Journey of Faith to the Bible Land
with Central Travel
hosted by Pastor Larry Carey
March 4-15, 2013

MONDAY, MARCH 4 -
Depart Detroit with Delta flight #1866 nonstop to New York, leaving at 3:30pm and arriving at 5:45pm. Connect with Delta flight #268 nonstop to Tel Aviv, leaving at 7:25pm.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5 - TIBERIAS
Upon arrival at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport at 1:15pm, you will be met by a Ya’lla Tours USA representative and transferred to your hotel for dinner and overnight. LEONARDO PLAZA is a 5-star property located on the promenade along the shore of the historic Sea of Galilee.

Leonardo Plaza Tiberias

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 - TIBERIAS
Drive to Mt. Tabor and take a taxi to the top for a visit to the Church of the Transfi guration. Enjoy an outstanding view of the Jezreel Valley, where the battle of Deborah and the Midianites took place. (Judges 5) Continue to Tzipori to see the spectacular ruins of a Galilean Village from the days of Jesus. Then visit the Nazareth Village for a fi rst-hand experience of the way of life in the Galilee in the days of Jesus, including a biblical-style lunch. Continue to Nazareth, home to the largest Arab population in Israel. Visit the Church of the Annunciation and St. Joseph’s Grotto. Then visit Mt. Precipice where Christ was taken “…in order to throw Him down the cliff.” Take in the view of the Jezreel Valley (Armageddon), Mt. Tabor (The Mount of Transfi guration; Matthew 17) and Mt. Gilboa where Gideon chose his 300 brave men. Depart Nazareth and stop in Cana, the site of Jesus’ fi rst miracle, converting water into wine at the wedding. Visit the Church of the Wedding. Return to Tiberias for dinner and overnight. (B,L,D)

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 - TIBERIAS
Take a private boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to see the 2,000 year old Genosar Boat discovered in 1986. Visit Capernaum where Jesus preached, and his disciples Peter and Andrew made their homes. The contemporary church at Tabga celebrates the Miracle of the Multiplication. Note the mosaic fl oor from a Byzantine-era church, and the section in front of the ancient altar depicting two fi sh and a basket fi lled with loaves of bread. Drive to the Mount of the Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. (Matt. 5) Enjoy a St. Peter’s Fish lunch at Kibbutz Hagoshrim. Then walk to a unique location on the River Jordan where we will remember our own baptism. Next, drive to the Upper Galilee to Banias (Caesarea Philippi) to see the source of the Jordan River and the site of Peter’s confession, “…you are the Christ.” (Matt. 16:18) Return to Tiberias for dinner and overnight. (B,L,D)

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem 

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 - TIBERIAS
Visit Megiddo, where Solomon built his vast stables and good King Josiah died in battle. Visit Mt. Carmel and the Carmelite Monastery of Muhraka, the site where God caused Elijah to defeat the priests of Ba’al. Continue to Acko (ancient Acre), the maritime capital of the Crusader Kingdom. Visit the Knights’ Halls, one of the most beautiful and impressive remains from this period. Return to Tiberias for a Shabbat dinner and overnight. (B,D)

Garden of Gethsemane

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 - JERUSALEM
Drive to Beth Shean and visit the ruins of one of Israel’s most ancient cities. Continue to Mt. Gilboa and Harod Spring, where Gideon chose his 300 brave men. Drive to the ruins of Caesarea, a large port city built by Herod the Great to honor Roman Caesar Augustus. In order to supply water to the city’s ever-growing
population, he built an aqueduct system stretching from the springs of Mt. Carmel to Caesarea. The book of Acts refers repeatedly to Caesarea as the city Peter visited. (Acts 10) Then climb the Judean Hills to the most beautiful city in the world, JERUSALEM, for dinner and overnight. You are confi rmed in a superior room at the DAN PANORAMA, a 4.5-star hotel within easy walking distance of the Old City. (B,D)

Caesarea

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 - JERUSALEM
Drive 6 miles south to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, the oldest church in the holy land still in use. Construction began in the year 326, based on the local tradition that Jesus was born in a cave at the edge of the village. Return to Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives for an inspiring, panoramic view.

