A sparkling new 787 spins up its engines on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport and we settle in for a flight to London. Before we gain our cruising altitude I am thinking about THEMES. The trip has piqued my interest in origins, the Palestinian/ Israeli situation, religion, security and the notion of Cradles of Civilization. Bo Az was certainly correct when he flatly stated that we would be more confused than ever after our experience on the ground in the Middle East.

In short order we are on the ground in Heathrow and since we are on a British Airways flight , we have minimal airport transitioning to do… BA has its own self-contained terminal. Happy thoughts include the fact that we will see our grandkids in a few hours. One of my favorite guys-Oliver Wendell Holmes- once said , “where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” My home is about kids and grandkids and I am getting ever closer.

We change planes for the flight from London to New York and in mid-Atlantic we encounter 200 mph headwinds; the bouncing is not unlike our shipboard days on the Mediterranean sea. During the chuff and bounce, I am thinking about acquiring the books and resources that might help me understand what I have seen and heard. I know little about the Palestinian cause and have forgotten much of the mythology I studied in school. Seems a good idea to start there.

Before long we are eating cheeseburgers in a Hilton Garden Inn in Jamaica Bay with American voices, currency, menus and television all around us. We designed our flights to include a stop-over in New York for my marathoning wife’s pre-race needs. Coming home, we wished we had a direct fight. In the morning we will board a final flight to the West Coast.

Touching down in Seattle – in the required rainstorm – the thought that that our trek was not long enough bubbles up. What a gift is the notion that after more than a month on the road you are ready for more. Still, I want that quiet time surrounded by books and kids.

Home is the nicest word there is .

We are approaching the two holiest sites in Christianity, the place of Christ’s crucifixion and burial. The last four stations of the Via Dolorosa are within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is as central a pilgrimage site as Mecca and typically it is built on a previously sited Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter and/or Venus.

The Christian site blossoms in 312 AD when Constantine – a Christian convert – sees a vision in the sky that prompts him to send his mother Helena on a search for Christ’s tomb. Catholic school children remember a holy card of Saint Helena finding the true cross. She also found a tomb that she believed to be the burial site of Jesus. These are all within the church accompanied by the Unction Stone (where Christ’s body was prepared for burial) and an omphalos stone marking the center of the Christian world.

Muslim depredations of the site are often thought to be the rationale for the First Crusade and Crusader architecture dominates. As we walk about, we see many pilgrims, locals and tourists touching various objects to the Unction Stone where Christ’s body- presumably- was placed. Below ground the site of the finding of the True Cross can be accessed by a steep staircase. This may be the point of origin for Christian fascination with relics. It is said that there were so many pieces of the “True Cross” that a small city could be built with the lumber.

Ironically, the crucifixion site is physically divided between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths…a jarring manifestation of division. At the center of the church, a small chapel encloses the burial site itself. This structure called the aedicule, is bustling with crowds of the faithful from all over the world. Each sect, and denomination appears to have a piece of the place for devotions unique to their believers.

In keeping with the discoveries made in the Middle East, the Old City and the Sepulchre itself are divided, conflicted and crowded.

The conflict between the Jesus message and the reality on the ground of our Earth is due to become in more starkly revealed as we are scheduled for a trip to Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center- as soon as we leave the holiest place in the Christian world.

We segue to the Jaffa Gate and arrange a taxi . There are four of us going, our two photographer friends join us. Even Bo Az has second thoughts about going to such a grim and haunting place. The center has a threefold mission: the preservation of the memory of the dead; the honoring of those who helped the Jews in their state of extreme need and research into the cause of the Holocaust to prevent further genocides around the globe.

Upon arrival we go directly to The Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, where those who helped the Jews are remembered for their basic humanity and altruism. We stop a moment at the tree that is in memory of Oskar Schindler and his wife. We learn about many other heroes such as Irena Sendler, Janusz Korczak and many others.

Two sites prove to be the most moving. The first is a rail car mounted open upon a trestle that leads to nowhere, it is suspended in the air above our heads and it commemorates the deportation of Europe’s Jews to the death camps. The second – and it is heartbreaking – is the memorial to the children who died in the camps. We enter a large domed space that is in darkness except for a field of stars. The names of the children are read in a continuous loop and as each child’s name is read a particular star is illuminated for a brief second. It is estimated that a million and half children died in the camps.

