My wife and I have used Gate 1 Travel for several vacations. After having a vacation I planned myself go sideways, I thought we would give a discount travel agency a try. I found it to be cheaper and far more convenient than the trips we had put together ourselves. Since that time, we have used Gate 1 several times. Last year, we took a trip to Israel called Journey for the Believer which is geared toward Christian holy sites. I wasn't sure how a tour of Christianity conducted by a secular company would work out, but at two thousand dollars each (including round trip airfare), I figured we couldn't go wrong. We didn't. The trip was amazing.
The booking site at Gate 1 Travel allows you to pick your departure airport as well as providing alternate flights at an increased cost. The original flight associated with our trip was from JFK to Tel Aviv by way of Turkey on Turkish Airlines. There was a direct flight on El Al Airlines for a small fee for the upgrade. I figured a direct flight would save us some travel time. I upgraded to El Al while still keeping the cost total under two thousand dollars for each person (for the entire trip). Not bad. Although I found El Al Airlines to have the worst flight attendants of any international carrier I have flown. I probably won't be using them again in the future.
When we arrived in Israel, Gate 1 representatives were waiting to shuttle us to our hotel. Once we grabbed our luggage, we were led out to a bus and driven as a group to our hotel. As a film buff (if you haven't been able to tell from my movie reviews), I was excited to see that our first hotel, Cinema Hotel, was in a converted movie theater. The film theme was present throughout the hotel. We weren't at the hotel long, departing the next morning for a full day of touring en route to Tiberias.
Our first stop was the Roman ruins at Caesarea National Park. Caesarea Maritima was a major Roman town during the time of Jesus. It is a place where the apostles may have been imprisoned. The theater is still mostly intact, as is the old hippodrome and remnants of the palace. The ruins took a couple of hours to navigate. The rich history and amazing view of the Mediterranean was amazing. It was a great way to start our tour.
After spending the early morning hours at Caesarea National Park, we traveled northward to the Discalced Carmelite Monastery. The monastery has a nice garden and an amazing statue of the prophet Elijah. It is here that tradition suggests Elijah prayed to God and brought down fire to consume an altar in a test of faith against pagan priests. The view of the nearby valley from the rooftop is worth the visit. There is also a small gift shop. We spent less than an hour here.
We finished our first morning at Mount Precipice. This was another short visit of an hour, although you could spend far more time than that on the peaceful paths at this location. The precipice is believed to be the place where Jesus was nearly cast to his death by an angry mob, but managed to walk undetected through the crowd and make his escape. This is another location with spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.
The first church we visited on our tour was the The Church of the Annunciation. This church, which consists of a grotto, Byzantine Church, Crusader Church and modern church was built to commemorate the place where Mary was advised that she would give birth to the Son of God. Aside from the amazing remnants of the earlier churches and intricate architecture, the church also contains artwork depicting Mary throughout the church and adjoining courtyard. The paintings and artwork have been donated from churches throughout the world.
We finished our first day of touring in Tiberias. We visited a gold and silver jewelry store before checking into the Ron Beach Hotel. Every room at the hotel overlooks the Sea of Galilee. The hotel was comfortable, although it showed some signs of wear. The food at the breakfast and dinner buffets was amazing. The room was comfortable and the location was convenient. The hotel was not perfect, but for the money, it was a great bargain and far exceeded expectations.
We started our second day of touring right behind the hotel dining room. The hotel has its own boat docks, where we boarded a boat for a trip on the Sea of Galilee. We had a great time on the boat, sharing music and stories. The boat was also utilitarian, delivering us to our next stop on the tour. The boat docked in Ginosar where we visited the "Jesus Boat."
The Yigal Alon Center is a museum and gift shop built around a rare historic find nearby. The museum houses a boat that was salvaged a few years back. The boat was dated to the first century AD, which places it on the water during the same time frame of Jesus' ministry. While there is no direct link to the teaching of Jesus, it is an amazing link to that era. The boat itself only takes half an hour to see, with a guide to explain things in detail. Without, you can be in and out pretty quick. We spent a few minutes in the gift shop before departing for our next stop.
Our next stop was the Church of the Beatitudes located just up the road in Tabgha, Israel. The church commemorates the sermon Jesus gave where he spoke about the beatitudes. The actual location was probably a little bit further down the hill, but it was in this general location. The church has portals that look out on the Sea of Galilee. The elevated location on the hillside offers amazing views from the meticulously landscaped gardens behind the church. It is a serene place of prayer and reflection.
From the Church of the Beatitudes, we headed back down toward the water to the Church of the Multiplication. This is the place where Jesus fed 5,000 people with just a few loaves and fishes. The exact rock that he placed the food upon to bless it (and upon which he may have stood to address the crowd) is visible through a window in the floor. The church is built upon both a Byzantine and Crusader church. The provenance of this location dates back to the early 300s, making it a fairly likely location for this event.
