cherry trees, vineyards, corn, hay, peach trees, what we guess were pepper plants, and even a small grove of prickly pear plants.

It took us about an hour to get from the port up to Jerusalem. Our guide explained that the preposition used when describing going to Jerusalem is always “up” since it is at almost 2,500 feet elevation. I didn’t expect it to be so high or so hilly.

The day was long and full of far too many sites and facts and mind-blowing artifacts to really comprehend. Our tour guide said Jerusalem needs a week to really explore and digest. I would agree. Certainly 10 hours is woefully insufficient. So I will do my best to describe what I saw today but understand it was like trying to take a sip of water out of a fire hose…SO much more than what I could actually take in.

Our first stop was a view point overlooking the Old City. The iconic building that defines the Jerusalem skyline was immediately obvious, it being a golden dome atop a very sacred place for three different religions. The Dome of the Rock is a place of Muslim pilgrimage and those of other faiths are not allowed access. To the Muslims, it marks the rock to which Mohammed traveled in his Night Journey from Mecca and then from the rock ascended into heaven to receive the Koran from Allah before returning to Mecca.

To the Jews, it is where Abraham almost sacrificed his son, Isaac. And later, the rock is where King Solomon decided to build a temple to place the Arc of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments tablets.

To the Christians, the rock is not as sacred as with the other two religions, but it is located in the Temple Mount where many stories involving Jesus take place in and around.

So put all that together, the temple mount with the glimmering gold Dome of the Rock sitting on it is the most universally revered place on earth. Mind-blowing. I will admit, I got a bit of a shiver when I first saw it.

Our next stop was the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane – the location where Judas betrayed Jesus the night before he was crucified. We also went into a church there, called The Church of All Nations or Church of the Agony. It is built over what is believed to be the rock on which Jesus prayed the night before he was arrested.

We went across a wide street to the walled Old City and entered at the Dung Gate (it was where the trash used to be collected) to visit the Wailing (or Western) Wall – thought to be part of the original Temple Mount foundation and traditionally a place of prayer for multiple faiths, especially Jews.

Next we walked through Old Jerusalem. It is divided into quarters – the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. We walked through parts of all four quarters except the Armenian one. The purpose of our walk was to trace part of the Via Dolorosa, the route that it is believed Jesus walked from his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane to his crucifixion. The end of the path is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which enshrines the rock on which the cross of Jesus’s crucifix was placed (the rock is called Golgotha or in Latin, Calvary), as well as the cave his body was placed in and from where he was resurrected. So, for a Christian, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a really really really holy place.

We had lunch at a kibbutz that was more like a banquet hall/resort, and then we headed to Bethlehem. In Bethlehem, we went into the Church of the Nativity which enshrines the cave where Jesus was born.

So that was the itinerary of a very busy 10 hours. Oy. Some reflections:

The Wailing Wall was unexpectedly powerful. Once again, I was overcome with emotion in a way that seemed to come out of nowhere. I had come prepared with a piece of paper on which I had written some prayers. I am grateful I did because once I started approaching the wall I was at a loss for words. I was also struck by the activity around me. It was chaotic. Women pray separately from men, so on the women’s side, it was very crowded and women were jostling all about trying to get to the wall and find a crack in which to place their paper. Others were trying to do this while posing for pictures. Some women were there as a part of an extended prayer time, with holy books in hand and swaying and reciting verses. Others were on a deadline and only had 10 minutes before they had to rejoin their tour group. There were chairs near the wall, making it even more challenging to find an opening. It struck me that in such a place of quiet reflection and communion with a deity, it also had the energy of a sale at Best Buy on Black Friday. I finally found an opening, though, both for my piece of paper and for my hand. When I touched the wall, the tears started. While I didn’t wail, I do completely understand how the wall got that name.

I compared notes with Rob and he had a much more peaceful environment on the men’s side. No wonder – it was at least four times as big as the women’s side! The men were all spread out, had lots of personal space and privacy, no jockeying for a spot. Yes, in some cultures it is indeed very good to be a guy.

Another surprise was how much I absolutely loved walking through the Muslim Quarter of old Jerusalem. Normally, all the people and small alleyways and activity would have overwhelmed me and brought on tinges of claustrophobia. Instead, I was completely enthralled with all the little shops and smells and the sight of people so very different from me. Each store was simply a shopkeeper who sold one type of item. If you needed spices, you’d go to the spice store. If you needed leather sandals, you’d go to sandal store. Same for undergarments, candy, toys, men’s shirts, etc. The smells were of fresh bread and seasonings I couldn’t identify but found very appetizing. And the sight – men and women dressed in traditional Muslim gowns and head pieces, looking like they were from ancient times, helping transport me out of today...a day in which the air conditioned bus that brought me to this place came equipped with wi-fi.

Given my track record, I was curious if I would have any emotional reactions when visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher or Bethlehem. Although I felt reverence and awe and tried to grasp where I was, I did not feel those strong emotions I felt in Patmos or at the Wailing Wall. I felt a little light headed while looking at Golgotha (the rock of the crucifixion), but that could have been due to the steep stair climb and dark, warm cave at the top. In Bethlehem, I mostly felt rushed to get out of the way of people who were trying to assemble in nooks and crannies of the Church of the Nativity to hold Mass.

Another thing about Bethlehem…I was so surprised that it is a town. It sounds silly, but I truly was expecting something rather rural. You know, with a pasture and a manger and maybe some livestock. Instead, it is a small, rocky town filled with narrow streets, crumbling rocks, tour buses, a fake Starbucks (“Star & Bucks”), a Very Important Church, and lots and lots of souvenir stands. I think that sharp disconnect between what I was expecting and what I saw got in the way of me being able to fully be in the moment in Bethlehem.

Tomorrow we will still be in Israel but north a bit. It will be another long day filled with holy places. Tonight as we ate dinner, we could see the lights of Tel Aviv to the north and likely the glow of the Gaza Strip to the south. The mind blowing continues.