Sara and I are back to being roommates in Jerusalem because our two rooms are far apart again. We both got up at 6:30am and then met Olivia and Kate for Breakfast in the main dining room, which was pretty uninspiring…even the coffee. Thankfully the rest of the day was filled with inspiration. We boarded the bus around 8:15 and set off for the Old City of Jerusalem.
Today was quite a good day. We spent a lot of time in Jerusalem, and we saw a lot of cool things. The day started, as always, with a nice breakfast in the hotel dining room.
This morning Olivia and I both got up just before 6am. Our two rooms were right next to each other this time, so we let the girls be together last night. This was our only night in Ein Bokek, as we will be staying in Jerusalem for our final four nights.
We met up with Kate and Sara around 6:45am and walked down to the Dead Sea to take a few pictures before heading back to breakfast. This breakfast was not as good as in Tiberius, but had a couple of really good cafe lattes, so all was not a loss. Our group loaded our bags and boarded the bus at 8:15am, and we headed off to Masada.
Today, we spent a bit less time exploring and a bit more on the bus, but we saw a lot all the same. After packing our things and having breakfast, we moved out of our hotel by the Dead Sea.
Today has probably been my favorite day so far. I’ve had a great time, and the sites we visited were especially impressive and beautiful. We strolled along the promenade to get one last view of the Sea of Galilee and to look for cats again. After that, we had breakfast in the Caesar Hotel one more time.
I woke up again at 6am this morning, just before Sara. We had to pack up our luggage since we are transitioning down to the Dead Sea area today. We met Olivia and Kate at 6:40am for a quick walk on the promenade by the Sea of Galilee before breakfast.
I slept much better last night and didn’t wake up until my alarm went off at 6am. Sara followed soon after at 6:30am. We didn’t get to see the sunrise today, but at least we got a full night’s sleep.
Today was another long day, but a little less packed. I enjoyed it a lot, and every place we visited was amazing. We started the day as usual with breakfast in the hotel dining room, and they were actually serving pizza in the buffet. Naturally, I got some, but I did find it interesting. After breakfast, we got ready and headed for the bus. The day’s itinerary, as I said yesterday, was Nazareth, the Golan Heights, Caesarea Phillipi, and Tel Dan.
This day was packed, and it was awesome! I woke up just after 3:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I eventually just decided to get up and watch the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee. I setup my tripod on the balcony to take some long exposure shots of the sunrise while drinking an excellent cup of coffee.
My day started very early this morning, and let me tell you, it’s been a packed day. I quickly got ready, and then my dad and I went for a short walk by the Sea of Galilee. We also saw a lot of cats. After we went back inside the hotel for a quick breakfast, we boarded our bus and began touring.
After the plane took off, we literally started zooming forward in time. Throughout ten hours, we would travel into a time zone eight hours forward from Nashville.
Today, we woke up at the Springhill Suites in Miami. I can’t say that’s where I expected to be this morning, but it is what it is. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel, and then we hung out in our room for a couple hours.
Most of today was spent in the air. Our 10-hour flight left JFK just after 11pm last night, and we arrived in Tel Aviv at 5pm today. The flight was relatively uneventful, and I was even able to get a little sleep (Don’t think my flight buddy, Sara, got much sleep at all).
Our group left the hotel in Miami around noon for the airport. We were able to work with American to split the group and get earlier flights so that our connection in JFK would not be as tight as originally rescheduled last night.
Today begins my first trip to another continent. I’ve been so excited to go to Israel since my dad told us we could come about a year ago. Today, we traveled to Miami, and we are hopefully going to be able to board a plane to Tel Aviv.
Today, our whole family begins our long-awaited trip to Israel. I love visiting this country and am looking forward to sharing this journey with Olivia, Kate, and Sara. This time, I’m one of the co-leaders of the group, along with Bruce Zupa, who has been to Israel six previous times. With us are 24 other pilgrims, many of whom are making their first trip to the Holy Lands.
PDF copies of the Slides and Notes from the preparation classes for our group going to Israel in May & June 2022
Lesson 01 – Introduction, Israel Overview, Caesarea Maritima, Tel Megiddo (February 15, 2022)
Lesson 03 – Sea of Galilee, Zippori, Jordan River, Beth-Shean, Qumran (March 8, 2022)
Lesson 04 – En-Gedi, Masada, The Dead Sea, Be’er Sheba, Valley of Elah (March 29, 2022)
Lesson 07 – Herodium, Shepherd’s Field, Israel Timeline (May 10, 2022)
I’ve had a few requests for a printable copy of my Israel Journal that was posted on this blog. A PDF version with all of these posts can be accessed via the link below. The full journal is 207 pages.
Israel 2020: Journal – 207 Pages (PDF copy suitable for printing)
For anyone interested, you can access my photos and videos from our recent trip to Israel via the links below. All photos and videos are separated by day and can be downloaded from the linked site. I’m still processing videos taken, so more of these will be added shortly.
Israel 2020: Favorites – 671 Photos (Subset of Albums Below)
Click “Read More” below to see the photos from individual days if they are not visible.
January 8, 2020
Our final, chilly morning in Israel started early with clouds and a little rain. My alarm went off at 5:30 so that we could board the bus and leave the hotel by 7am. I was able to get my final items packed up and grab some scrambled eggs and coffee in the restaurant before loading onto the bus. Jerry Sells offered a prayer as we were leaving.