Walk down the Mount of Olives to the site of Jesus’ Agony. Visit the Church of Pater Noster on the hill where Jesus was inspired with the Our Father prayer. The walls of the church are covered with the prayer written in over 85 languages. Walk to one of the newest churches in Jerusalem, Dominus Flevit, (Jesus Wept). During construction in 1955, archaeologists uncovered artifacts dating back to the Canaanite period as well as tombs from both the Second Temple and Byzantine eras. The Garden of Gethsemane lies at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Today it appears much as it did 20 centuries ago and contains some of the world’s oldest olive trees. Originally built in 379, the Church of Gethsemane was rebuilt in 1919 – 1924. Long considered one of the most beautiful in Jerusalem, it was called the Church of All Nations because 16 nations contributed to its construction. Then drive to the Old City and pass through Stephen’s Gate into the Christian Quarter. Here is the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the blind man. Probably the fi nest example of Crusader architecture in Israel, St. Anne’s Church, possesses amazing acoustics.

Walk the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In 325, Constantine’s mother Helen requisitioned the area for a church. This 4thcentury church was largely destroyed by the Turks in 1009 and partially restored in 1048. The impressive stone decorations adorning the facade date from Crusader times. In its current form, the church preserves the Crusader structure and is shared by two major Christian denominations, the Greek Orthodox and the Roman Catholic. The church enshrines a tomb that some traditions hold to be the place of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D)

Way of the Cross

TUESDAY, MARCH 12 - JERUSALEM
Visit the House of Caiaphas, where Jesus was held prior to his trial. Then, visit the City of David and see excavations that reveal the earliest days of Jerusalem. Weather permitting, walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Drive to Mt. Zion Western Wall Garden Tomb Caesarea and visit King David’s Tomb and the Last Supper Room. Enter the Jewish quarter of the Old City through the Zion Gate for a walking tour. Walk through the Kardo, a Roman street converted to a pedestrian mall. See the Burnt House and the Herodian Quarter, vivid remains of the Roman conquest and the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD. Walk down to the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism and the only visible remains of Herod’s Second Temple. See the Temple Steps, the original steps leading to the Temple’s Entrance to the Court of the Israelites. At Davidson Center, watch the multimedia presentation about Jerusalem in the days of Jesus. End the day at the Western Wall Tunnel, huge arched spaces which link to a water tunnel, apparently dug in the Hasmonean period (163 to 37 BC). Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D)

Garden Tomb

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 - JERUSALEM
Visit Neot Kedumim Biblical Landscape Reserve, a unique endeavor to recreate the physical setting of the Bible in all its depth and detail. Far more than a garden showing various biblical plants, Neot Kedumim embodies the panorama and power of the landscapes that helped shape the values of the Bible and provided a rich vocabulary for expressing them. On the way to Lachish we pass Tzora and Eshta’ol, the region where Samson battled the Philistines, as well as the Elah Valley, site of many confrontations, and where David slew the giant Goliath. From here we will make our way south to Beit Guvrin where we will participate in an archaeological dig. Get your hands dirty and perhaps find some ancient coins and pieces of pottery! Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D)

Neot Kedumim

THURSDAY, MARCH 14 - JERUSALEM
Drive to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. May we never forget the terrible price Israel paid to establish her country. A local cantor will join us for a short memorial service there. Visit the Israel Museum and the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition at the Shrine of the Book. Then see the model of the city as it was in the days of Jesus. We will end our pilgrimage with a visit to the Garden Tomb. Many Protestant denominations hold the Garden Tomb to be the location of Jesus’ Resurrection. We will have some time for prayer and meditation and Holy Communion. Return to your hotel for a farewell dinner and overnight. (B,D)

Western Wall

FRIDAY, MARCH 15
Around 1:30am, you will be transferred to the airport for your KLM fl ight #462 to Amsterdam, leaving at 5:30am. Connect to Delta Airlines flight #243 nonstop to Detroit, leaving at 10:25am and arriving at 2:10pm. 

Price per person in a double room: $5,395 - Price per person in a single room: $6,695
Supplement for DL’s Elite Business/First: $3,495

Prices are GUARANTEED for March 2013

TOUR INCLUDES
* Round-trip, economy class airfare from Detroit to Tel Aviv with Delta / KLM Airlines.
* Departure taxes ($610 based on May 04, 2011 tariff and subject to change until final payment is received).
* 10 nights of accommodations with Israeli buffet breakfast and dinner daily.
* Transfers to/from Ben Gurion Airport.
* 9 days of tours in a private, luxurious, air-conditioned bus with licensed, English-speaking guide.
* St. Peter’s fish lunch in the Galilee.
* Biblical lunch at the Nazareth Village.
* All entrance fees as per itinerary.
* Private boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
* Participation in an archaeological dig.
* Baggage handling at airport and hotels in Israel
* Service fees and local taxes.
* Ya’lla Tours special information kit and travel bag.
* Tip to guide and driver.
* Personal headset while touring.