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Our Middle East Tour in Photo Slide Show ExploreTraveler the Far East
Week 1 https://exploretraveler.com/middle-east-adventure-week-one/
Week 2 https://exploretraveler.com/middle-east-adventure-week-two/
Middle East adventures are looming in the days ahead. The exploretraveler.com team has left the comforts of home behind and anxiously arrive in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is a romantic seaport on the Mediterranean Sea, where the sun and the sea seamlessly meet. Tel Aviv is a modern city made up of several smaller communities. On arrival, we are met by representatives of Noah Tours and are escorted to Jaffa, where we spend a night relaxing at the Market House.
Market House is an outstanding boutique hotel in old town Jaffa. The accommodations are excellent, the service is a suburb, and the morning buffet is outstanding. We were close to restaurants, and many interesting small shops. Market House is a uniquely modern hotel, complete with Wi-Fi in the midst of charming antiquity.
Day 2 is off and running as we meet our tour guide, Elinoar Nitzani. Under her excellent guidance, we begin our day in, the city that Herod The Great dedicated to Caesar Augustus more than 2000 years ago. Herod created the grandest city, next to Jerusalem, in all Palestine. It has a deep seaport, and the aqueduct, hippodrome, and magnificent amphitheater remain standing today.
Leaving Caesarea we journey to Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city. Haifa is one of the most beautiful cities in Israel and is home to the World Center of the Bahai Faith. In Haifa, you find a mix of Synagogues, Mosques, Churches, and an abundance of natural beauty.
Leaving Haifa, we journey on to Akko, also known as Acre. In Akko, you can take a leisurely stroll along the walls of the city, which is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Akko dates back to the time of Pharaoh Thutmose III (1504-1450 BCE). In Akko, you will find the charms of unique antiquity and unsurpassed beauty. Can you even dare to imagine the secrets that this ancient city, in the Middle East, guards to this day? Leaving Akko we complete our day in Tiberias, an amazing city on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
The Ron Beach Hotel is our home away from home for the next two nights. We have amazing accommodations with marvelous views of the Sea of Galilee from our balcony. The service is excellent and what a fantastic dinner and breakfast buffet. The foods of the Middle East are out of this world. They are unique to the area, nutritious, and amazing!
Day 3 and 4 begins with another outstanding buffet breakfast. Then, we get an early start on a trip to Jericho. Elinor Nitzani, our Israelite guide, has set up our experience with a local guide, Mr. Samer Abu Shushi. The transfer goes smoothly and she waits for us just inside Israel. Not much remains of ancient Jericho today. Little beyond a few piles of rocks that archaeologists now tell us were once parts of towers, staircases, and other structures are found in modern Jericho.
Those that are there date back at least 7,000 years. That in itself is amazing! The oldest stairs and wall in the world can be seen in Jericho. Here we see layers of 23 ancient civilizations. Many of these Middle East civilizations may be as old as 9,000 years. Nearby is the Spring of Elisha, or Sultan’s Spring, where the prophet sweetened the water. This story is recorded for us in 2 Kings, chapter 2. This is the source of water for the oasis and serves as drinking water for the community today. The water must be some of the best-tasting water in the world!
There is also a cable car that will take you up to the Mountain of Temptation, where Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world. It is a marvelous morning and Mr. Samer Abu Shushei provides excellent interpretative services. We then finish our day with Elinoar Nitzani visiting Tzfat, Banias, and the Golan Heights. The next morning we visit Nazareth, Beit Shean, Qasr El Yahud (one of two possible baptismal sites), and finally the Mount of Olives.
It is one of Jerusalem’s highest points and we have fantastic views of the old city. We spend the next 4 nights at the Monteflore Boutique Hotel. Service and accommodations are excellent. A wonderful buffet breakfast is provided.
Day 5 we spend on a walking tour of the old city and make a visit to the Western Wall. When Rome destroyed the Temple in 70 B.E. only the Western wall was left intact. This is one of the Holiest sites in Jerusalem and the Middle East. We visit the Holy Sepulcher and end our day at the Yehuda Market. Yehuda Market is an amazing Middle East market. The next day we tour the New City, visit the Israel Museum, and the Shrine of the Book.
#israel #jordan #jerusalem #middleeast
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