Perhaps the most important mission of Yad Vashem is housed in the library and archives. Millions of evidence shards from biographical notes, to Nazi documents are housed to make it abundantly clear to everyone what happened and how it might be avoided in the future. I would like to see every Holocaust denier forced to spend a day encountering this mammoth weight of evidence.

The idea for Yad Vashem was initiated during WW2 by the Jewish National Fund. In 1942 The First Conference on Holocaust Research was held at the University of Jerusalem. Today, the site is magnificent…and horrifying.

A more mundane horror is the fact that we must rise at 3:00 AM for a long ride to Ben Gurion Airport to catch a flight to London. Our Middle Eastern trek is winding down. Today we encountered two of the most amazing places on Earth. I think about a line from my new favorite poet, Yehuda Amichai: “Jerusalem is a port city on the shore of eternity. ” Absolutely.

After Caesarea, we return for our last night on the Clio and prepare for a trip to Jerusalem. Our preparations include a celebration of Hanukkah. We celebrate the Feast of Lights by lighting the Menorah, reading the blessings. eating a traditional snack and singing:

Od yavo shalom aleinu.. od yavo shalom alienu…od yavo shalom alienu Ve al kulam…ve al kulam… Salaam

Aleinu ve al kol ha olam

Sallam salaam !!

Peace will come upon us

Peace will come upon us

peace will come upon us

and on everyone

salaam (peace in Arabic)

On us and on everyone.

This ritual and its forlorn hope prepares us for Jerusalem.

We first encounter Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and Bo Az produces a bottle of wine and plastic glasses so we can toast the City. From our high perch we are on the spot that evokes the shortest sentence in the Bible i.e. Jesus looked upon Jerusalem. JESUS WEPT. We look into the Garden of Gethsemane where (according to Luke) Jesus prayed before his betrayal.

We enter the Old City at the Lion’s Gate and make our first stop at the room believed to be the site of the Last Supper. Jesus celebrated Passover in a high ceilinged room in the David’s Tomb Compound known as the Cenacle. This site is impacted by many influences , Arab inscriptions are on the walls and the room is enclosed by a gothic ceiling from the Crusader period . These mixed influences will prove to be everywhere in the Old City. Close by the Cenacle is the Tomb of King David, now enclosed by a synagogue where prayers are never allowed to end. As we enter the prayers are ongoing in a continuous murmur as Talmud scholars read texts in the background. Prayer without ceasing.

We head to the Western Wall and we dig out piles of small folded papers from pockets and backpacks. These will be placed between the stones on the wall where traditional Jews believe the Divine Presence resides. A small purification is required before approaching the Wall and we pour clear water over our hands from silver pitchers that rest on pillars at the entrance to the site. More that a million prayer notes are placed in the wall each year. Online services are in place to accept these prayers from all over the world… they can be e-mailed, faxed, texted or sent directly via the internet. 5G piety has arrived.

Entering the Western Wall tunnels, passing Islamic security guards and a clutch of tourists near busy souks a short break for Turkish coffee in the Muslim Quarter is our mundane goal of the moment. Moments after the coffee break I am having my picture taken with security guards and enjoying a real Jewish bagel, a ring of dough that looks like a lasso. The vendor provides a pinch of hyssop for flavor.

The Via Dolorosa is now under our feet and we trace the 14 Stations of the Cross. This is the center of the Christian Church, the procession from Jesus’ condemnation to his resurrection and we can’s help but be solemn in spite of the frenetic activity all around us. At station number five tradition tells us that Simon of Cyrene takes up the cross for a moment and there is an indentation on the wall that faces us where Jesus is said to have placed his hand in his moment of rest. Naturally all of our hands-left and right- touch this spot.

At station number 6 we see the spot where Veronica wipes the face of Jesus and is rewarded by having his image imprinted on the cloth. The reality of these sites after years of hearing about them is fantastically powerful.

TO BE CONTINUED…

The words of John Updike set the tone for today: “Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain there would be no life. ” We start the day’s trek at the Bahai Gardens that spill down the side of Mount Carmel towards the Port of Haifa. The Bahai faith is yet another religion that had its prophet to compete with the more famous seers and teachers Jesus and Mohammed. Baha u Allah -AKA The Bab– is the prophet of Bahai who came to Haifa after being labelled an apostate by both the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam.