Our next stop was the town of Capernaum which was the "home base" of Jesus' ministry. It is here where he recruited his first disciples and it is in a synagogue here where he claimed to be the Son of God. The town contains a synagogue that dates to Jesus' era as well as a church that marks the location of the house where Saint Peter lived.
There is a modern church at Capernaum, which is suspended above the house where Saint Peter lived. The church is appropriately called Saint Peter's Church. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of an early church dating to the first or second century within the remnants of a later Byzantine church. This location was revered by Christians dating back to the earliest days of Christianity. Archaeologists are pretty much in full agreement that this was likely the house where Saint Peter lived. It is the place where Jesus ministry was based.
Lunch was included on our tour on this day. We stopped at a famous location called Saint Peter's Restaurant which specializes in Saint Peter's fish. If you don't like your food looking back at you, they will bring you a headless version. Or, if you don't eat fish, you can also order chicken. I did. The accompanying salad bar would be enough for a full meal by itself. The food was great and the service geared towards large groups. We were in and out with enough spare time for a quick visit to the waterfront before heading to our next destination.
Our next stop was to the ancient Roman city known as Caesarea Phillipi. This place was an ancient pagan place of worship. There is a large shrine to the god Pan (which is why it is also called Banias Springs). The springs are one of the sources of the Jordan River. The cave where the shrine of Pan is located had a deep pit known as the "gates of hell." Jesus made reference to this in a lesson to his disciples as they were near Caesarea Phillipi.
Gadot Lookout and Memorial was not on our official tour itinerary. We finished the rest of our tour early enough that our tour guide offered to take us to this memorial as a bonus (if everyone agreed). There was no disagreement, so we got the bonus. This memorial was a bunker encampment that they Syrians used to control the road into Syria during the six-day war. They used this location to shell the Hula Valley below. A group of commandos stormed the bunker complex and took it from the Syrians. The memorial marks their sacrifices. It is a peaceful, scenic area to visit.
We began the next morning at the nearby Jordan River Baptismal Site located in Yardenit. The location was our first stop en route to Jerusalem. My wife and I were baptized in the Jordan River along with several of our traveling companions. It was a moving experience and came with a certificate. Videos of the event are also available for sale. The location has changing rooms and provides the baptismal gowns for a small fee. There is also a gift shop located here.
Our next stop was another ancient Roman city called Bet She'an National Park Aside from being a city where many of the stones remain in situ, the nearby tell contains remnants of eighteen consecutive civilizations dating back eons. The Roman ruins are amazingly well preserved with many of the stones either still in placed, or toppled the way they were following an earthquake over a thousand years ago. The city was abandoned, but remained mostly intact.
We arrived in Jerusalem with our first stop scheduled at the Church of All Nations at the base of the Mount of Olives. The church has a triple nave design with murals depicting various scenes in each nave. The ceiling contains the country seal of the nations that contributed most toward the construction of this church. It is at the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Garden Tomb is a place that Protestants revere as a possible location of Jesus' tomb. This location was found based on a hill nearby that appeared to be in the shape of a skull. While I do not believe that this was the tomb where Christ was placed, it is a beautiful place to visit. And the important reminder here is that "He is risen." The place is run by volunteers and they accept donations. There is also a small gift shop here. It is a pleasant place to visit.
We finished a full day of touring by checking into our final hotel, the Prima Park Hotel in Jerusalem. This hotel is a bit off the beaten path, near the Israeli Knesset. There is a nearby train station where travelers can quickly get into the heart of the city. But I found the location peaceful and nice. We were picked up by bus every morning and dropped off in the evenings, so we really didn't need to be any closer to the city than we were. The hotel was comfortable with good meals served buffet style for breakfast and dinner.
Our first full day of touring in Jerusalem began with a visit to the iconic Western Wall. We entered through gender segregated checkpoints on the south wall meeting in the courtyard on the other side. As you approach the wall area, it is again segregated, with a women's section followed by a men's section. Headgear is provided for those who did not bring any. Your head must be covered to enter the wall area.
After visiting the wall, we entered the Western Wall Tunnels also known as the Rabbinical Tunnels. The tunnels trace the Western Wall beneath the city where the original wall once stood. Visitors used to have to turn around to exit, but an exit into the Muslim Quarter was opened several years ago. We exited into the Muslim Quarter to begin our tour of the Via Dolorosa.
After walking to the official starting point of the Via Dolorosa (The Lion's Gate), we proceeded to the Pools of Bethesda. I love the story of these pools, because they proved the scholars wrong. Many scholars believed the account of Jesus telling the lame man to "take up your mat and walk" was just a metaphor. The pools John described in his account could not possibly be located within the city walls. Yet, here they are. Only discovered in recent history. With five porticoes exactly as John described. The scholars who thought John may have been written by someone else centuries later, based on their unfamiliarity with the city were the ones proven wrong. I love that.
Next to the Pools of Bethesda is the Church of Saint Anne. This is believed to be the birthplace of Mary, mother of Jesus. It is named for her mother, Anne. The church is renowned for its acoustic qualities. Choirs from around the world come to this church to sing. My tour group even sang a quick song, even though we weren't "on the list" to sing. It was fun. And there were some amazing choirs there.
