Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

Sunday, April 1st was Palm Sunday and another long day – but again, what a day! We docked in Israel at the port of Ashdod. There were a ton of tour options. Some, like the one that went swimming in the Dead Sea, sounded great, but since I had never been here before, I opted for the 11 hour “Day in Jerusalem.” Annie had been to Jerusalem (27 years ago!), so she opted for Jerusalem also, but a different tour that didn’t do much walking. It was about 1 ½ hrs. from the port to the city, and then we were there.

We went to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the church where Mary is supposedly buried, and then we walked the Via Della Rosa (Way of the Cross) to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The church is built over the last few Stations of the Cross and at the very end, you go into what is revered as the tomb where Jesus was laid. (It’s actually a very small room in the church, but it represents the tomb.) Then we went out into an actual tomb of the era which was encompassed inside the church. It was crowded with it being Palm Sunday, but what an experience! After that we went to the Wailing Wall (or as they prefer, the Western Wall). Annie did much the same, but she didn’t walk the Via Della Rosa or visit the Church for the stations. It really was a remarkable day!

Jerusalem is an amazing mix of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions, along with all their variations, such as the ultra-conservative Jews, the Greek Orthodox, etc. And, although it was Palm Sunday, the crowds really weren’t that bad. I’m sure it’s always crowded whatever day you visit. It was meaningful to be there on Palm Sunday (I got some palms at one of the churches). It was also the day before Passover, so the markets were crowded with people buying food, etc. for their ceremonies Monday night.

Back on the ship, we had a relaxing Monday. Today (Tuesday) we docked in Alexandria, which is the closest port to Cairo and the Pyramids. What a site on the dock this morning! We counted almost 50 busses – big ones, little ones, large vans, etc. Cairo is a 3 hour ride (in each direction!) from the port. It’s another very long day! Annie and I had done the pyramids and Cairo two years ago, so we opted out of this trip. Instead, we went on a free tour that the ship was offering of the Alexandria area. It was a nice way to spend the morning.

Tomorrow, we have another day at sea and then Athens for a full day tour with our Virtuoso travel group and then that night, a special dinner and show on land that Crystal is doing for the World Cruisers. Should be another great event – stay tuned!