The Bab’s message was beautiful in its simplicity and common sense. Bahai’s believe in the equality and unity of all people and in the progressive revelation of the divine on earth. This belief in the validity of all religions did not sit well with the “true believers” in numerous exclusionary sects that believed in the “true religion”…ie. their Religion.

The gardens are set to be a manifestation of the beauty that comes from unity and the gardens are alive with well manicured color and texture. The site is laid out in nine concentric circles that support 18 terraces. These terraces are living shrines to the Bab’s first 18 followers . Add the Terrace of the Bab and you have 19 terraces .. mystical number in the Bahai faith.

The rain is a driving one and two streams spill down from Mount Carmel on either side of the garden’s formal layout. I think of The Gulistan of Saadi. This Medieval Persian poem of ideas about wisdom and the problems of mankind. Set in a rose garden, the speculations are all about what it means to be human. The Bahai Gardens are the same suggesting the Bahai values of service, prayer and reflection. If anything, the rain has made the place more beautiful.

We are soon on our bus with Caesaria Maritima in our sights.

Caesarea Maritima , the fabulous construction of Herod the Great that was built to include all the amenities of the time, a deep sea port, arena, hippodrome , temples and a commercial quarter is our next destination. This city served as the administrative center of the province of Judea in the time of Christ. A dedication stone was excavated at one of the temple sites that commemorates the work of its builder, Pontius Pilate.

As we enter the city we pass over a moat and through a sally port that was added between 1101 and 1187. A large Gothic arch encloses an area broken by sharp angles to deter enemy onrushes. Archer portals are carved above the entrance to deter the enemy. In 1251, Louis IX of France ordered the city to be further fortified and his high walls still stand. Artifacts also suggest the influence of Bedouins, Ottomans, Mamluks and the English Empire among others. Roman aqueducts still stand along the coast and the port itself shows the work of many centuries.

On this wet afternoon, Caesaria is a tourist souk (marketplace) where earrings, paintings, magnets, scented candles and fast food are all available.

The storm on the Mediterranean is worsening and huge waves crash in the port area. The rain is no longer benevolent as it comes in cold sheets directly at us. We are brave trekkers but this storm is too much and we are ready to go back to Clio where it’s warm and the cocktails are being mixed.

Today, I feel like paraphrasing an old quip…when the Greeks come, they build a civilization…when the Romans come, build a water closet and when Middle Easterners come, they build a religion. We got a nice mix of all three today.

The Clio is safe in Haifa harbor and we are slated for a busy day that will begin in the fishing village of Capernaum. It is here on the shores of the Sea of Galilee that so much of the New Testament story of Jesus takes place. The home of Simon Peter still exists and we also see a massive stone- now enclosed in a church- where Jesus was said to feed a crowd of 5,000 with a few loaves and fishes. Many of the miracles are sited here including cures and the famous stroll upon the Sea of Galilee. The most moving thing for me was the statue “Jesus the Homeless” a bronze sculpture by Canadian Timothy Schmalz that depicts Jesus as a homeless man lying on a park bench.

We walk a path of heart shaped stones to the water’s edge and I scoop a bit of the rocky soil into a jar as a keepsake. The Sermon on the Mount was delivered on a hill that overlooks the Sea and this motivates me to take some of the earth with me.

To this day, the fishing industry is plied on the Sea’s waters with tilapia being the most abundant catch. Overfishing has slowed the industry but the warm waters are perfect spawning grounds and there is hope for another fish boom. Israel also holds a swimming event here called the Kinneret Crossing which draws thousands of competitors from all over Israel. The land around the Sea is a small breadbasket that produces, bananas, olives , grapes…even mangos. It is a vibrant area that suggests the reason for Jesus focusing his ministry there.

We are off to the Golan Heights on the Syrian border that is famous for reasons other than the spiritual. Before long I am standing at the Syrian border looking into The Valley of Tears.

