Tuesday 15 April

Because we did part of today's tour yesterday evening we looked around town this morning.On the waterfront is a big sculpture,  a relief map of the area and a lifesize diorama of soldiers in trenches. All very well done. We also walked along the breakwater so that I could dabble in the water.
We were collected at 9:45 and taken near Anzac Cove to the 2yr old Simulation Centre, where you move from room to room with movies, sound effects and moving floors to tell the story fom the Turkish perspective.  There was so much happen in 1914 that we aren't told about. There is a small museum there too. We went back to the hotel for lunch,  amd met our one extra passenger.  Now we are 3 we went in a minibus-being off sesson is good.
We went to a number of Anzac sites and shown original photos to explain the situations. The seats are being installed ready for 25th - glad we won't be there.  We found the 2 Yendon soldiers and came away with a deeper knowledge of why they lost their lives.
Back to the hotel,  and it was only the 3 of us going back to Istanbul and we were there by 21:00 (2hrs earlier than planned).

Monday 14 April

We were up before 6:00 and ready for our pick-up by 6:25.  (Didn't come till 6:45.) We drove through the suburbs in a thick fog, past quite tidy houses, flower beds and commercial and light industrial areas. There were only 3 others in the minibus, but by the time we stopped for breakfast at 8:45 another bus had joined us . We got to Eceabat for lunch at 12 and then reshuffled with some going to Gallipoli and the rest sailing across The Bosporus to Troy. We were there for about 2 hours and then we went back to Eceabat.  All of the others then were driven back to Istanbul,  but we checked in to the hotel.
We were sorting ouselves out when we had a call from our tomorrow's guide. We are the only ones booked for the morning, so he suggested that we start straight away and go for a drive with his wife and little daughter. I think we are the only ones at the hotel too, so it was sorted it with them and off we went. First we stopped in a village and had pancakes for dinner, with tomatoes,  cucumbers and yoghurt dressing. Then we went to various Cape Helles WW1sites including 3 British sites and the huge Turkish memorial. The sun had set by the time we got back.

Sunday 13 April

We packed our bags and left them at the door before heading out for our last jaunt around Athens.  We checked out a mob of cyclists preparing for a race then kept going and ended up circum-ambulating the Acropolis. We passed markets and ruins and people coming out of churches wth palm leaves and others in coffee shops. We eventually got back to the centre of the city in time for the guards' parade at the parliament. There was a band and lots of guards in white skirts kicking up high and marching slowly. Then we had to race home to catch the bus to the airport.  All the others were heading east at 16:00, but we had to hang around until 19:00.
The flight to Istanbul was only 1hr 20, and uneventful, and we were collected at ther airport by the hostel minibus which drove us into the old part of the city, with narrow winding cobbled streets. After checking in we went for a little walk to the main road to buy water. Now we will pack up for our Anzac trek.

Saturday 12 April

What a lovely sleep in! We all did it on our last day. Our tour didn't start until 10:00 so we all caught up for yesterday.
We drove through the city centre, stopping at the Olympic stadium and the Parliament where we saw the 2 guards changing from one sentry box to the other's. Quite a performance.  Then we went to the centre of it all, the Acropolis. First we climbed on the Hill of Mars where the judges met, and then went up to the Parthenon. Hordes of tourists but that's not surprising because it is pretty impressive.
We got back to the hotel in time to farewell 2 of our number who are joining another tour tomorrow. Most of the rest of us all went off to have Gk lunch (till 3:30). Then we wandered around the little streets and shops and then went to photograph the Temple of Zeus.

Friday 11 April

Our wake up call came at 2:00 (am)!! , and by 3:00 we were on our way to Tel Aviv. It took about 2 hrs to get through all the security screening and even then they didn't x-ray our bags. We took off at 7:15 and landed in Athens at 9:30. We were all very impressed with the city - excellent freeway, lots of street and balcony plantings,  no rubbish, but still some pretty crazy driving.
We are very close to the Acropolis,  which is far higher than I expected. We thought about going to the new museum but decided that we have seen enough archeology for the moment.  Instead we just looked through the floor outside to see their remains then caught a taxi to the bottom of the cable train up Lycabettus Hill which is in the middle of the city. It has amazing views 360º. Then we walked all the way home again past the Olympic stadium.  There are police on every corner because A. Merkel is in town and we'd heard

there had been a car bombing yesterday. 

