BAR Travellers Return Tired and Enthusiastic

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The first BAR trip to Egypt, Jordan and Israel was a rousing success.

What impressed one member of the group most was the variety and the contrast. The 747 jumbo jet from New York to Cairo, the donkey cart in the hypostyle at Karnak, the felucca down the Nile, the horseback ride up the wadi to the rose-red Nabatean city of Petra, the bus ride through the Negev, the climb on foot up the cliffs of Ein Avdat.

The BAR group was itself one of contrasts and variety. About two-thirds of the group were Christian and one-third Jewish. The Christians as well as the Jews were divided between conservative and liberal, observant and non-observant. Most were on their first trip to the Middle East. Others had been there as many as three times before. Ages varied from early thirties to late sixties, but age was no reflection of energy. Most of the group amazed themselves at what they were able to do. (But no one contested BAR’s early warning that the trip would be a strenuous one.)

One of the participants told us: “I have never encountered such an interesting group of people. Although we were a mixed lot, we got along so well together that the impossible happened—there was absolutely no clique formation! And I can tell you I had some reservations when I first met the group.”

Another contrast was the contrast of time: The 9000 year old tower at Jericho, the 5,000 year old pyramids at Gizeh, the 3,500 year old high place at Gezer, the 2,800 year old tombs of the Judean Kings in Jerusalem, the 2,000 year old steps that led to the Temple Mount in Jesus’ time, the 1,500 year old synagogue at Tiberias, the 800 year old Crusader castle overlooking the Jordan Valley at Belvoir, the modern Kibbutz guest house where the group stayed in Galilee.

There were also social contrasts—from the primitive villages along the Nile to the nuclear reactor used to analyze ancient pottery at Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology.

At the end of the trip, some of the participants wrote down reactions to the trip. These too varied:

“It was a real treat to have such distinguished archaeologists show us the excavated sites. Their enthusiasm was refreshing, and the insights into the archaeological disputes was unexpected.”

But it was not all scientific: “In spite of my not wanting to spend time on the sentimental spots, I was profoundly moved by the visit to the little Garden of Gethsemene. The lavender light from the windows inside the church set the mood.”

One thing on which all participants seemed to agree was that the planning and arrangements were excellent. This is unusual, because the lack of attention to detail, the herding on the buses, the unconcern for individual comfort are the most common complaints of travelers on tours. The reactions of BAR tour members were, without exception, just the contrary.

In the words of one man: “This has been the best organized group trip I’ve ever taken. How each detail and schedule was so perfected I don’t know, yet we weren’t aware of being highly programmed. But we were, and loved every moment. The guides and professional archaeologists made 6000 to 8000 years come alive—from Egyptian pyramids to Hazor, Jericho, Gezer and the Great Contractor, Herod the Great. We were pampered, looked out for and kept running breathlessly from one high to an even bigger one the next day.”

Another woman put it this way: “The planning for trips to tells, digs, museums, etc. was excellent. The excursions were sequentially meaningful and made the process of learning and absorbing information very good. It was particularly enjoyable to meet with active archaeologists both in a lecture setting as well as on the sites. It was great to have included in our visits some of the out-of-the-way places that most tourists do not visit, places like Tell-Gezer and the nature hikes.”

Another young lady described one of the nature walks: “Seeing the source of the Jordan and walking along the canyon 013among the spring flowers, hearing the rush of water and coming upon the beautiful waterfall was an unexpected joy.”

One woman described herself as “basically a pessimist and a worry wart.” Accordingly, she was “surprised at how smoothly and efficiently everything went.” She especially liked the Jerusalem segment of the trip: “An excellent idea, in my opinion, was our 5-day settled stay in Jerusalem. It gave us all a chance to have a home base for a few days and to have a break in being on-the-go.” She ended her account of the trip with this sentence: “This trip has been the most incredible experience, thus far, in my life.”

The couple who had been to the Middle East (including Jerusalem) three times before also commented on the Jerusalem segment of the trip. “For the first time, as a result of the current visit, we had a feeling of ‘Jerusalem Revealed’. Something of an appreciation of the scanty remains of the Davidic and Solomonic periods and a sense of the evidence for the various Jerusalems through the Herodian, Roman, Byzantine and Turkish periods. We realize how much of what we see today in the Old City represents Crusader and Turkish construction.”

Other archaeological sites (and sights) also came alive for this well-travelled couple: “We, of course, were aware from our previous visits and reading that there were many archaeological sites, but somehow we didn’t get to visit them; and when we did, we missed all but the most obvious and superficial information. For example, though we had been to Masada twice before, we missed 95% of the archaeological picture. The greatest single thrill of the trip came when we stood on the floor of the large cistern near the stairway at Masada and recalled to ourselves the marvelous picture in Yadin’s book on Masada—with the shaft of sunlight streaming through the hole near the cistern ceiling.”

Criticisms and suggestions? There were these too. Two of the hotels—one in Jordan and one in Israel—were not up to BAR’s standards. Fortunately, each was only a one-night stay.

For one man, “The biggest disappointment of the trip was [the day at leisure in] Eilat … I am a poor guy who saved 3 years to make this trip. It roughly cost $100 a day, and as far as the $100 for the day in Eilat, I would have felt better giving it away.” Another member of the group agreed but added, “This is just a matter of opinion; the rest for some was needed.” And indeed, one woman wrote, “The stay at Eilat was very welcome and refreshing. The hotel was excellent.” Another agreed: “I appreciated the day-off in Eilat. It was overall a most active trip and it was necessary to slow down a bit.”

One woman felt there was not enough time to contemplate the archaeological sites. “I would have liked to have had time to quietly contemplate and in imagination people the archaeological sites with their ancient inhabitants.” But unfortunately, the trip was only three weeks long.

Overall, however, the group was unanimous: “A super experience.” “It rated 5 stars with me.” “The whole experience was one of the highlights of my life and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

BAR’s next tours, under the leadership of BAR’s new director of tours, Lorna T. Zimmerman (who led the tour to Egypt, Jordan and Israel) will leave for Europe and the Middle East next spring.

The first BAR trip to Egypt, Jordan and Israel was a rousing success.