Israel & Jordan 2023: Last Full Day in Israel, part 1

It was Day 8, the last full day in Israel. The date was Jan. 21, 2023, for those who are curious. This day was originally a full day of Optional Tour of Masada, but a few days earlier, we were informed by the tour manager that this tour is scrapped because the cable car that takes one to the summit was out of commission and would take longer to repair. The tour company scrambled to find a replacement for those that signed up for it and to be honest, it was a great Plan B that they came up with.

Since this was supposed to be a full day of Optional Tour, those that did not sign up for it would have a free day. We did not sign up for the Masada trip. We were thinking that the free day was in Jerusalem, so we could go back to Old Town and take more time there. However, we found a few days earlier that most of the people have signed up for the Optional Trip, and we were assured by Simon, our tour manager, that what he's got in store would definitely thrill us. With that in mind, we decided to take the plunge and opted to go with the group.

Leaving the hotel early, we took a brief stop at the Church of All Nations, or the Basilica of Gethsemane, which as I have previously posted we privately visited on our first day in Jerusalem on our own. This was the opportunity for the rest of the group to visit it, except that unlike on our first visit, we could not go around the church freely because there was a mass going on.

Shooting while the bus was moving, I captured the sealed gate of Jerusalem, more popularly known as the Golden Gate.

If I'm not mistaken, this was a necropolis.

The tour bus parked across the street and was able to capture this wonderful church again.

At the Garden of Gethsemane, Simon pointed at the olive tree that Pope Paul VI had planted.

GOOD SAMARITAN PARK

A short ride away and we reached the next destination, the Good Samaritan Park. Since these spots that we were going today were not on the initial itinerary, I did not do a pre-trip research. I was completely clueless, but I believe everyone has heard of the Good Samaritan. This is the location the old traveler's inn where the Good Samaritan took the injured man to get help from his injuries.

The main attraction here is the magnificent collection of well-preserved mosaics from the Byzantine period - some of them are housed indoors and the larger ones are displayed outdoors.

In addition to the mosaics, we also sat for a 15-minute or so film showing about the Good Samaritan. We also found the hillside and the goats grazing there to be interesting subjects. From the hillside, you can enjoy the geography of the area. This park is located along the highway between Jerusalem and Jericho, the latter sadly was not in our itinerary.

THE MOSAICS

OTHER ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDS

THE SURROUNDING GEOGRAPHY

The main highway and we were told that Jerusalem is the one in the distance.

It was such a glorious day. I'm glad that that this spot got added to our stops for the day.

Have a blessed Holy Week to everyone.