This aptly named area is the site of much bloodshed and as we approach the lookout point we see numerous signs warning us to observe the delineated paths to avoid land mines. Randomly, on the roadside, abandoned tanks are parked in groups. Since the 1967 Six-day War Israel has occupied the western two-thirds of the Heights and a UN Camp has been built to delineate a buffer zone between Israel and Syria. Even now, the eastern third of the area is the site of battles between the Syrian Arab Army and rebel factions of the Syrian Opposition. This is a battlefield no less spooky than Gettysburg or Shiloh.

We are due at lunch which will be served at a local Kibbutz. Kibbutzim, communities dedicated to a collective lifestyle- were established in the new state of Israel with a commitment to collectivism, utopianism and Zionism in roughly equal parts. The system resembles communism and the influence of immigrants from Eastern Europe and The Soviet Union can’t be overstated. The lunch is simple but abundant and it features the products grown on site. Beans, carrots, soups and fresh bread are the staples. I sense that the current generation of Israelis are not as excited by the idea of communal life and our guide – Bo Az- seems patiently amused by the kibbutzniks.

As we leave the Kibbutz, the weather worsens and we are visibly tired and sobered by by the Golan visit. As we motor through the rain the outline of Mt. Carmel appears and we finally see Haifa stacked in terraces on the mountain side. The experience of the Jesus message immediately undercut by the Valley of Tears is more than a little jarring.

A quote from Martin Luther King comes to mind…” Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”

Word.

The Clio edges into the canal for a 120 mile passage to the Mediterranean. We enjoy beautiful views of Egypt to port and the Sinai to starboard. On occasion, we see the leavings of armies, portable tank bridges of both the vehicle borne and pontoon type and abandoned military strong points. The Canal -like so many of man’s works- is stained with blood. The blood of forced laborers and many soldiers from many countries was shed here. All canals are monuments to trade that ease the passage of goods to waiting markets and in a ten year period ( 1859-1869) many labored mightily to make the canal a reality and an economic engine.

Americans are not generally aware of the fact that the iconic statue in New York harbor was intended for the Suez Canal. A.F. Bartholdi, the sculptor who made the final statue on Eiffel’s substructure made numerous appeals to the French construction team to place the statue at the canal’s mouth. Bartholdi saw the statue as a modern Colossus of Rhodes, using a torch to light the way between the seas. Fortunately, the French demurred and the Statue of Liberty became an American icon.

We enter a conga line of shipping and proceed at compound slow through the waterway. We see a new container terminal on a side channel. Built in 2016 this facility is designed to allow for loading and off-loading of cargos on Egyptian soil. Before long we enter a wide body of water-the Great Bitter Lake- and all the ships hold their courses. It is estimated that eight percent of all the world’s commerce transits the Suez Canal and the crowd of ships certainly suggest such volume.

Another highlight was passed under. The Suez Canal Bridge built in 2001 actually is a connection between Africa and Asia. Few bridges connect continents and all the passengers are on deck with cameras clicking. Others are snapping the railway line that is visible on the West Bank. The need for canal in the area is clear and the Egyptians, Persians , Romans and the Greeks are among the nations that attempted the engineering feat. Today all the modern facilities and the ease of passage belie the fact that it took centuries to realize this economic dream.

Finally we nose into Port Said for a final paperwork check before entering the Mediterranean. In the Med any hope of “fair winds and following seas” are immediately dashed. The sea is roiling and an epic lightning storm is underway. The voice on the ships loudspeaker advises minimal movement and gives directions to the ship’s store of Meclizine for those prone to seasickness. The Mediterranean never fails to surprise mariners.

Our destination is Haifa in Israel, a landing that will complete the circle from Israel through Jordan and Egypt.

On such a full sea are we now afloat.

The return flight to Hurghada on Petroleum Air Services was happily uneventful and we were safely on the Clio in good time. Today we will sail to the port of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea. From there a bus will take us through Cairo to Giza and the great pyramid complex.

Cairo is one of the world’s largest cities, more than 20 million people mill about among the antiquities. Over 40,000 people per square mile are dodging cars and camels and donkeys… a travel guide calls it a, “city of a thousand minarets” and the Islamic architecture gives the city its character. More than three times the size of New York, Cairo is the center of culture, education, industry and religion for Egypt and much of the Middle East . The place is also the center of pollution, decay and traffic chaos.

