"On the Road" with Nancy Cutter & Betty Cowles
Follow our agents as they travel around the world
Coming Soon! Nancy Cutter's 2010 trip to Portugal, Crossing on the WindSpirit and St Martin
Betty Cowles - Trip to Israel - February 2010
ISRAEL - A Life Changing Experience
Israel … Land of the Bible … Land of Faith …the Holy Land, revered throughout recorded history as the cradle of monotheistic religion. For a person of faith whose beliefs are rooted in the Bible, there is no place on earth like the Holy Land..
There are so many reasons why people are attracted to Israel. For some, it’s the sun-drenched climate. For others, it’s the rich variety of sites and sights - historical, archeological, religious or just beautiful. For still others, it’s the fascinating contrast between the ancient and the modern. But for absolutely everyone, Israel has a special hard-to-define something - an extra dimension - that turns every visit into a truly memorable experience. When you visit Israel for the first time, you invariably experience an instant feeling of familiarity. So many of the names that appear on the road signs - Jerusalem, Sea of Galilee, Nazareth - have been familiar since childhood. You will also experience the special thrill of walking in the footsteps of history as you retrace the steps of Abraham 4,000 years ago. King David 3,000 years ago, Jesus 2,000 years ago, and the Crusades 1,000 years ago.
Israel is a modern country that combines a rich, illustrious history with a tourism infrastructure that caters to every vacation taste. Glorious beaches, Bustling cities, Nature reserves, Health spas, Religious shrines, Shopping malls, Markets, Artists’ colonies and Concerts in the park. Israel has a compact geography that enables you to get from place to place in no time at all. It takes less than an hour by car or bus from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, just two hours from Tel Aviv to the Sea of Galilee, and half an hour from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.
OUR JOURNEY BEGINS:
WEDNESDAY: February 3, 2010
Our Christian Pilgrimage began today as Ann Rodriguez, Ronnie and I left Charlotte to meet our group
( 20 Travel Agents from all over the US) at NewarkAirport along with our host from Select International
To fly to Frankfurt then on to Tel Aviv.
Thursday: February 4, 2010
Arriving at the very modern, beautiful BenGurionAirport outside of Tel Aviv. We were greeted by Gloria of the Israel Tourist Board, who arranged our tour and Rimone our guide, leader and teacher, He made the Bible come to life,and Edita Kruner of Select International, she arranged our study group.
We started our drive north among the lush, tropical orange and lemon groves to our first night in Netanya, “Rose of the Sharon” a wonderful resort town on the Mediterranean Sea, miles and miles of beautiful beaches, staying at the Seasons Hotel on the cliffs, oceanfront boutique style, all rooms have balconies overlooking the Sea. Dinner tonight at the neighboring KingSolomonHotel
Friday: February 5, 2010
After a delicious Israeli breakfast we continued up the coastline to the ancient Roman Port City of Caesarea, one of the largest archeological digs in Israel. The colossal building projects of Herod the Great. In creating this city and its adjacent splendid harbor, Herod named Caesarea in honor of his patron Augustus Caesar. This is where the Roman centurion Cornelius was baptized by Peter and became the first gentile convert to Christianity Then on to Haifa, the third largest city and most important port. Visited the Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris. Here is Elijah’s grotto, and home of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel is associated with the prophets, Elijah and Elisha, a Christian holy site where Elijah performed miracles atop the mountain. Breath taking views atop Mount Carmel, then to Megiddo, or Armageddon, this is one of Israel’s loveliest regions. The JezreelValley is lush with farms, villages, pastures and meadows and is known as “Israel’s breadbasket.”Armageddon known in Hebrew as Megiddo, a giant fortress and city was built here by King Solomon, and is referred to as the site of the “final battle”. The fascinating hill, comprising 26 ancient civilizations superimposed on one another. We visited the excavations, stables and fortress. We crossed the valley to our hotel, RominimHotelMary’s Well - a Traditional city center in the old city of Nazareth, small and very charming. Tonight we had dinner at the Plaza Hotel Nazareth, perched high on the hill overlooking Nazareth, very modern high rise, 11 floors with a grand lobby and rooms, a beautiful 4 star property.
