Tuesday, 29 October 2019
First of Five Days at Sea

Enjoying the first of five days at sea—a welcome rest after a strenuous but thoroughly worthwhile day at the ruins of Petra, Jordan.  The day began with an early breakfast and a two-hour bus ride and ended with “caviar in the desert” and a singing welcome back to the ship performed by almost the entire crew on the pier.  

But I digress, and return now to Ashdod and Jerusalem, our second stop in Israel on . . . 

Friday, 25 October 2019
Ashdod and Jerusalem

It is a very short distance as the crow flies and the fish swim from Haifa to Ashdod, Israel’s largest port. But the Encore takes its time and sails quietly through the night, arriving at the pier at 7am.  Early breakfast is available again for those passengers on the 7.5 hour excursion to Jerusalem.  I had considered going on my own for the trip to Big J (shorthand for Jerusalem), but after all my walking yesterday,  I decided to go with the group. The tour was an almost exact duplicate of one that Will, Anita, and I enjoyed on our Oceania cruise two years ago, with a few extra plusses.  Except for the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is always packed, the crowds in the streets seemed somewhat lighter.  The weather was warm and sunny, but not uncomfortable.  Our guide, a local Big J gal, knew her stuff and was good at keeping the group together.  

On today’s tour we also spend time in the Roman Cardo, a main street of the Old City running east-west, that we did not visit two years ago.  And we enjoy lunch at a local Armenian restaurant on, of all places, Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate Street, right outside the city walls, rather than at a modern hotel.  

The Roman Cardo

So the tour does hit highlights of Big J tourism:  the view from the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City, a walk through the city gate to the site of the destroyed Second Temple, commonly called the “Wailing Wall,” following the narrow lanes through the Jewish Quarter to trace the Via Dolorosa, the stages of the Cross, numbers five through eight.  We pause for a short visit to the same gift shop we visited two years ago, although today everything is 50% off.  Then on to the last five stages of the cross, all located inside the Holy Sepulcher Church.

View of Old City and Dome of the Rock (closed to non-Muslims) from the Mount of Olives

Views of the Wailing Wall

Via Doloroso

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Interior Mosaic over Stone of Unction

Housing the Rock on Which Christ's Body was Laid (left in photo)

Ceiling Mosaic

Exterior Courtyard and Entrance

This is my third visit here, and even with the crowds, I am finally able to grasp the complicated structure and geography inside the church built over the holy sites: the spot of the crucifixion, the stone of unction for washing and oiling of Christ’s body, the tomb (soon empty) in which he was interred before rising on the third day (at least according to the mythology of the church).  Since I was here so recently, as well as many years ago in 1993, I almost decide to stay outside and avoid the crushing mass of people.  But, hey, I am here, and I might as well endure it. 

There is another short, but uphill walk through the Islamic Quarter to reach the Roman Cardo and the restaurant where we have lunch. At least we get to sit down and are served by the staff with a variety of salads, hummus, cold meats, and dessert. 

The Encore sails at 3pm and we have to be back on board by 2:30, so we start the backward journey right after lunch at 1:30.  The reason for the early sailing time is that the sabbath begins at sundown and all businesses and government services shut down early so that residents can be home in time to celebrate with their families.  We don’t celebrate the sabbath on board (although there are services for those who wish to), but instead enjoy a party sail-away with a second lunch on deck, and entertainment by the ship’s resident singers, who are actually quite good. 

After two days of heavy touring, post lunch is time for a nap, which unfortunately makes me miss the LBGQT gathering—perhaps there will be another later in the cruise. Each evening, the highlights of the next day's meals is delivered to staterooms along with the daily schedule.  Since I know there is Chinese food in the Colonnade tonight, I report at 8pm for very fine  pork dim sum, egg drop soup, sweet and sour shrimp, and fruit cup with vanilla ice cream. 

So tonight I retire with a light head and heavy stomach, looking forward to the new experiences that begin tomorrow with our passage through the Suez Canal.