First Stop: Mount Nebo, Jordan
WEDNESDAY 6 FEBRUARY –Arrive at Amman airport as we are met and transferred west by coach to ascend Biblical Mt Nebo, the site where the Old Testament opened its door to the land of the New as Moses looked over into the Promised Land and blessed Joshua who was to lead the Israelites under God’s protection (Joshua 1:6-9). Also see the stunning collection of Byzantine mosaics preserved within the shrine.
His Holiness Benedict XVI, on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2009, said this while here on Mt Nebo: “Here, on the heights of Mount Nebo, the memory of Moses invites us to ‘lift up our eyes’ to embrace with gratitude not only God's mighty works in the past, but also to look with faith and hope to the future which he holds out to us and to our world.”
I will be posting pictures I took from each day of our Journey through the Holy Land. Above in talics are the iterary notes that are concise and give good overviews of each day. (Why reinvent the wheel?) I will include them in each of my blogs. Under each, I'll supply my own commentary for the day. (Hope that works for you!)
We traveled on Qatar Airways and I am impressed with Qatar and their airlines! Great food and immaculate airport. Stunning modern city and airport. It looks like a fun place. I would go back!
The QA flight departed Sydney at 10 pm, or so, and we flew for 15 hours to Qatar (with a four hour layover) and then another 3 to Jordan. I slept well on the flight as I had an empty seat beside me. With the layover and all the flying, we traveled almost 24 hours!
These first shots give a good impression of Jordan: dry and deserty (1). A few sheep and shepherd boys along the bumpy, modern highway (2-4).
We first arrived at Mount Nebo around noon (5). The day was blusttery and cold. I expect we had 35-50 mph gusts. And teh temperature was around 45 degrees, colder with wind chill!
This is a modern work of art at the entrance of "the Book" (the first five Books of the Bible, the Torah, which Moses traditionally wrote) (7). On the backside, in Arabic, it says "God is love." (8)
This pillar, in a small museum there, supposedly marked miles on ancient Roman highways and was discovered around the site (14).
This Byzantine church stands atop the spot where Moses looked out over the Promised Land (15). Supposedly he is buried around here in a tomb who's location that no one knows.
These are the views of the Pomised Land (16-17). It was so windy that we couldn't really see much of anything. If you look closely in the shots, you can barely make out the Dead Sea (a dark patch) in the middle-distance. Jerusalem would be behind it.
Here is the first group shot of the pilgrims, Fr. Gerard and myself after Mass (23). Here is Moses with his siblings, Arron and Miriam, in stained glass (24). On to the next day!