Ashdod

 Ashdod

Ashdod is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean coast 32 kilometres south of Tel Aviv and 20 km north of Ashkelon.

Ashdod is one of the most important industrial centers in Israel. All industrial activities in the city are located in northern areas such as the port area, the northern industrial zone, and around the Lachish River. The port of Ashdod is the largest port in Israel, handling about 60% of Israel's port cargo.

Strategically located along the Mediterranean Sea coast, the Ashdod Cruise Terminal is the gateway to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and the Holy Land.

Being a Christian and having heard and read about these places I decided that this was an excursion not to be missed. Of course safety is a concern because this area of the world is always a site of turmoil. I shall trust the judgement of Princess Cruise lines.

The excursion we choose :

A GLIMPSE OF JERUSALEM: MT. OLIVES. VIA DOLOROSA. CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCRE AND BAZZAR:

Set off on a guided excursion via air conditioned motorcoach to experience the best of Jerusalem. Enjoy a photo stop at Mount Scopus or Olives which offers awe inspiring views of the Kidron Valley and the beautiful walled Holy City. Walk through the Arab Market which sprawls across the Christian and Moslem quarters in Jerusalem's old city. Walk along part of the Via Dolorsa, the narrow , cobbled road that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, to Golgotha where he was crucified. Visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the 12th century church believed to enshrine the sites of Jesus's crucifixion, entombment and resurrection. The tour ends in the Jewish Quarter , the oldest quarter in Jerusalem, and take in the majestic wonder of the Western Wall or Wailing Wall. Part of the Temple Mount foundation erected by Herod the Great and destroyed by Rome in 70 A.D. This massive wall is the most sacred Jewish site in Jerusalem.

Our day began early, 5:30 in fact. Looking out we discover that we are indeed in a working port. There is lots of activity and workers and equipment very evident. Here is what was outside our balcony.

We gathered in the Princess Theatre and soon it was our turn to go through immigration. It was easy and quick.

Then we were off to our bus. Again it was new and air conditioned. Our guide passed out earphones and an amplifier. We were pleased to see those but it turned out to not be such a treat after all. They did not work most of the time.

The trip into Jerusalem was about an hour and a half because of the heavy traffic. During that time the guide told us about some of the history of the city and what our day might entail. Her bias was obvious which was to be expected. It is a bright, beautiful, busy city, so the time passed quickly.

We enjoyed the photo stop to view the mount of Olives and the old walled city.

We proceeded to the old walled city. Here the bus left and we walked. Our first stop was to visit the western wall or the Wailing wall. This is all that is left of the old city walls and is a very special place for members of the Jewish faith. Monday is a day that Bar Mitzvah celebration take place so there were crowds of people, some marching, some singing, some playing drums and horns. It was unbelievably chaotic.

This was a rest stop and then we headed out to continue our tour

 WE went through a market which was quite large and had various items for sale. Because of the crowds we dared not stop because if we did we would lose sight of our guide. She was not tall and her sign was difficult to see. Besides that her speaker system was not working. As we passed I saw several items that would make lovely tree decorations. Unfortunately the place where we did stop was not good for that at all. The things here were quite high end and the sales people was quite aggressive. I left that store and went a few doors down and I found something that will work but it is not as nice as what we saw earlier.

 The markets and the Via Dolorosa blended into one . The stations of the cross were marked by small sculptured plaques on the sides of the buildings.

 This area was VERY narrow and it went up hill and down hill and it was paved with a kind of marble which was quite slippery. I certainly was glad that it was not raining. It would have been so easy to slip and fall on this.

It was so very narrow and there were hundreds of people going in both directions. In the midst of this every now and then a small car would be thrown into the mix. At one point soldiers carrying machine guns were also running through this chaos. 

At this point we were taken to a small eatery where we had lunch. We had 3 menu choices and the food was very good. Ken and I had the chicken meals and the cost including tip was 40 dollars US.

Our next stop was a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is a 12th century church believed to enshrine the sites of Jesus's crucifixion, the entombment, and resurrection.

This is a magnificent structure with many beautiful sites. There were hundreds of people everywhere you looked.

After gathering there we headed back to the area where we would meet the bus. It was about a ten minute walk. An unusual site was cars parked on the sidewalk. There were so many that I am sure it is a usual occurrence.

Most of us nodded off on the return trip to Ashdod.

Summary:

Did I enjoy the day?.....not really

Were the sites inspiring/?....no

Was there an air is mysticism?.....no

Was there evidence of reversence?...no

Would I return?....not likely

Am I sorry I went? .. in a way ..Yes

I have heard about this area of the world since I was just a child, so for almost 75 years it has held a very special place in my heart. Now when I think of the Holy City I will remember the noise, the confusion, the vendors hawking their wares, and the general chaos. I was VERY disappointed!

What offended me the most was the way the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was treated. In a Mosque there are rules, in a Synagogue there are rules but the Christian Holy place had no rules. People were not silent, people did not dress properly, men wore hats everywhere and women dressed in what could be beach clothes. There were no rules for the Christian church, it was not given the same respect and reverence of other holy places.

Post Script;

When we returned to the ship there were no immigration people checking documents. This was not usual and we wondered why. I gather we were caught up in that rebellion. The immigration people were on strike as was most of the country. There were demonstrations and traffic tie ups almost everywhere. Fortunately for us they were not happening where we were when we were there.

The ship was late leaving the port because there was an absence of shore workers to allow us to sail.

Some of the excursions were shortened because of fear of not being able to get the passengers back to the port.

I was also told that yesterday was a quiet day because there was only one ship in port. The chaos and confusion is a lot worse when several ships were in port.