Saturday: February 6, 2010
We began our day in Nazareth, where our Lord spent the first 30 years of his life. Going to NazarethVillage, a re-creation of Nazareth as it was 2000 years ago, where Jesus spent his boyhood with Joseph and Mary. On to see Mary’s Well where the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to our Lord, Jesus Christ. Visiting St. Joseph’s Church and the Church of Annunciation. Travel to Cana to visit the WeddingChurch, site of Jesus first miracle - the transformation of water into wine. At the Wedding Feast, Jim & Agnes, Ronnie and I re-newed our Wedding Vows conducted by the Priest and witnessed by many in our group and the Nuns. On to one of the biblical sites around the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. The Church of the Beatitudes was built in 1937, this black dome church and flower filled garden are a treat for visitors.
Tonight at RoyalPlaza Tiberas, this hotel has a grand entrance, lined by trees, very modern classic superior first class with GREAT Views of the Sea of Galilee, this property exceeded all expectations, rooms, food and service. A very special night as we had dinner in a Christian restaurant and I had the opportunity to eat St. Peter’s Fish.
Sunday: February7, 2010
Today we spent the day literally in his footsteps, sailing across the Sea of Galilee, I sailed on the boat Faith - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. At the GinnosarMuseum we saw the 2000 year old “Jesus Boat” un-covered in 1986 from the mud of the seashore by a group of young boys.
At Capernaum, we had a Priest do Mass for our group and we saw the new church built on top of St. Peters’s house. North of Capernaum is Chorazin, which was rebuked by Jesus for its lack of faith and not following his teachings. On to Tabgha, Greek for Seven Springs and the Church of the Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves and the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy, where Jesus instructed Peter to “feed my sheep”. Continue to MountTabor and the Church of Transfiguration. We made a stop at Yardinit, the traditional Baptism site in the Jordan River. Proceeding down the JordanValley to Jericho, the world’s oldest city conquered by Joshua. We had lunch at Temptation Restaurant. On to Qumran, the Essenc settlement in whose caves was the site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which lay undiscovered for 2,000 years. Discovered in 1947 by Bildouin Shepherds. We descended to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth 400 meters below sea level. We didn’t have enough day light to swim, but we waded in the un-sinkable highly saline water. Now on to Jerusalem for three nights at Leonard Plaza Hotel, a very large superior first class modern hotel in a great location. Dinner at CrownPlaza a 3 ½ star first class in the business district. Wonderful dinner and host, a favorite of the locals.
Monday: February 8, 2010
We started our day shopping at Kando Store in Bethlehem. Here we saw the jars in which he DeadSeas Scrolls were in and the owners grandson. Then on to the Church of Nativity, built over the birthplace of Our Lord and St. Catherine’s built over the tomb of St. Jerome. Continue to Yah Vashem( The Hall of Names), the site of the Holocaust Memorial. We traveled to the top of the Mount of Olives an unforgettable view of the entire city of Jerusalem. Visited the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of Ascension, then we walked down the Palm Sunday Road to the Garden of Gethsemane, stopping at Dominus Flevit (the Teardrop), where Jesus stopped and wept over Jerusalem. In the garden of Gethsemane we sat among the ancient olive trees and visited the beautiful Church of All Nations. Dinner at Caesar’s, a first class 3 ½ star property in the business area.
Tuesday: February 9, 2010
We started with a drive around the old city walls and note each of the City Gates. They each contain a wealth of history and significances. We entered the OldCity via Zion Gate, to visit the Wailing Wall, TempleMount, and the actual streets that Jesus and his disciples walked on. On to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where the Apostle denied Christ three times. On to Mt.Zion to visit the Room of the Last Supper, King David’s Tomb and the Church of the Dormition, here the Holy Mother fell into eternal sleep.
