The Holy Sites

We arrived in Jerusalem two days before the start of our tour.  We joined Karen and Mike who had hired a private guide, Bashira, and visited three churches by 20th century Italian architect, Antonio Bellucci:  the Church of Dominius Flevit, on the Mount of Olives, shaped like a teardrop; the Church of the Lord's Prayer, where the prayer appears on wall plaques written in 171 different languages; and the Church of the Agony in the Garden on Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed before being arrested.  Visiting these churches also allowed us to see much of Jerusalem, with the Old City, and its prominent Dome of the Rock, home to Al Aqsa Mosque, the third most important site in Islam, prominent from many vantage points.

We also visited the Church of Lazarus in Bethany on the West Bank, driving for the first time into the "occupied territories," where electricity is provided only a few hours a day, water only a few days a month and trash rarely picked up.  It truly looked like no-man's land, yet it was the home of one of our guides, where he is raising a family with three small children.   

Driving back from Bethany, we passed by Jericho and stopped to view the wilderness, where Jesus was tempted by the Devil.  It was one of the more impactful sites to me.  I could really visualize Jesus walked over the barren hills.  How easily one could be tempted with water, much less control of the whole world, in that barren place.

The first day of the NatGeo tour, we visited the Old City of Jerusalem and the Wailing Wall, as well as, the Church of the Holy Sepluchre, considered the site of Jesus' tomb.  Ancient and under restoration, it was well attended the day we visited, despite renewed violence in the Old City.  Our guides were very careful to ensure our safety.  While I never felt at risk, it was clear that the average Israeli and Palestinian did.

The Nativity Church, in Bethlehem, also on the West Bank, was a mob scene the day we visited with a six hour wait to see the crypt, believed to be the site of Jesus' birth.  We were divided into small groups and turned over to local guides who have precedence over big groups.  The space in the crypt could not have been more than ten feet square and dozens of pilgrims were pushing and shoving their way closer to the birth site.  Clearly, this site drew the most visitors but was also the most difficult to manage, and, perhaps, for that reason, the least impactful for me.

The Church of the Annunciation, in Nazareth, is believed to be the site where the angel appeared to Mary.  It is a contemporary church that features dozens of mosaics of Mary from the various countries of the world.  It was my favorite church, multi-leveled with both ancient and current structures.