During dinner it rained - for the first time in 4 weeks - but it had stopped by the time we had finshed. So we went for a little walk to see the floodlights.

Thursday 10 April

Our last day in Israel.
We started off at 8:00 to the City of David,  the ancient part of Jerusalem outside the old city walls. Here they have found archeology related to the time of the first Hebrew settlement and even the earlier Canaanite settlement. 3 of our group chose to wade through Hezekiah's tunnel and the rest of us walked through the dry Canaanite water tunnel. We all met at the pool of Siloam. We then drove to the Garden Tomb, the protestant alternative crucifixion site to Holy Sepulchre church - a much more peaceful place than the crowded candled incensed former. We had a little service to mark the end of this part of the trip.
Back at the hotel we ate our extras taken at breakfast and then ventured back into the old city. We wanted to see the Roman main shopping street, the Cardo. We wandered until I could go no more then caught the tram home again.

Szome of us went for a drink with Gady our guide to the American Colony Hotel, one of the 2 poshest in town. Then we went back for tea and to pack our bags ready for an early start tomorrow.

Wednesday 9 April

This morning the bus took us to the top of the Mount of Olives which looks across the Kedron Valley to the lower part of the city, and we walked down the hill to the Garden of Gethsemane where the bus picked us up again.  We got out near St Stephen's Gate and went in to the Bethesda Pool. St Ann's church is there too and it has the best acoustics of all buildings in Jerusalem so we stood in a circle and sang 2 songs. By the time we'd finished we had quite an enthusiastic audience. Then we started on the Via Dolorosa and the 14 stations of the cross which led us across the old city to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where we stopped for lunch.
We went inside the church,  and Gady showed us all the best places. He said that he had studied its architecture for one year. The first proper church was built in C4 by Helena the mother of Constantine. We went from the quarry that was originally on the site of Calvary,  and a C1 family tomb, to the rocks that were on top of the hill. There was only a short queue to go down into the "holy sepulchre" - a wait of only about 1 hr, but only 2 chose to join it.
We all split up then, and we wandered around the old city and came out at New Gate. From there we walked for quite a while in the new part of town - plazas, small shops, people- could have been one of any number of cities in Europe. We passed the King David Hotel and opposite is the YMCA which has a bell tower with a viewing platform, so we did. By then we'd just about completed a circle so we bought ice creams to get some small change, and caught the light rail back to the hotel.

Tuesday 8 April

These days are getting busier and busier.
We were on the bus today by 7:15!!!!, but we didn't get far because the road tunnel under the city was closed and the traffic was shocking. We got out at the Dung (dump) Gate, and went first to the Herodian tunnels, 2000yr old passages under the Temple Mount parallel to the Western Wall, that go from the Wall Plaza to the Via Dolorosa. We had to return the same way which gave us the opportunity to stop at the (segregated) Western (wailing) Wall. From there we went to the Temple Institute,  which is planning the 3rd version of the Temple.  I don't think it will happen any time soon, since the Mount has been in Moslem hands since C7. But they had some interesting paintings and reconstructions. (No photos allowed.) Next stop was the Burnt House. These archeological remains were discovered when the Jewish Quarter was rebuilt after the 6 day war in 1967. The film told the story of the last days before the Roman invasion of Jerusalem in 70AD.
After early lunch we joined the queue to be allowed onto the Temple Mount.  Non-Moslems are only allowed in between 13:30 and 15:30, unless someone changes things.  So we waited and in we went to see the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (only from the outside). There were kids playing, people just wandering around and numerous groups of segregated adults in study groups,  who from time to time would break out into loud chanting.
From there it was back across Wall Plaza to Jerusalem Archeological Park , and the opportunity to walk up the steps that were the only way up to the Temple Mount in Jesus' time.  Then it was out of Dung Gate and up the hill to Zion Gate. All day we had been going up and down and up and down and I especially was getting pretty tired. Here we went to the crusader church/mosque that was built on the site of the Upper Room. Finally we went out of the city to the church of St Peter in Gallicantu, built on the site of the home oh Caiaphas, the High Priest.
There our bus was waiting and we all collapsed inside. We lay around and had a sleep and it was time for a late dinner. Our hotel is very Kosher,  and as next week is the start of Passover, today they had to do a complete clean of the whole kitchen and dining room.  So we had to walk up the road to a nearby establishment who were expecting us. It was all fine until we found that their dining room was on the 5th floor and the only lift was broken!!  More climbing. But the food was good and so was the view.

