Day 15 – Saturday, March 1: Garden Tomb, Rampart Walk, Herodium, Shepherds’ Fields, Bethlehem
Today we had the chance to sleep in a bit, since the Garden Tomb (our first stop) wasn’t open until 9 a.m. We enjoyed a leisurely and more simple Shabbat breakfast. The skies were partly sunny today, with highs again in the 50s. This was our second last full day here in Jerusalem. We departed at 8:30, reading Micah 5 was we began the day.
Garden Tomb
The drive to the Garden Tomb was a short one. Located on the north side of the Old City, this is an alternative (“Protestant”) location for the crucifixion and burial site of Jesus. We saw the suggested rocky scarp (Golgotha) where Jesus was crucified, followed by the proposed tomb. A special time of worship and Communion followed. We worship the Person, not the place. What a great place to consider the redemptive purpose of Jesus’ coming!
Rampart Walk
Next, we wee dropped off at the Jaffa Gate where we entered the Old City. Here, we accessed the entrance to the Rampart Walls for our walk around part of the Old City. These walls date to the Turkish/Ottoman Period, being built by Suleiman the Great (1520-1566) between 1537-1544 AD. The view from high on these walls was quite interesting! We walked from the area of the Jaffa Gate to the Zion’s Gate on the south side of the Old City. We exited the ramparts within the Jewish Quarter before walking out of the Zion’s Gate to meet the bus.
“Today was our second full day in Jerusalem. Our time of worship and Communion was a special way to begin the day. Ending the day at Herodium and Bethlehem gave us the opportunity to sing Christmas carols!”
Herodium
We then drove southeast of Jerusalem to Herodium. This was a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great. He was also buried in 4 BC. The site was incredible, with many new renovations and displays. Inside the well-preserved official’s chamber where we saw a wonderful presentation. We then walked up through the royal arches to the top where we saw the bathhouse, synagogue, impressive frescoes, and a great view of Jerusalem. We left the site by carefully walking down through the cistern system.
Shepherds’ Fields/Bethlehem
Just to the west of Herodium and east of Bethlehem is Beit Sahour (an eastern adjacent Arab town). Located here are the traditional shepherds’ Fields. In a cave, we recalled the words of Micah 4 and 5 as well as Luke 2 about the birth of Jesus. It was “just at the right time God sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4). We also went into the Chapel of the Shepherds where we enjoyed singing Christmas carols.
From here we drove into Bethlehem where we visited an olive wood factory and store owned by the Nissan Brothers. These olive wood products were impressive. These olive wood products were impressive and so well crafted.
We drove back to our hotel for dinner and a free evening. Dee took a few on an optional walk. It was another great day here in Israel’s ancient and modern capital city! We have one more full day left on the tour.
Day 16 – Sunday, March 2: City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Pool of Siloam, Southern Excavations, Shorashim, Free Afternoon in the Old City
