Jerusalem to Jericho

 September 26, 2023

Today we board the tour bus in Jerusalem and leave for a small village 7 kilometers away toward the south west.  The name of the village is "Ein Karim" , it's the birth place of St John the Baptist.  There are two churches to visit here.  One is the Sanctuary of the Visitation.  It is situated on a rocky plateau just south of town.  It is a long 100 steps to climb to the top.  Here is where the Bible tells us of Mary the pregnant wife of Joseph visiting her cousin Elizabeth, who is "also with child".   Mary's famous response of the Magnificat is memorialized here.  Our group had the opportunity to have another outdoor Mass in a garden along side the church.  

Plaza in Ein Karim

Church of the Visitation

Green Hillsides of Ein Karim

My Soul Magnifies the Lord

Zachary the High Priest

Mary greets Elizabeth

A well in Ein Karim

Hiding Stone for St John

In the Church of St John the Baptist in the Village of Ein Karim....this rock is said to be the hiding place where the infant St John was saved from the sword of King Herod's slaughter of the innocents.

Slaughter of the Innocents


Our Pilgrimage group has Mass in the garden.

Now we take the tour bus back to the Old City of Jerusalem to visit the Upper Room on Mount Zion.  While we visit the Upper Room which is the site of the Last Supper of Christ, it is also the place of the Pentecost for the Apostles.  For some centuries of the Turkish rule of the Holy Land, this place was used as a mosque.  Below this room is a place that many believe is the tomb of King David.

The Upper Room

The Upper Room

Now we leave the Old City again visit the nearby Church of St Peter de Galli Cantu (rooster crow).  Here is where Christ was taken (the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest) after his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemani.  And it is also the place Peter denied knowing Christ three times as the rooster crowed.  

We saw the pit or cistern that Christ was jailed in overnight. We all go into the pit.  We began singing the hymn "Were You There" as we exit the crypt and found that other pilgrims waiting to enter are singing along with us in great spirit.  A most moving moment.

The Church of St Peter Galli Cantu

Mural of Christ in Chains

St Peter's Denials

Now we board the bus to go east to Jericho.

Jericho and the Dead Sea

 September 26, 2023

Finished visiting holy places in the Jerusalem area, our tour bus now takes the desert road to Jericho.  Jericho, or "City of Palms" is truly an oasis in a very arid and dry part of the country.  As we travel, we can see small bands of goats and sheep roaming with nomadic Bedouins for shepherds.  Sometimes they are accompanied by camels.  We stop at a roadside restaurant for lunch.  In the parking area is a camel who is ready to give you a ride for $10.  

Jericho is an oasis of palms.

Not for smoking!

After our lunch we travel to a scenic spot in the desert.  It is close to where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in caves by a shepherd boy in 1947.  Their value to us as ancient copies of the Old Testament is to demonstrate the accuracy of transcription that the Bible has maintained through the centuries.  We watched an educational video at an Israeli information center that depicted the life of the Essenes of Qumran who were a celibate religious sect of Judaism that existed concurrent with the life of Christ.  Some suggest that John the Baptist may have been a member, or at least in contact with their movement.

Temptation Mountain

A stop to learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls

Next, we go to the shore of the Dead Sea.  It is the lowest spot on earth, 1400 feet below sea level.  The main character of the lake is the density of its water.  Its specific weight keeps the human body from sinking.  Several of our tour group wanted to go and try this for themselves.  The intense saltiness of the water prevents anything from living in it.  There are recreational facilities developed at the Dead Sea for people to come and soak and float and to camp overnight.

The Dead Sea  1400 ft below sea level

Next, we travel north along the International Highway 90 for two hours.  It follows the Valley of the Jordan River.  Our final destination today is the City of Tiberius located on the Sea of Galilee.  We stay at the Ron Beach Hotel.  It's a lovely spot with shore line views.