Our Adventure to Israel, Egypt and Jordan
Israel & the Holy Land
Day 1: Monday, Oct 6th
Depart U.S.A.
Fly from Mpls to New York JFK and then take Austrian Airlines to Vienna.
Day 2: Tuesday, Oct 7th
Jerusalem, Israel
Fly from Vienna, Austria to Tel Aviv, Isreal. Met at the airport and transferred to our hotel in Jerusalem. Gather in
hotel for dinner in the evening.
Day 3: Wed, Oct 8th
Jerusalem
Tour Jerusalem established by King David in 1000 B.C. Tour includes Mt of Olives where you can see the Dome of the Rock,
Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Hass Promenade. Follow the Via Dolorosa to the Western Wall and end the tour at the Tower
of David Museum. The afternoon is free to relax or explore on your own.
Day 4: Thurs, Oct 9th
Jerusalem/Nazareth
A full day excursion to Nazareth where we will visit the Church of the Annunciation and then on to the Sea of Galilee in
the sun drenched Jordan Valley. Have lunch at a kibbutz and then travel to Tabgha and the Mt of Beatitudes.
Day 5: Fri, Oct 10th
Jerusalem
Tour sites that define the country of Israel and the history of the Jewish people. Visit Vad Yashem, the museum
dedicated to remembrance of the Holocaust. Visit the Israel Museum; which contains the Dead Sea Scrolls Visit the
Holyland Hotel to view the scale model of Jerusalem in A.D. 66. The afternoon is free to explore on your own.
Day 6: Sat, Oct 11th
Jerusalem/Qumran, Dead Sea & Masada
Descend the Judean Hills to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. Travel to Masada and if time permits take a swim in the
Dead Sea. Visit the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
Ancient Egypt and the Nile
Day 7: Sun, Oct 12th
Cairo
Leave Tel Aviv, Israel, and fly to Cairo, Egypt. Go to our hotel, rest, relax and have the afternoon to ourselves.
Meet the other members of the group for the Welcome Cocktail.
Day 3: Mon, Oct 13th
(Day 8 for us but it is day 3 for those who did
not go on the trip to Israel so I will convert to
that master schedule)
Cairo/Museum of Egyptian Antiquities
Morning briefing by the Program Director and a lecture on "Ancient Egypt. After lunch we will visit the Cairo Museum of
Egyptian Antiquities and have our "Welcome Dinner" aboard the Le Pacha 1901, a riverboat moored on the Nile.
Day 4: Tues, Oct 14th
Cairo/Saqqara/At Home in Cairo
Visit Saqqara and see the step-pyramid. In the evening get acquainted with Egyptian life as we spend an evening with a
local family in their home and share a meal.
Day 5: Wed, Oct 15th
Cairo/Giza
Drive to the Giza Plateau and see the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. May get a chance for a short camel ride.
Day 6: Thurs, Oct 16th
Aswan
Leave Cairo and fly to Aswan where we move to our RiverCruise vessel, the M/S River Anuket, our floating home for seven
nights. We will take a felucca boat ride on the Nile and sail around Elephantine Island.
Day 7: Friday, Oct 17
Aswan/Abu Simbel
Today we fly to Abu Simbel to isit the temple built by Pharaoh Ramses II (Egypt's longest ruling king) as a tribute to the
deities and his favorite wife Nefertari. After a visit to the temple we will fly back to Aswan. After arrival back in Aswan
we will visit the local spice market for a taste of Egypt. We will board our ship on the Nile for a Welcome Drink.
Day 8: Saturday, Oct 18th
Aswan/Kom Ombo
Visit the Aswan High Dam in the morning and in the afternoon we are off to the Temple of Kom Ombo.
Day 9: Sun, Oct 19th
Edfu/Esna
Disembark for a visit to Edfu's Temple of Horus, Egypt's best preserved temple. Around noon we return to the ship and
sail the Nile to visit Esna. In the afternoon a lecture on "Hieroglyphics and Arabic" will be presented on ship.
Day 10: Mon, Oct 20th
Karnak/Dendera
Explore Karnak's huge complex of shrines built and enlarged over a period of 1,300 years. In the afternoon we will enjoy a
lecture on "Living by the Nile". We arrive in Dundera late in the afternoon.
