A Journey to Israel – Day 1 – Joppa

This post was contributed by Laura Schmidt:

This was my first trip to Israel. What a blessing it was to be able to travel to this ancient country and see places I read about daily! As our bus pulled out of the church parking lot before dawn, I was filled with anticipation and excitement. Many hours later, we arrived at Ben Gurion Airport. After being interviewed and receiving an entry card (in Israel they don’t stamp your passport), we met our guide. He said we would be going to our first site, Joppa, before checking into the hotel in Tel Aviv. He led us out into the warm, humid afternoon to board the tour company’s large purple bus. We would never lose that bus in a parking lot!

Joppa is one of the oldest cities in Israel. We drove through its narrow, winding streets with small businesses crowded side by side along the way. This historic city was the port from which Jonah sailed in an attempt to avoid God’s command to go to Nineveh. It was the home of Simon the tanner, where Peter stayed when Cornelius’ men came to ask the apostle to return with them to Caesarea.

We walked among old restored buildings and through narrow, arched passageways. A small bridal party was being photographed in a courtyard.

From there we walked past an archaeological dig where a gate with Egyptian hieroglyphics had been uncovered. We climbed to a flat, paved terrace that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea, and to the north, the city of Tel Aviv. The view was breathtaking. An arch was erected in the center, which depicted several biblical events.

From there the bus took us to Tel Aviv. After dinner, several of us walked along the Mediterranean, sticking our feet in the warm water and taking in the sights and sounds of people enjoying the evening in this busy, modern city.