After docking in Bodrum we boarded a bus for a panoramic drive around the Bodrum Peninsula. We were shown the old windmills used to grind grains atop Gumbet Hill and a magnificent vista. We visited the remnants of Myndos Gate where Alexander the Great entered the city which, at that time, was named Halicarnassus and was surrounded by a wall. We were then driven to the small fishing village of Gumusluk, north of Bodrum, where we were served a light refreshment of ...

After breakfast we left Jerusalem via the Judean Mountains and drove through the Sharon Valley to visit Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation where angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and the boyhood home of Jesus. The Church of St Joseph was next door, the site of the carpentry shop of Jesus' father. We then drove around the Sea of Galilee stopping at Capernaum, St Peter's village and observed baptisms in the Jordan River at Yardenit. The highlight of the a...

Words can't describe this city. Totally different than I had envisioned. We started our visit with a view over the city from the Mount of Olives followed by a walk through the Garden on Gethsemane. Then off to Mt. Zion to see the Room of the Last Supper and Kind David's Tomb. Entering the old city via the Zion Gate, we walked thru the Jewish Quarter and the Roman Cardo to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Inside we saw the last five Stations of the Cross. Af...

This morning our ship docked at ??? from which we bussed about 120 km to Cairo through their infamous snarled traffic. Destination Cairo Museum and a guided tour of the antiquities. Most special was a visit to the King Tut tomb rooms with fantastic gold items well shown. His death mask was the real one, not the traveling copy. Lunch at the Le Meridien Hotel was followed by several stops at the Giza Pyramids. We could see the Step Pyramid in the distance. Moving ...

A very early start this morning for a three-hour bus trip to St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Desert. It is a difficulty place to visit also in the fact that it closes to visitors at 11AM. We made it in time and were rewarded by seeing the exquisite sanctuary and icon collection. We also saw the "burning bush" of Moses and a view of Mt. Moses (Sinai) where he received the Ten Commandments. The monastery is built on the site of the "burning bush". There 24 m...