From the Church of Saint Anne we began our journey on the Via Dolorosa. The Via Dolorosa marks the route Jesus took from his flogging to his execution and resurrection. There are more than a dozen stops along the route, many more legend than Gospel. The route has changed over the centuries and is more a representation than the actual route. With the pace of tour groups, it is often said that it is here where "we run where Jesus walked." The stops are known as "Stations of the Cross" with the final five located in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
We finished the Via Dolorosa at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The church houses several religious icons. It is the place where both Golgotha and the sepulchre are located. There is a stone marking the place where Jesus' body was dressed for burial. The entire building is filled with art and religious icons. The wait to visit the sepulchre can be long. Expect to stand for a long time, particularly in peak season. We went in the shoulder season and waited about half an hour.
Mount Zion is a place mentioned many times in the Bible. It is here that Jesus washed his disciples feet, where they held the Last Supper and where the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. The original building that housed The Upper Room is no longer standing. But the current building is believed to be on or near the exact spot. There was a wealthy Christian who lived here in the early days of Christianity and it is believed the place was used as a house church. It is very difficult to pinpoint the provenance of this location, but there is plenty of history that connects it to the past.
Below the Upper Room is another religious site believed to be the Tomb of King David. It was originally Christians who revered this site as the location of King David's Tomb. Jews and Muslims also recognize it as such. However, archaeologists and theologians disagree. The location is more likely either in Bethlehem or further south in the City of David. But it is in the area. There is a small place for prayer inside the tomb.
From Mount Zion, we drove over to the former Palace of King Herod, to visit the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. This is the place where Peter denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed. Meanwhile, Jesus was inside being tried for blasphemy. The ancient pathway across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives is also located here. It is likely the route they took earlier that night following the Last Supper.
The following day, we started out close to our hotel at the Israel Museum. Our primary stop at the Museum was the Shrine of the Book, which commemorates many of the ancient Hebrew texts. This includes the Dead Sea scrolls among others. The exhibits rotate out to give the texts rest from the exposure to light. There is a garden and numerous sculptures and relics adjacent to the Shrine of the Book.
Another popular attraction at the Israel Museum is the Holy Land Model of Jerusalem. Meant to depict Jerusalem prior to the Roman destruction of the city, it also depicts the city as it appeared during Jesus' time. The model is built on a 1:50 scale with intricate detail. It helps bring home the idea of where things were located in relationship to each other.
The most sobering place we visited on our trip to Israel was the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. The memorial is a stark reminder of the atrocities committed during the second world war. The memorial is on a hillside overlooking a valley. It is a serene backdrop for such a graphic episode in our history.
The Basilica of the Nativity is one of the only churches not destroyed by the Persians in 614 or Sulamin several hundred years later. The church has a provenance that dates back to the time of Christ. It is very likely the place where Christ was born. It was revered by Christians in the first century, so the Romans built a temple to Adonis over the site. When Helena went looking for the place, it had been marked by the Romans as a form of desecration. But, in reality, they marked the spot. This church was built in 327 AD and has been there ever since. Although requiring major reconstruction at times.
Gate 1 often schedules stops at gift shops. These are often related to the things a place is renowned for. In China, we stopped at silk and jade shops. I normally don't write about those stops. In Bethlehem, we stopped at a Christian gift shop that was different from most gift shops we visit. I had a great conversation with one of the owners and purchased a couple of nice gifts (to include the widow's mite necklace picture above). The Bethlehem New Store Gift Shop has inexpensive gifts to commemorate your trip, as well as expensive ones. The gifts are high quality and support the small Christian community that remains in Bethlehem.
We spent our last full day in Israel with a trip to Masada National Park. This site has no connection to Christianity, but it is a major tourist attraction. The last of the Jewish zealots who rebelled against Roman rule were holed up here near the end of the first century. The Romans built a massive siege ramp and breached the walls only to find that the zealots committed suicide rather than to be taken captive.
After a morning spent at Masada, it was nice to cool off on our way back to Jerusalem at Neve Midbar Beach in the North Dead Sea area of Israel. It was nice to float on the salt water and cover ourselves in mud. There were shower spigots located near the water to wash the mud off before heading back to the changing rooms. I am sure that keeps the changing rooms much cleaner. It was a refreshing way to finish our journey.
The trip to Israel has been our most memorable trip on Gate 1. Details about this trip can be found on here on the Gate 1 website. The trip is listed starting at $2059 currently. If you wait for a special, you can get it cheaper. We bought our Morocco trip on Black Friday and saved $500. You an also find these trips slightly discounted at Groupon at times. If you pay by cash or check, you can deduct an additional five percent. We maximize our savings, which allowed us to take this same trip last year for under two thousand dollars per person, which included a direct flight as well as the optional tour to the Dead Sea and Masada.
If you have any questions about this tour, feel free to ask them in the comments section.