Holy Land in Ten Days and Nine
Nights
Day 1: Home - Tel Aviv -
Galilee
Begin
yourspiritual journey with an evening departure from your hometown, on
the overnight flight to Tel Aviv.
Arrival at
Ben-Gurion Airport. Exit the terminal and meet your guide. Transfer to
your hotel in Nazareth or Tiberias, with a stop on the way at Caesarea
Maritima, if time permits (this depends on your flight arrival
time). Dinner and lodging at your hotel.
Day 2: In Mary’s
Footsteps
This morning we drive to Cana to visit the Church commemorating the place
where Jesus transformed water into wine. Then on to Nazareth to visit the
Basilica of Annunciation, Mary´s Well and the Synagogue.
In the afternoon, we travel on to Haifa and
Carmel. Ascending the Carmel Mountains we will visit the Stella Maris
Convent, and the Prophet Elijah´s Grotto, before returning for
dinner and lodging at your hotel.
Day 3: In
Jesus’ and the Disciples’ Footsteps
We start the day with a boat ride across the
Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to see St. Peter´s Memorial, St.
Peter´s House and the Synagogue. Then on to Mt. of Beatitudes where
our Lord gave the Sermon on the Mount. Continue to Tabgha, the site of
multiplication of fish and loaves.
We then
drive to the Jordan River at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee to
renew our Baptismal Vows. We finish the day with a visit to Mt.Tabor and
the church of the Transfiguration. Then drive back to the hotel for dinner
and lodging.
Day
4: Tiberias – Masada - Dead Sea – Qumran
We leave Tiberias via the Jordan
Valley to visit Masada, the Dead Sea, and on to Qumran, to see the
excavations of the Essene Monastery and the Caves of the Scrolls.
Moving on to Jericho, we visit the ancient
city, Elisha´s spring, the Sycamore Tree that Zacchaeus climbed in
order to see Jesus, the New City and the view of the Mount of Temptation.
Heading towards Jerusalem, we stop off at Bethany, the village of
Mary, Martha and Lazarus and visit the tomb of Lazarus. This is
followed by a short drive to your hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and
lodging.
Day 5: Bethlehem
– Ein Karem
This morning
we drive to Bethlehem to visit the place of our Lord’s birth in the
Basilica of the Nativity. We will also see the Chapel of St. Jerome, the
Milk Grotto, and the Shepherds Fields.
In
the afternoon we drive to the nearby village of Ein Karem to visit the
birth-place of St. John the Baptist and the Church of the Visitation. If
time permits we will stop to visit the Holy Land Model, before returning
to your hotel for dinner and lodging.
Day 6: Jerusalem, The Passion of Jesus´
last hours
Our tour this
morning will be dedicated to the Old City of Jerusalem. We’ll
start at the Temple area, where we will see the Western Wall, the Dome of
the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and then St. Anne’s Church and the
Pools of Bethesda. From there we trace the
final footsteps of Jesus along the Vía
Dolorosa, from the Church of Flagellation, Ecce Homo and on
ot the Holy Sepulchre. There we will visit Calvary and the empty Tomb of
our Lord, and the different sections of the church. We will have free time
at the church for prayers and reflection before going back to the hotel for
dinner and lodging.
Day 7: Mount of Olives – Mount Zion
After breakfast we drive to the top of the Mt.
of Olives to visit the Church of Pater Noster where Jesus taught his
disciples how to pray, and then proceed down the Palm Sunday route to the
Church of Dominus Flevit, where our Lord wept over the city. We continue
our walk on the Palm Sunday route to the Garden of Gethsemane, where we
find the Rock of Agony where Jesus prayed before his
betrayal.
In the afternoon we go on
Mount Zion to visit the Church of the Dormition Abbey, where our Blessed
Mother fell asleep. Next we go to the Cenacle, the place of the Last
Supper and Pentecost. Today we also visit the Church of Saint Peter in
Gallicantu, which commemorates the house of Caiphas, the high priest of
the Jews, where Jesus was imprisoned for the night and where Peter denied
our Lord. After this we return to our hotel for dinner and lodging.
Day 8: Jerusalem, going around
This morning we will visit
Mini Israel where you can see miniture models of some of the sites you
visited on this pilgrimage. After this we will return to the hotel
for a special lunch meal.
In the afternoon we drive
to Emmaus, returning to our hotel for dinner and lodging.
Day 9: Free Day.
Enjoy this day on your own to
re-visit the Holy Sites and do some shopping.
Return to our hotel for
dinner and lodging.
Day
10: Tel Aviv - Home
Transfer to the airport, filled with cherished
memories, for your return flight home.