Day 11: Tues, Oct 21st
Dendera/Luxor
Disembark the ship this morning to visit the Temple of Dendera built by the Roman and Greeks and dedicated to Hathor. We
then set sail for Luxor located on the site of ancient Thebes, which was called the Hundred-Gated City by Homer, the Greek
historian. In the afternoon we will visit the Temple of Luxor built by two pharaohs.
Day 12: Wed, Oct 22nd
Luxor/Valley of the Kings & Queens
Still in Luxor and after breakfast we will visit the west bank of the Nile and the Necropolis of Thebes. We will visit the
Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings where Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen.
Day 13: Thurs, Oct 23rd
Cairo
Fly back to Cairo and have the afternoon and evening at leisure. In the late afternoon we can attend a lecture by an American
woman who describes her experiences as an expatriate living in Egypt. In the evening we can attend an optional Sound & Light
Show at the Pyramids on the Giza Plateau.
Day 14: Fri, Oct 24th
Contrasts of Cairo
Contrasts of Cairo: Explore early pre-Islamic Christian and Jewish monuments in Cairo. Visit the largest traditional shopping
bazaar in the world - the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. Visit the Fortress of Salah al-Din Al Ayyubi built in 1183. That evening
we will have the Farewell Dinner.
Jordan
Day 15: Sat, Oct 25th
Cairo/Amman, Jordan
Beginning of the Post -Trip Extension in Jordan. We will have this day free in Cairo for some final independent explorations
or return to your one of your favorite spots. In the early evening we will fly to Jordan.
Day 16: Sun, Oct 26th
Amman/Petra
Set off on our drive to Petra along the Kings Way and international trade route for 5,000 years. Visit Madaba known for its
Byzantine mosaics with a mosaic floor map that dates to about the 6th century. Travel through the hilly district of Mt. Nebo
with its views of the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea. It is believed the tomb of Moses lies here. Travel through the Mujib Valley
to the fortress town of Kerak and visit the majestic castle built by the Crusaders.
Day 17: Mon, Oct 27th
Petra
Visit the most beautiful of all ancient ruins - the red city of Petra.
Day 18: Tues, Oct 28th
Amman/Dead Sea
Drive back to Amman and tour the ancient city which was captured by King David and the Egyptian King Ptolemy. It was occupied
by the Byzantine Empire and Christian Crusaders. Citadel Hill provides a view of the Old City with its Roman amphitheater and
the lovely Abu Darwish Mosque. In the afternoon we will travel to the Dead Sea and maybe take a swim.
Day 19: Wed, Oct 29th
Amman/Jarash & Ajloun
Tour Jarash, the worlds best preserved and most complete Greco-Roman city which is an open air museum of monumental temples,
baths, theaters, and lovely Byzantine churches. A gate was built to honor the arrival of Emperor Hadrian. Marvel at the Zeus
Temple, Oval Plaza and avenues lined with colonnades. We will then drive through the hills lined with olive groves to Ajloun
famous for its castle. Have dinner and enjoy folkloric dancing at Kan Zaman Village.
Day 20: Thurs, Oct 30th
Amman/Cairo
Leave Amman, Jordan, and fly to Cairo, Egypt, for one last night.
Day 21: Fri: Oct 31st
Cairo/Depart
Cairo, Egypt and fly to JFK and then home to Minneapolis.
Jump Station
Go to The Egyption Museum of Cairo - Under Construcion
Go to The Religious Faiths - Under Construction
Go to Street Scenes of Cairo - Under Construction
Go to Who are the Gods? - Under Construction.
Go to Chapter 9: The Khan el-Khali Bazaar - Under Construction
Go to Chapter 8: The Pyramids - Under Construction
Go to Chapter 7: East Thebes and the Temple of Luxor - Under Construction
Return to Chapter 6: The Pyramids.
Return to Chapter 5: Karnak Temple at Luxor and the Temple of
Hathor at Dendera.
>Return to Chapter 4: Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak and Dendera.
Return to Chapter 3: Cruising Down the Nile.
Return to Chapter 2: Abu Simbel and Aswan.
Return to Chapter 1: Introduction to Egypt.
Read about my version of The Gods of Egypt and Diagram of Temples.
Return to Belli's Home Page
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