Monday 7 April

We left at 8:30 again today, with our first stop being the Haas Promenade lookout to see the city from the south. Flocks of tourists again. We headed further south to Herodium, a man-made mountain fortress built by Herod the Great in 30s BC, and where he was buried. This is quite close to Bethlehem which was our ultimate destination. We had to leave our Israeli guide along the way as he is not allowed in the West Bank.
Our new guide George took us to a shop full of woodwork and other souvenirs. I bought and Kath will get a parcel. Then we went to the Church of the Nativity, which is 3 in 1. Unfortunately for us it is undergoing restoration

inside and there was scaffolding everywhere.  An Armenian Mass was going on in their section and there was a small crowd.  Still we made it down into the grotto underneath which is traditionally the birth place of Jesus. We had just finished looking around the R.C. church when they closed it for a service,  so our timing was good.
We went back to the bus and off to the Shepherds' Field, where there is a chapel,  a cave church and some ruins. Then we had lunch and came back to the hotel about 15:00. David jarred his knee as we left the bus so while everyone else went wandering and shopping we spent the afternoon doing nothing.
One of our leaders has been learning Hebrew on the Internet and tonight someone from the school came to the hotel and gave us a 45min lesson in saying "I am Kay. Pleased to meet you." etc. It was fun, but we won't be enrolling.

Sunday 6 April

Had a very quick Skype with the Flind family as we rushed out of the hotel at 8:00. First stop was an outdoor part of the Israel Museum which has a large scale model of Jerusalem at about 100AD. Next door is the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls (and their facsimiles) are displayed. No photos allowed inside.
We drove up to the Knesset and took photos of their big menorah which was a gift from U.K., and then went on to Yad Vashem,  the Holocaust museum.  Unfortunately our timing was very bad as we arrived at the same time as a whole bunch (100+) of air force cadets having a history lesson.  They had to stand around in groups listening to guides and blocking up the passages.  Some were interested but others definitely were not. We were there for 2 hours which wasn't enough. It is a good display, maybe confronting for those who have not had exposure to this degree of detail before.
We got back to the hotel at about 4 and lay about. Some have gone out after tea to shop more. We wondered about joining them for a trip on the light rail, but are too lazy.

We are in the lobby because internet is not behaving. A large group of people, possibly from Central Africa have just arrived. There are huge numbers of tourists in Jerusalem, from Finland to Brazil and everywhere in between.  Mix them with the locals, many versions of Jew and Moslem, and the dress is fascinating and the noise is like the Tower of Babel.

Saturday 5 April

Today is Shabbat (Sabbath) so our guide and driver have the day off and we have a free day.  But we didn't rest.
We did sleep in, and didn't get together until 9:00. We walked up to the city and entered through Damascus Gate and into the crazy cacophony. Not quite as noisy as Cairo market but I think more congested, if that is possible. We didn't have far to go to get to the Austrian Hospice. We climbed up to the roof (5 floors) where we had our own little Communion service, and then went back to their cafeteria for Viennese coffee, hot chocolate and strudel.
From there we walked around the wall to Joppa Gate, where you can get up onto the wall and walk the ramparts. We went a bit further than Damascus Gate but it seemed to go on a lot further so we came down and went outside to find some grass for our picnic.
We headed back into the fray, and found that the crowd density had gone down since the morning religious rush. So we wandered through the market caverns and came up for air somewhere.
We had no idea where we were but found a little Orthodox church that led into another that led out into a very crowded courtyard and a big church. We went in and took photos, and it wasn't until we came out that we learned it was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most holy places in town. We ambled round a bit longer and then staggered home.

