Joel Thornton

A common sense conservative.

A Day In Athens, Everything You Expect And More

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Athens, Greece is a beautiful city! It is filled with history and yet, in the midst of all that antiquity, thousands of people are living their everyday lives. The city seems to spread out forever with its white buildings piled almost on top of each other. A view from the Acropolis shows a 360° view of buildings virtually as far as the eye can see. This is a city filled with things to see, but you need a plan if you are going to get in as much as possible.

If you have a few days in Athens I would recommend that you get a seat on the double decker red tour bus. One ticket gives you access to most of the sites in Athens. You can hop on and hop off of the bus at any and every stop. There are buses constantly running, so you do not have to worry about getting stuck at a site.

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Safety, Always a Concern, Never an Issue

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Many people never travel abroad because of the fear of the unknown. I do not let that happen. I believe that, if we do our homework and take some easy precautions, we can avoid troubles while abroad and still enjoy traveling.

My family and I were living in Strasbourg, France on September 11, 2001. We sat in our apartment and watched the World Trade Center Towers come tumbling down. I knew that this one event would change how we travel for years to come if not forever. Tensions rose in Europe, as did anti-Semitism.

Not long after, we began to see refugees streaming into Europe unchecked, mostly from the most troubled areas of the Middle East. This changed the dynamic of Europe fairly drastically. And yet the world still spins on its axis.

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Dispatches from Israel, number one

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Hello, my name is Matthew Finstein, I’m a registered tour guide here in the land of Israel. I’m working exclusively with Joel and P33 Adventures right here in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Israel.

I cannot wait to welcome you and your families to this wonderful land, especially in this time of year, the beautiful scenery, the beautiful flowers, the wonderful atmosphere, the air which surrounds this holy land.

Right now Israel is closed because of COVID-19, but we will soon be open for business. Over the next few days I’m filming with Sar-El, right here in Jerusalem, some videos that show the beauty of this land.

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The Garden Tomb, a Brief Moment Forever Etched in History

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            Imagine walking into the tomb that is possibly the tomb Jesus walked out of when he was raised from the dead! You cannot imagine the emotion, the vibrant life you feel standing there, contemplating the moment of the resurrection and everything that has followed it. This is one of the pivotal points of all human history. This simple site is one of the most touching sites in all of Israel. We typically end our tours here because it gives you plenty to take home.

            While in the Garden Tomb you will see a site that could well be the hill where Jesus was crucified. You will have communion with your travel companions as this is a place of contemplation. Take a few minutes and sit overlooking the tomb. Relive the history that is found here. Imagine what has led us to this point, a gruesome crucifixion that is forever marked in history. The fear and anxiety of his followers in the days leading up to the crucifixion. The agony of seeing Jesus dead. The horror of burying your friend.

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The City of David, Jerusalem, Israel

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Just outside the gates of today’s Jerusalem lies the ruins of King David’s Palace and the city of Jerusalem that he ruled over. It is an amazing sight to behold. Enter through the gates directly off of Ma’alot Ir David Street. The gate is easy to identify because it has a harp on the wall, since King David was a harp player of great renown.

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The Entrance to the City of David

Once you enter into the City of David you are in an interior courtyard that leads to stairs on the left which will take you up to an overview of the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley. You will have an amazing view of the ancient Jewish Cemetery that sits on the Mount of Olives, just above the Garden of Gethsemane.

From there, go back down to the first floor platform and enjoy the gift shop for the City of David for a few minutes before going underneath the platform to view the foundations and the walls of the Palace of David. This sight is amazing because of what it is. It is also amazing because it was literally dug out from underneath the gift shop that sits just above it. The building was in place when an archaeologist realized there might be something significant underneath it. The archaeologist got permission to dig and man did they find something significant—The Palace of David and the walls of the that Palace!

The Walls of the Palace of David

Spend some time with the Palace. It is almost beyond words to think about standing just over the place where King David spent his private time. After your reflections, walk down the stairs to see the exterior walls of the Palace. These walls are remarkably intact and include several rooms that are believed to either be office of Palace staff or homes for Palace workers. Either way they come complete with a toilet that was used by the inhabitants. Scientists were even able to analyze the remains left at the toilet and tell us something of what the diet of these ancient Israelis was like.

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Matthew Finstein teaching at the Walls of the Palace of David

There are bleachers here for you to sit and look over the walls. Take a few minutes to reflect on these walls from the comfort of the bleachers. Do not, however, take too long because this tour is just getting started. From here you will walk uphill and downhill to the entrance of Hezekiah’s Tunnel. This tunnel was built under the direction of Jewish King Hezekiah for the purpose of bringing water into the city, from underground sources, to prepare for a siege as the Assyrians were known to be headed to Jerusalem to destroy it.

This tunnel was started at two different ends, the beginning at the source of the water and at the end where the water was being diverted to. The two crews worked hard and at the last minute, when they were to join the two tunnels into one tunnel it was discovered that they were perfectly aligned. This is made more spectacular considering that it was built about 2800 years ago!

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Heading into King Hezekiah’s Tunnel

There are two options once you are underground. The Canaanite Tunnel also goes through this area. In this tunnel you can walk on dry ground through cramped tunnels to end up at the same basic location as the other tunnel. The other tunnel is the more adventurous of the two. It is Hezekiah’s Tunnel and is thus filled with water that comes up about to your mid thigh. This tunnel is not as cramped, but it does require you to get fairly wet.

Both tunnels ultimately end up at the famous Pool of Siloam where Jesus instructed the blind man to go wash out his eyes. The blind man was healed, thus a famous pool. It is no longer filled with water and is, in fact, barely excavated due to land disputes for land that literally sits over the pool. The discovery of the Pool was made in 2005.

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Pastor Doug and Mike at the Pool of Siloam

This entire trip will take you about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how much time you spend in contemplation along the way. Relax. Slow down. Enjoy the journey!

If you are thinking about traveling and would like some more information, contact me at [email protected]. You can also ask to sign up for our travel newsletter (we are beginning it soon) and to keep up with tours that we are currently planning. We can help you make memories to last a lifetime!