Israel - Jordan
Day 1: We were more than aware of the historical significance of this trip beforehand, as well as the unique situation in this region. So we boarded the plane with a certain amount of trepidation. We landed in Tel Aviv in the evening. On the way to the hotel, it became clear that the city is very vibrant and beautiful, and also expensive... the small snack the hotel had provided us with late at night turned out to be a rather significant expense. So be careful with your vacation budget; Tel Aviv is one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Day 2: The second day of our journey also begins in Tel Aviv: Yaffa , the original name of the old Arab quarter, boasts superbly restored houses, markets, and alleyways, as well as one of the oldest ports in the world. In contrast, the newer part of Tel Aviv features the Bauhaus ensemble of the White City , built in the 1930s and 40s, which comprises almost 4,000 buildings in the Bauhaus style. We leave the city and, after a short drive along the Mediterranean coast on the ancient Roman trade route Via Maris, reach Caesarea Maritima , the magnificent port city built by Herod in honor of Emperor Augustus. Among the remnants of its golden age are the still-used amphitheater , the remains of the hippodrome , the ruins of Herod's palace , and a section of the 8-kilometer-long aqueduct that supplied the city with water. The journey continues north to Haifa , a bustling port city that boasts a botanical highlight: the " hanging gardens ".
Created by followers of the Baháʼí Faith in honor of their greatest martyr (the Báb), this man-made garden paradise is spread across 19 terraces on the slopes of Mount Carmel. Not far away lies the ancient Crusader city of Acre (Akko ). Napoleon famously said of Acre after a failed siege: "Whoever conquers Acre will conquer the world!" The fortifications, including the Knights' Hall and the Templar Tunnel, are well worth a visit.
Day 3: Today we are following in the footsteps of Jesus. We will first visit the holy sites of Tabgha , the site of the Sermon on the Mount , the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus taught, among other things, that "Blessed are the peacemakers , for they will be his sons and daughters." This message has lost none of its relevance in the Middle East to this day. We will also see the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, where Jesus took five loaves and two fish, said a prayer, and fed 5,000 people. Afterward, we will visit the "Jesus Boat" at the Yigal-Allon Museum. This boat from the Sea of Galilee dates back to the 1st century, placing it within the lifetime of Jesus. A trip on the Sea of Galilee is a must, and no visit to this seaworthy vessel would be complete without a boat trip. The region around the lake is synonymous with Jesus' ministry as an itinerant preacher and the miracles he is said to have performed there. This is particularly evident in Capernaum , where Jesus lived, taught, healed the sick and dying, and met the fisherman Peter. Capernaum plays an important role in the Gospels (Matthew, John). The drive to the Golan Heights brings a first pang of unease, and our guide, gazing across the border into Lebanon, tells us much about the political significance of this mountain range. That evening, we arrive at our kibbutz and learn more about the unique way of life of the kibbutzim, which have been founded since the early 20th century. Their ideal: a classless society characterized by equality and a sense of community—a goal that is as forward-looking as it is utopian. Nevertheless, many kibbutzim continue to hold special significance, driven by the desire for a lifestyle close to nature and focused on essential values . Kibbutz Gfar Giladi, where we stayed, is currently (as of February 2024) evacuated because Hezbollah from Lebanon has entered the war between Israel and Hamas. Whether the residents will ever be able to return to their kibbutz, and more importantly, whether they even want to, remains uncertain.
Day 4: Jesus came to the Sea of Galilee after leaving his parents' home in Nazareth. So today we're doing it in reverse, traveling from the Sea of Galilee to Nazareth and visiting another highlight: the Church of the Annunciation , the place where the Archangel Gabriel is said to have appeared to Mary. We'll actually be standing in front of the Grotto of the Annunciation , where, according to the Gospel of Luke, the Archangel Gabriel announced that the Virgin Mary would conceive and bear the Son of God through the Holy Spirit (the Annunciation of the Lord). Afterward, we'll go to Beit Alfa with its colorful and intricate mosaic in the excavated former synagogue. Our journey continues along the Jordan River to Qasr el Yahud , where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan's waters. Anyone who wants to can try it themselves, although it's quite touristy. Then we'll descend to 400 meters below sea level to the Dead Sea , the lowest point on Earth. We quickly checked in and grabbed our swimsuits... and were already on our way to the beach, taking the obligatory photo: lying on our backs in the water with a book in our hands. What fun! It's also interesting how difficult it is to swim breaststroke, as you constantly have to fight against being flipped back onto your back. In the mineral-rich and extremely salty water, breaststroke looks like dog paddling. And just so you know, the Baltic/North Sea has a salinity of about 2-3%, while the Dead Sea has around 30%.