d r

Friday 4 April

We left Galilee and headed south with our first stop at Bet She'an where there is a really big archaeological excavation. We saw the theatre, bath house, shopping street and medical centre. Next we saw a C6 synagogue which was discovered in 1928 when a kibbutz was opened.  The mosaic floor is about 6 x 15m. After that we went to find Gideon's spring. I think the hordes of Midianites were there, but it was the finishing point for annual fun run. There were people everywhere,  loud music and people with green shirts and medals on ribbons.
Down highway 90 we crossed into the West Bank, the Palestinian controlled area. It is much poorer than its neighbour,  and it reminded us again of Egypt. We got to Jericho just before lunch, which we had at tourist complex which they are presenly extending. Tjey have already made a very nice garden.
We passed the Church of the Good Samaritan along Highway 1, and got to Jerusalem at about 15:30.We stopped at a lookout before going to the hotel.   We unpacked a bit then went for a walk to the old city wall before dinner.

Thursday 3 April

Yesterday we were read the latest travel advisory notification for Israel from DFAT.  They have downgraded their warning for the West Bank from 'don't travel' to 'reconsider your need to travel'.  So dutifully we jumped in our bus and headed in the opposite direction, north-east to the Golan Heights, and got to within about 1km of the Syrian border, close enough so that we could hear the occasional 'boom, boom' from some sort of ammunition.  There were lots of mine fields still left from the last war, and small settlements surrounded by high wire fences and spotlights.

We continued west and came to Caesarea Philipi (Banias Nature Reserve) which is mentioned in the New Testament.  From there we went to Tel Dan, which was settled by the Caananites in C3BC.  Both of these parks contain springs which flow to form the Jordan. 
We had early lunch, and returned to Galilee, where we went to 3 Biblical places, the ruins of Capernaum and the traditional sites of the beatitudes and the feeding of the 5000.

 
Both of these were very peaceful places on the lake, despite the hordes of tourist buses that are swarming all over the countryside.  There are heaps of eucalyptus trees planted here.  Often the scenery looks just like home.  But then they drive on the wrong side of the road, and we can't read all the road signs.

We came home down the eastern shore to avoid the traffic down the west.  It was great to have a couple of  hours to veg out and get the washing sorted.

in.

Wednesday 2 April

First stop today was Nazareth.  It is surprisingly hilly, with narrow streets not at all suitable for a tourist coach. We went to the "Nazareth Village", the local equivalent of "Sovereign Hill", but somewhat smaller.  We got there even before they had opened the doors.  They have local people being carpenter, weaver, herdsmen etc, using equipment from 2000 years ago.

 
From there we went to the Sea of Galilee, and drove around the bottom coast to Kursi which is half way on the eastern shore.  There is the remains of a Byzantine monastery, with a very good mosaic floor.  It wasn't far back to the kibbutz Ein-Gev.  Most kibbutzim have given up their communal way of life and have privatised, paying wages, and people owning their own houses.  This one has a huge (900 seats) restaurant specialising in fish dinners.  After that we got on a boat and motored across the lake.  They hoisted an Australian flag, and played our song, and we all stood up and sang. We stopped in the middle and floated for a while, but then the wind got up, and blew things overboard.

At the end of the trip we reached Ginnosar where they have the "Mary Rose" of Galilee - a 2000 year old fishing boat that they found and dug out of the mud in 1986 when there was a drought and the water level went down.

On the way back we called very briefly at the top end of the Jordan River where they do mass baptisms.  A bit like a sausage factory.  Put on a white robe and join the queue.  We are staying for 2 nights at another kibbutz called Ma'agan, right on the southern tip of the lake. Before tea our group went down to the beach and had our own, more meaningful baptism service.