Docked at 6 am in Ashdod which is one of the 5 major Philistine cities. Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod still exist while Gath, and Ekron have been lost to history. Disembarked to the pier at 7:40 to clear customs. Because we had prearranged our private minivan for the day, we received priority off the ship and through the formalities of entering Israel. We were met on the pier by Avi.

Avi, whose full name is Auzer Avinoaom, was our guide and driver for the day. Avi’s parents were originally from Berlin but moved to Holland to try out commune living for a couple of years before immigrating to Israel in 1936 and joining one of the original kibbutz. Avi was born into kibbutz life and was raised and schooled in the commune. At some point he served his compulsory military service and then spent 25 years in security with the Israeli government. When he retired, he went back to university to obtain his designation as a licensed tour guide. He currently operates freelance and got the contract to drag us around and babysit us for the two days we were spending in both Ashdod and Haifa.

Today was the day we were hoping to visit Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Leaving port in his KIA minivan we were immediately into heavy traffic mostly due to road construction and port traffic. After 45 minutes we cleared the congestion and made our way over to Bethlehem. After a quick run up the hill to Little Everest for the view, we pulled over to the side of the road. Within the West Bank, controlled by the Palestinians, lies Bethlehem our first destination of the day. Israeli cars are not permitted to enter the Palestinian Autonomy, so Avi had made arrangements for a Palestinian van and guide to meet us at the check point.

    
    
    
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We transferred vehicles at the check point. Our driver in Bethlehem was George. We were asked when we got into the vehicle whether we wanted shopping first or the Church of the Nativity, chose shopping to get that out of the way. We picked up our Bethlehem guide along the way then stopped at a well-stocked souvenir shop where Lee and I purchased a hand carved olive-wood nativity scene.

    
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Back into the vehicle and on to the Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity which is a basilica located in Bethlehem in the State of Palestine. The Grotto of the Nativity, the place where Jesus is said to have been born, is an underground space which forms the crypt of the Church of the Nativity. It is situated underneath its main altar, and it is normally accessed by two staircases on either side of the chancel. Once inside the church our guide was able to bypass the lineups and get us to the silver star in the grotto which denotes the spot where Jesus was born.

The grotto is part of a network of caves, which are accessed from the adjacent Church St. Catherine's. The grotto is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the basilica is the oldest major church in the Holy Land. Over the centuries, the surrounding compound has been expanded, and today it covers approximately 12,000 square meters, comprising three different monasteries: one Catholic, one Armenian Apostolic, and one Greek Orthodox. After receiving a blessing at the nativity grotto we finished our tour of the rest of the site.

      
        
        
        
  
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From the Church of the Nativity, it was back into the vehicle for the short drive back to the checkpoint where Avi was waiting. Transferring back to the KIA, we drove to the lookout across from the old city which gave us a wide-angle panoramic view of old city Jerusalem and the other important Jerusalem landmarks. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the birthplace of the three Abrahamic religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islamic.

      
      
      
      
      

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We found parking near the old city and entered through the Zion Gate at the Armenian Quarter. It is one of the seven historic gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. From there we wound our way north through the narrow streets looking for a place to rest with a bit of lunch in mind.

      
      
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Success! Ari found us a dairy restaurant pizzeria (non-kosher) where we enjoyed our lunch, a beer and a coke zero.

        
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From there we continued on to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Along the way we explored a few of the many shops that lined the very narrow streets.

      
      
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The Church of the Holy Sepulchre also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church that is considered to be the holiest site for Christians in the world, According to traditions dating back to the fourth century, it contains the site where Jesus was crucified, at a place known as Calvary or Golgotha, and Jesus's empty tomb, which is where he was buried and resurrected. The tomb itself is enclosed by a 19th-century shrine called the Aedicule. Within the church proper are the last four stations of the Cross representing the final episodes of the Passion of Jesus.

      
      
      
      
      
  
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The Garden Tomb contains an ancient tomb considered by some to be the empty tomb from where Jesus of Nazareth resurrected.

    
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From the Church of the Holy Sepulchre we walked through the Mount of Olives district where Jesus, immediately after the last supper, was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.

  
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The Wailing Wall is a portion of ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem that forms part of the larger retaining wall of the hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount. Just over half the wall's total height, including its 17 courses are located below street level. The Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray outside the previous Temple Mount platform, as the presumed site of the Holy of Holies, the most sacred site in the Jewish faith, lies just behind it.

    
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The Last Supper is the final meal that, in the Gospel accounts, Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. According to tradition, the Last Supper took place in what is today called The Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion, just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

    
  
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The Abbey of the Dormition on Mount Zion, just outside the walls of the Old City near the Zion Gate. The Abbey is said to mark the spot where Mary, mother of Jesus, died.

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Finishing up our marathon whirlwind tour of Jerusalem we hiked back to the minivan and deadheaded to our final destination for the day. The Dead Sea is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel to the west. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River. The lake's surface is ~430 metres (~1,400 ft) below sea level, making its shores the lowest land-based elevation on Earth. It was one of the world's first health resorts, due to its extremely high mineral and salt content.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls were discovered over a period of 10 years, between 1946 and 1956, at the Qumran Caves near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the northern shore of the Dead Sea.

    
    
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We were late leaving our stop at the Dead Sea and because we got caught up in a bit of traffic, we ended up arriving back at the ship an hour later than planned. Our port in the morning will be Haifa where Avi will again meet us to tour inland to the Sea of Galilee. A late dinner and off to bed early.

    
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