Had lunch at Rimon’s son, Geo’s café inside old gate wall, then The Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross), this is a mile long route through the Old City of Jerusalem, leading from the Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was condemned by Pontius Pilate, to Golgotha (Calvary), the place of the crucifixion. The Via Dolorosa is marked by 14 stations, at each station there is a marker depicting an incident where he dropped the cross or fell to his knees in the final mortal journey. The Traditional site of Golgotha - Calvary is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Some Christians denominations consider the Garden Tomb, outside the OldCity Walls, to be the true site of Golgotha - Calvary. Here, Jesus was crucified and hurriedly buried before the onset of the Sabbath. When the family of Jesus returned to the tomb after the Sabbath, they discovered it empty (on the back of the door or stone it reads “HE is not here for he has RISEN!!) it was 40 days later, from atop Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives, that Jesus is believed to have risen to heaven. In addition to locations related to the life of Jesus, holy sites in Jerusalem are connected with the lives of Mary and the disciples. It was in Jerusalem that the world’s first Christian community was established.
Current Facts about Jerusalem:
The PresentOldCity Walls were built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th Century
Jerusalem was occupied by Britain in 1917
The State of Israel was declared in 1948, and Jerusalem was declared the capital in 1949
For 19 years, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan, with Jews and Israelis of all faiths prohibited from visiting their holy places
Jerusalem was reunified in 1967 and rededicated as the eternal capital of the Jewish people, with freedom of worship and tourism for all reiligions.
This was an un-believable experience, Ronnie and I are so, so grateful for this opportunity and to experience “Walking In The Footsteps of our Lord”.
What makes the miracles of Jesus even more miraculous? Standing where they happened.
When you read the Scriptures on the Shores of Galilee …
When you walk in the footsteps of Jesus and his disciples ……
When you see the Bible come alive before your eyes ….
You will never be the same!
Nancy Cutter's Trip to Iceland
- Click the animation to see a detailed map of Iceland!
10/27/20093:21:21 PM Link | | Add comment
August 23, 2009
Hi Everyone! Yesterday we were in a bit of a rush, but I have some time to give you an update.
The flight up to JFK was good but had to wait 30 minutes for luggage, luckily we were just up the stairs to the Iceland air check-in. Had time for lunch and then boarded the flight. Very nice flight. You have an interactive TV, with even a Berlitz language course, the screen was a touch screen and I learned a bit of Icelandic along the way. Time went by fast and we landed around 1130 their time (730 to us). There is a 4 hr time difference. Crazy, but we had to go thru a security screening when we got off the plane – obviously they don’t trust US x-rays. We found the Duty-Free before going thru customs and bought some Scotch and some beer (been told that its 40% higher in Iceland and it was true). Then we boarded a bus for the trip to town. It took about an hour, but they dropped us off right at the door and as it was almost 2 am we went straight to our room. A bit basic and small but the beds were very soft and comfortable.Woke round 9 and made it at last into the breakfast room by 10 am. Great clear and sunny day but a brisk wind. I'd guess about 55F. We were one block from the main shopping street and worked our way thru town. Cute shops, and most of the buildings seem to date from the 20s or 30s, nothing older, set on a beautiful harbor with mountains looming in the background. We chose what we thought was a vegetarian restaurant for lunch, but they served everything and everything was great. BW had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a Thai chicken salad, very nice. BW decided not to bring a polarfleece vest on the hope of buying one here, but there is virtually nothing, just a few t-shirts, and jackets like the North Face - just their brands 66north - nothing visually outstanding, so we decided to go the large shopping mall. About a 20 minute walk, thru a residential area- it was a nice mall, with lots of nice stores, but no fun "I've been to Iceland" wear. Nursing a small brewing