TenTATive iTinerArY FOr AlASKA cruiSe - Senior Tours Canada

TenTATive iTinerArY FOr iSrAel & JOrDAn
DAY 1 depart. We depart with Air Canada for Israel.
DAY 2 teL aViV. Upon arrival we transfer to our hotel in
Tel Aviv. The balance of the day is at leisure until
this evening’s Welcome Dinner.
DAY 3 teL aViV. Our city tour shows us the modern city
of Tel Aviv and its lovely seafront promenade.
Included will be a walking tour of old Jaffa - we
walk through the ancient streets, the restored
artist's quarter, the central plaza and the
Franciscan Monastery of St. Peter.
DAY 4 haifa / teL aViV. We first visit the Carmel Winery
for a tasting, and then on to Haifa - Israel's largest
port. Here we visit the famous Bahai Gardens and
Shrine, and the Carmelite Church of Stella Maris
where the prophet Elisha is said to be buried. We
visit a Druze village to learn about this unique
minority and experience their traditional hospitality
in a family home, before returning to Tel Aviv.
DAY 5 JerusaLeM. We travel to Jerusalem, where our
first visit will be the Hadassah complex to see the
Chagall Windows. Then we proceed to the Israel
Museum and the Shrine of the Book that houses
the Dead Sea Scrolls. Our final stop is Yad
Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial and
museum, where we will walk along the Avenue of
the Righteous and see the Children's Pavilion. On
our way to the hotel we drive through the Mea
Shearim, for a glimpse of the ultra-orthodox area.
DAY 6 JerusaLeM / BethLeheM. Our tour of
DAY 7
Jerusalem's Old City begins at the Mount of
Olives for spectacular views over the city. Then
we walk through the winding streets to David's
Tower, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (burial
place of Jesus) and the Via Dolorosa, (His path to
the crucifixion). There will be free time to shop in
the Old City bazaars or relax at one of the many
coffee houses. Later we visit Bethlehem and the
Church of the Nativity, where pilgrims have come
for centuries to see the manger of Jesus' birth.
JerusaLeM at Leisure.
DAY 8 Masada / JerusaLeM. We drive to the
Judean Desert, passing Qumran where the Dead
Sea Scrolls were found, and follow the shores of
the Dead Sea to Masada. It was here at the site
of Herod the Great's Palace that the Jewish
Zealots held off the Roman army for three years.
We ascend by cable car to tour the ruins and take
in the breathtaking views. Later enjoy a swim in
the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea.
DAY 9 petra (Jordan). We cross in to Jordan and
continue to the fascinating city of Petra. Known
as the "Rose City", this impressive site is often
called the “8th Wonder of the Ancient World”.
DAY 10
petra. Today we explore Petra. We first pass
through the Siq, an immense crack in the
sandstone, and then follow a winding kilometre-
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long fissure between overhanging cliffs that seem
to meet overhead. We see Petra's most
impressive monument, Khazneh, the treasury. We
also see many niches that once held icons and
hundreds of temples, tombs and a Roman theatre.
Wadi ruM / aMMan. We travel to Wadi Rum
where we hear tales of "Lawrence of Arabia." We
enjoy a mint tea before joining a Bedouin guide
for a jeep tour of this moon-like desert landscape
where massive sandstone pillars rise from the
rose-red desert floor. We proceed to Amman.
aMMan / Jerash. We tour Jordan’s
cosmopolitan capital, known as the "white city" for
all of its white building stone. We will see the
museums, the Citadel, amphitheatre and souks.
Nearby Jerash was an important city in Roman
times, and has been called the “Pompeii of the
East” for its unique state of preservation after
being buried in sand for centuries. The city
features theatres, temples and colonnaded
streets.
gaLiLee / tiBerias. We cross back into Israel
and travel through the lush Jordan Valley to the
Galilee region, known for its beautiful scenery
and religious heritage. In Nazareth we see where
Jesus spent his boyhood, visit the Basilica of the
Annunciation and Joseph's workshop. We then
skirt the Sea of Galilee to Tiberias, built in AD 18
to honour the Roman Emperor.
capernauM / Mount of Beatitudes /
tiBerias. On our Sea of Galilee boat ride we
see the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus
delivered three significant speeches. We stop at
Capernaum where Jesus stayed during his
ministry, and then at Tabgha we see the church,
the mosaics and the site of the "bread and fishes"
miracle.
safed / caesarea / teL aViV. We drive to
Safed, centre of Jewish mysticism perched on a
hill in the Galilee. This holy city has an artists
quarter set in a maze of quaint cobbled streets.
Next is the picturesque old city of Acre, which
features Islamic minarets, domes, Crusader
remains and an Arab market. We proceed to
Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea for 600
years and now an important archaeological site.
Here we see the remains of the Roman
Amphitheatre, aqueduct, hippodrome and the
Crusader's City before returning to Tel Aviv.
teL aViV. This morning we visit the Museum of
Diaspora, a multi-media depiction of the history of
the Jewish people. The afternoon is at leisure to
explore this exciting city and enjoy a stroll along
the lively beach boardwalk. This evening is our
Farewell Dinner
hoMe. We transfer to the airport for our flight
home, direct non-stop to Toronto.
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