Shore Excursion: A Day in Jerusalem & Bethlehem
Getting
there
It was a day of crush as we joined thousands
of others in touring Jerusalem. Docked this morning in Ashdod, it was only a
2-hour drive to get us to Bethlehem for the start of our tour -again a little slow at the outset as we made
our way through the early morning traffic. It was an absolute pleasure to spend
the day with our guide @Aiton who must have clocked up double the 6 km
that we did because he was a constant buzz of activity running up and down the
line of the 35 in our group, shepherding the stragglers, personally escorting
those who expressed an interest in a specific view or picture and reigning in
the younger, fitter sprinters. There was no way anyone was going to be lost on
his watch especially with the extra-large bright yellow #Number8 sticker we had
emblazoned on our chest. And a good thing that he was so diligent because this
was both the biggest crush and biggest group that we have encountered to date.
In fact, in addition to our sticker, we all carried a printed card with our
designated “if you get lost meeting point” (although how I would have ever relocated
the Jaffa Gate on my own, I have no idea) and the “emergency phone
contacts.” I got the feeling that group management is often an issue at these
sites. Shaking our heads because the repeated comment was that “today was not
busy.”
The chaos
of the traffic and the parking is hard to imagine. The streets are so narrow –
they are steep – and everyone in a vehicle is competing for right of way or
space. There is a constant crossing, and checking, and leaving, and
re-entering, and inspections, and boom gates, and walls. This maze-like traverse of what seems like
such a small area, is accompanied by an incessant and persistent honking of
horns with lots of “directors of traffic” and everyone seems to have an opinion
of where and how to drive, turn or park. And even when you are parked – it is
probably not quite as close as you wanted to be to the venue you are visiting
and often plan A of pickup or rendezvous becomes plan B and even plan C. But not
our worry really – just had to sit back and let a myriad of others take care of
those details.
It was a
fascinating day – with lots of “pinch myself I am really here” moments and @Aiton’s
knowledge was so diverse and deep that you wanted to hang on every word and
every story. Do have a little complaint here – this
day really was one where a hook up with an audio headset would have been hugely
advantageous. Poor @Aiton was at various stages in the day competing
with other tour leaders, the noise generated by the massive heave of the crowd,
the church bells chiming and ringing and the call to prayer. When we queried
him on using this little addition, he indicated that Regent had instructed
him not to use the audio APP because guests have commented that its use drains
the battery on their mobile too quickly. Need to talk about this one when we
are on board. As a totally unrelated aside – every coach that we have been on
to date has onboard charging via a USB connection usually overhead above each
seat. Just need to take the one metre lead to enable use – and on these long
days – lots of people have been taking advantage.
We did
experience a couple of itinerary changes – started the day with a “souvenir
shop” visit as we waited for the specialist Palestinian guide in Bethlehem (@Rabul
– what a card – no nonsense, take no prisoners, born and bred local – who listed
himself (with an endearing chuckle) as “number 3” of important people born in
Bethlehem right up there behind King David and Jesus Christ.) Also @Aiton and
his management team had to design an alternate route because the Mount of
Olives was closed to us for security reasons (no details provided – just that
it was a “no go” zone for today.)
The blurb
in the daily Passages summed up the history of Jerusalem in the following
paragraph:
Jerusalem
is situated on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and
the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and it is considered
to be a holy city for the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism,
Christianity and Islam.
Jerusalem
has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured
44 times and attacked 52 times.”
Without doubt
a city with a rich past that has been influenced by so many cultures. It has been
settled by the Philistines, Israelites, Greek colonists coming in the wake of
Alexander’s conquests, Romans and Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders and the Ottoman Turks.
If i had my visit time over again - I would definitely procure a MAP and take it with me on the walk - we seemed to criss cross so many check points and walls and barriers - at various stages it felt like we had been blind folded and spun around as we were constantly trying to get our bearings. Very fortunate to have @Aiton to keep us on the straight and narrow.
In summary,
these are memory joggers:
a. A. A two hour drive with @Aiton’s
detailed and insightful commentary on the timeline of settlement in Jerusalem
as he made an attempt to help us understand the “competing claims” over this holy
land.
b. B. A tour with @Rabul of Manger Square
and the Church of the Nativity built over a grotto that is believed to the location of Jesus’ birth.
c. C. Travelled up to Tabachnik Garden, the alternate
to the Mount of Olives, for panoramic views over the walled Old City. This view
was an advantageous start because @Aiton was able to point out from here
the route we would take and in the relative solitude of this space provide invaluable front loading of information that we needed to help us unravel some of
the mystery of what we would experience on the visit to the Old City.
d. D. Visited the very dark and sombre
Church of All Nations, including the Gardens of Gethsemane and its ancient olive grove
e. E. Entered the walls of the Old City via
the Jaffa Gate (the emergency meeting point …. riiiiiight ….) traversed the colourful
bazaar (with instructions to definitely NOT shop in this precinct, don’t even
LOOK at the products on display – eyes straight ahead and keep walking) to
reach the Holy Sepulchre (believed to be the final resting place of Jesus. This
site was the “crushiest crush” with worshippers of so many faiths lined up in
their “sections” waiting to complete their personal devotions), made our way
along the cobbled streets to observe the Stations of the Cross and finally emerged at the Western
Wall to join the orderly queues of segregated male and female sections to leave
our “wishes and prayers.” The final view was of the Dome of the Rock from a
distance as we exited via the Zion Gate – no entry permitted to the Dome especially accompanied by a Jewish guide.
Back on board
Home again, home again, jiggedy jig.” @Aiton summed it up with his "Jerusalem is a wonton lady who plays hard to get - but we did it!" All group members were present and accounted for. and it was a repeat of yesterday with a drive home in the dark – the sun literally falls out of the sky and over the horizon – no lingering twilight here.
We had
enjoyed the casual dinner last night after such a long day and repeated it this
evening – even though it was only an 11-hour day. A quick de-dust and refresh
and then up to the Pool Deck for some outside dining. Toasted the success of
our day with champagne cocktails, tried the fish of the day and lamb cutlets, found plenty
of options for sides, topped up on the ice cream and the delicate range of
desserts and marvelled at a day to be remembered.
We are all bone weary but feel rewarded for our efforts. Not ashamed to say that showers and zzzzzzzzs were welcomed. Got another early start tomorrow – but it is only a half day – now that will be a welcomed luxury.
Weather: 25 and pleasant for walking and exploring in the human crush
Steps: 17 831 - our peak on this trip
#RegentSevenSeasExplorer #RegentSevenSeas #RegentCruise
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