headache, we went back to the hotel for a nap and I conked out at 530 and woke at 830pm - of course sun still fully shining. We dressed to get out for dinner. Despite the daylight they stop serving dinner around 10 pm and by the time we decided on a restaurant, (they were everywhere) we sat down and said we wanted to order - she said sorry -"kitchen closed". I looked a my watch and it was 2 minutes after 10!Reykjavík is a real party town, so the restaurants start serving drinks and the streets were wide open, with tourists and locals ready to party. We settled for a small pizza Turkish place - BW had a pizza and I had a good pita souvlaki. Opting to rest up for tomorrows journey, we skipped the bar scene and went back to the hotel and were in bed by 11pm.Friday morning we had a bit of a drizzle but by the time we packed up it abated and we had a 15 minute walk to the Hertz location by the city center airport. They have 2 airports here the international one which is a good hour from town and the little domestic one, that is so “in town” I’m surprised we didn’t hear the planes buzzing the downtown! Luck was on our side and we actually ended up with a 4-wheel drive station wagon. It was a bit of an upgrade as they were out of the car we reserved, so all has worked out on the car. Drove back to the hotel, picked up our luggage, and we were headed out of town by 1130.Super scenery started immediately as we headed north to Bogarnes. Took about 1.5 hrs and we went to the visit a "saga site". The Egils Saga Exhibition. This was a history museum on some of the local Viking and Icelandic settlers from 1100 AD.Very interesting audio tour on the migration and settlement of Iceland and another tour on the story of the saga of Egils. Afterwards the owners of the property treated us to a lunch. They have a really nice restaurant and everything was excellent - the bread was amazing. BW had an oriental chicken salad (beautiful grilled chicken) well presented and I had the "soup and salad" with was yummy cream of cauliflower and a fresh garden salad with a side of alfredo, smoked ham fettuccine pasta on the side - and no --we didn’t want to leave.We headed to our hotel in the village of Reykholt. More of a hamlet. The hotel is at the site of one of Iceland's greatest history sites, with a large museum just a few steps away. But we are in the middle of nowhere, with rolling hills all around. Our room is large, really more like a junior suite. The hotel has a wing devoted to wellness, aromatherapy rooms, massage chair rooms, and hot tubs filled with locally piped in thermal water. Wait (before we arrived, just a few miles away steam rises from the ground and you can see what looks like a stream, but the water boils at 100C, which is almost 180F from underground geothermal springs. They pipe this water to 3 towns and heat them with this water - truly amazing. The only downside is the slight sulfur-rotten egg smell from the water, which is less than appetizing). We enjoyed the massage chairs and took a dip in the naturally heated pools before dinner. We had to wait for dinner a bit as they had 80 medieval scholars in on a bus tour to serve. But they had a fellow who was a master musician in early Icelandic music play old instruments, so we had a bit of a show -gratis.Today, we slept in a bit as it was raining, but by 10 it slowed and we toured the historic sites around the hotel. The famous Viking Saga writer Snorri Sturlison’s farmstead is beside the hotel and although the house is gone, there is this amazing 11thC stone “hottub”. Perfectly round, it had a seating bench, fed by the natural hot water- life must have been pretty good!By noon we stopped, packed our lunch, and we took off in the car to drive the SnafellesPeninsula. Absolutely stunning scenery, volcano craters everywhere, lava fields coated in green moss, waterfalls - really does look like a storybook and close to New Zealand but has a much older feel, you actually could image dwarves and elves here. J.R.R. Tolkien set Lord of the Rings in Iceland and although it was filmed in New Zealand, I can really see it here. The highlight of today was driving around the Snafelles Glacier which was in the Jules Verne's Journey to the center of the earth. We had periods of wind and rain, but spent most of the day driving a loop of about 150 miles and have now returned to the hotel here for another night. Tomorrow we are off towards Dalvik, with a midday stop for a white-water rafting trip in Valmhilo.