Day 5: From the lowest point on Earth, we depart for Jerusalem. En route, we'll visit the gigantic fortress of Masada . A cable car will take us to the summit plateau on the edge of the Judean Desert, to the Herodian fortress. The Masada myth makes the fortress a symbol of the Israelites' struggle against oppression. When Jerusalem was conquered by the Romans in 70 AD, the last Jewish rebels fled to the fortress. After a long siege, and just before the storming of Masada via an earthen ramp, all the Jewish rebels are said to have decided to commit collective suicide to escape slavery, torture, and the rape of the women. We continue on to Jerusalem , the place where Jesus completed his earthly destiny. Jerusalem is the spiritual center of the three major monotheistic world religions, and thus a melting pot and a constant source of conflict. We stop at the Mount of Olives , where there is a fantastic view over to the Old City (great photo position) : the golden dome of the Dome of the Rock, the black dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, below the holy sites and the houses of the Jewish, Armenian, Muslim and Christian quarters.
Day 6: After a morning visit to the Mahane Yehuda Market, we have some free time to stroll around. We experience a central site of Jewish tradition at the Western Wall , where worshippers pray and place small slips of paper with wishes into the cracks between the ancient stone blocks. Throughout the city, we repeatedly notice ultra-Orthodox Jews, with their black coats, large dark felt hats, and distinctive hairstyles. The wearing of beards and sidelocks is based on a commandment in the Hebrew Bible.
Day 7: Southwest of Jerusalem's Old City lies another important site for Muslims, Christians, and Jews: Mount Zion . We visit the Tomb of King David and the Hall of the Last Supper, significant for many believers. Back in the Old City, we see another testament to the different eras and cultures on the ancient Roman shopping street, the Cardo . From the viewing platform with the golden Menorah, we return to the Western Wall and follow the (unfortunately very commercial) Via Dolorosa , retracing Jesus' steps on his final journey to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , the holiest site in Christianity. Here, in addition to the tomb, we see various other important sites, such as the Stone of Anointing and the crack in the rock, which is said to have been caused by the earthquake at the time of the crucifixion. Due to the security situation, we spontaneously decided to travel to Bethlehem , the birthplace of Jesus. Standing directly below the church, at the site of Jesus' birth, is definitely a goosebump moment.
Day 8: The morning is dedicated to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. Afterwards, we will visit the Israel Museum, which boasts truly remarkable exhibits. Highlights include the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Shrine of the Book (original Isaiah Scrolls from the Bible) and the model of Jerusalem from the time of Christ. To conclude our tour of Israel, we will stop at the Knesset , the Israeli Parliament, in front of which stands the famous seven-branched Menorah . In the afternoon, we will be picked up from the hotel, and just the two of us from our tour group will travel through the Jordan Valley to the border crossing at the Sheikh Hussein Bridge. We will meet our Jordanian tour guide and arrive in Amman in the evening.
Day 9: We begin the day in Amman with a tour of one of the oldest cities in the world. Spread across the city's 19 hills is a fascinating mix of modern and ancient sites, such as the Roman theater and the Temple of Hercules on Jabal el Qala'a, the Citadel Hill . The panorama from the Citadel is fantastic. Here, skyscrapers, hotels, and malls; there, the tightly packed houses of the old city, the souks, and the bustling alleyways. In Amman, Western atmosphere meets Oriental flair. A little further south, in Madaba , we embark on a short journey through time: Here, after an earthquake, a 6th-century mosaic was discovered among the rubble, depicting the oldest surviving original map of Palestine. From nearby Mount Nebo , Moses is said to have once glimpsed the Promised Land, which he was never allowed to enter. We continue on to Shobak Castle , one of the most important Crusader fortresses on the King's Highway. We reach Petra in the evening.
Day 10: Today's itinerary includes the rose-red city of Petra (one of the Seven Wonders of the World). The rock walls at the entrance to the one-kilometer-long gorge (Siq) rise 200 meters high on both sides. The narrow valley can only be traversed on foot until, suddenly, like a dream, the approximately 40-meter-high pink facade of Petra's Treasury appears. Over 2,000 years ago, the Nabataeans built a city here that was already famous for its highly developed culture, monumental architecture, and ingenious system of dams and water channels (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). A must-see. Hundreds of buildings, tombs, baths, temples, arcades, colonnades, and rock carvings can be discovered via various paths and ascents. When we check our pedometers, we're quite astonished to realize we've apparently explored Petra very thoroughly, having taken almost 40,000 steps, including the adventurous donkey ride up to the Ad Deir rock tomb. We are glad that we don't have to move our legs in the car on the way to Wadi Rum.
Day 11: After a cold night in a tent, we set off early on our jeep tour through the desert, sleeping in a wonderful bed. Famous for Lawrence of Arabia, who led the rebellion against the Turks here, Wadi Rum is a world of rust-red sandstone, black granite, bizarre rock formations, dunes, canyons, and monoliths. Along the way, we meet Bedouins who invite us for tea and give us a glimpse into their lives in the desert. Unfortunately, this part of the journey ends all too quickly. We would have loved to spend more time in this wonderful and, above all, beautiful desert. After a stop in Aqaba , a popular resort town in Jordan, we drive back to the Dead Sea . On the Jordanian side, we naturally float on the water and enjoy a truly breathtaking sunset. An incredibly interesting journey comes to an end, and as already mentioned, it's hard to imagine a more immersive history experience.