Before we are cut loose at the pyramid complex we are taken to lunch at the historic Mena House Hotel, a classic hotel that was frequented by Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie and Charlton Heston. As we munch, we can see the pyramids from our table and more than one person is commenting that they want to cut lunch short so we can get from so-so hummus to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In yet another absurd juxtaposition Uber is doing a corporate event in the hotel plaza complete with television cameras and champagne.

Finally, we are able to walk to the Great Pyramid and its two companions Khafre and Menkaure. We are suddenly at 2589 BC and the place is genuinely awe inspiring. We are advised that we can actually go into the Great Pyramid but there is a caveat…those with bad backs are warned that much of the passage will require a bent over frog walk. Only three of our party opt to travel into the pyramid, the rest of us are content to climb the exterior to the entrance and enjoy the view of Cairo which is laid out for us behind a line of camels that wait patiently for tourists.

We also tour a relatively new structure that houses The Solar Boat. The Solar Boat was a ritual vessel in which the deceased King would sail with the Sun God Ra across the heavens. The gods themselves used the Solar Boat to sail between the worlds of Gods and Man. This particular Solar Boat was found in more than 1,400 pieces in an excavation behind the Great Pyramid. Restored, the ship is massive and believed to be 2,400 years old. Also known as the Khufu Ship, she is 143 feet long and 19.5 feet wide. Even at this size, the ship is graceful with beautiful lines…fit for a King.

A quick ride then gets us to the famous hillside where tourists can take the required picture. The lay of the land makes it possible to create the illusion that one is standing with a finger on top of the pyramid. Judging by the crowd of photographers few miss this photo opportunity.

As the day wanes we make a last stop at the Sphinx that stands guard at the site. The Sphinx is a guardian carved from a single, massive limestone slab. It stands on the West Bank of the Nile predictably facing east toward the domain of the rising sun. The riddle remains.

On our way back to the Clio we pass between the dogs, camels, horses and donkeys on the streets of Cairo. Looking forward to our passage through the Suez Canal.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

We are off to The Valley of the Kings. We motor to the West Bank of the Nile and Jon a queue of busses that are heading to the 63 known burial sites -tombs and chambers- of the kings and royals of the Egyptian New Kingdom. These areas have been repeatedly robbed and looted from ancient times to the present day. What remains is the fantastic mythological art of the tombs themselves. The area spills out into a valley at the base of Ta Dehent- a natural mountain in the shape of a pyramid. The pyramid shaped mountain top was ,no doubt, deemed auspicious by the earliest tomb builders as it suggested proximity to the sun god.

Kings were placed in the most spacious of the tombs notables in smaller excavations. The fantastic beauty was created by local workers and artisans from the nearby village of Dier-el Medina. The artisans created painstakingly detailed scenes from mythology and religion on every inch of the tombs apparently unconcerned that their gorgeous work was destined to be unveiled until the ends of time. They did record their daily progress and their concerns in odd spots around the site and much is known about their daily lives. It is hard to imagine a modern artist creating such beauty believing there would be no audience.

The site has been visited regularly in spite of the original intent that it would never be disturbed. Greek, Roman , Phoenician ,Coptic and modern tourist graffiti is all about the place. 

The paintings inside the tombs are magnificent with well preserved color and intricate design on walls roof and floor…no space is left adorned. The environment was perfect for the preservation of art . Dryness and lack of exposure to the air and the elements served the purpose of curation. Stars, sun boats , the images of Horus, Thoth. Aman Ra, and Anubis are woven into paintings that tell stories and suggest safe passage t the afterlife. In short order the mere weight of the decoration becomes overwhelming.

The antidote to all this luxurious art was the lunch we were to attend at the house of a farmer on the West Bank of the Nile. We arrived there mid-day and the counterpoint was perfect as we entered a house with dirt floors and outdoor plumbing. There were modern hieroglyphs, however. On the outer wall of the farmhouse the owner had painted crude renderings of an airplane and a ship. When I asked about them I was told that they were literally child’s drawings painted to commemorate the family’s two trips to Mecca..one by land , one by sea.

We were offered a rather elegant lunch -subsidized by the tour company- and a surprise was also awaiting. We were escorted to a felluca for a lazy sail on the Nile that would take us back to the area of The Winter Palace Hotel. 

We went from the necropolis back to the metropolis in the most picturesque manner.

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