Day Eight: 5/16/09 Shabbat
Mount Scopus
Mount of Olives
Church of All Nations
Early Christian pilgrims located the Garden of Gethsemane at the bottom of the slope of the Mt. of Olives opposite the Temple Mount. Byzantine, Crusader and a modern church were built successively on the site where it is believed that Jesus prayed to the Father hours before his crucifixion. The modern Church of All Nations has a beautiful mosaic on its facade. Inside there are tiled versions of The Lord's Prayer in many languages.
Dominus Flevit Church
Built in 1955 to commemorate the Lord's weeping over Jerusalem, Dominus Flevit features a beautiful view of the city through its distinct chapel window. Excavations during construction of the church uncovered a number of ossuaries (bone boxes) from the time of Jesus with numerous inscriptions.
Garden of Gethsemane
Adjacent to the Church of All Nations is an ancient olive garden. Olive trees do not have rings and so their age can not be precisely determined, but scholars estimate their age to anywhere between one and two thousand years old. It is unlikely that these trees were here in the time of Christ because of the report that the Romans cut down all the trees in the area in their siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Mount Zion
David's Tomb
Basha and the Infamous Hat
Okay, so I missed David's Tomb. What had happened was, as I was getting off the bus, I saw a man selling hats. I needed a hat. He was selling hats. So I stopped to buy a hat. While I was making my purchase, my group left without me. So now I am wandering around Mount Zion looking for my group and getting a bit nervous when I don't find them after about twenty minutes, when I pass a man sitting on the side of the road. Of course he can tell that I am looking for something and so he offers to help. He introduces himself as Basha, one of the site's tour guides. Um-hm. I know that he is not telling the truth but he offers to help me find the group and I take him up on it. He tells me that they are probably at David's tomb and that he will show me to it but first there is the topic of payment. Now, me being me, I ask him if I did not have any money would he still help me find my group. He assures me that he most certainly would, but of course if I have money... I gave him the change that I had left over from buying my hat, I think it was about fifteen shekels ($3.75) and he guides on. As we approach David's Tomb I see my group, who disturbingly have yet to miss me, and all is well in my universe again.
South Gate
Armenian Quarter
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
I hiked up about 150 stairs in the narrowest winding staircase that I have seen in my life! Thanks God for the landings. I thought that my lungs were going to jump out of my chest. If I have not learned anything from this trip about the Holy Land, I have learned that I need to get into shape. My advice to anyone coming to take a tour would be to prepare by walking up as many hills as you can for a while before coming. I m literally exhausted at the end of each day and struggle to stay awake long enough to get this blog out. The one thing that I have found about the walking in Jerusalem. You are either going up a hill or coming down one.
And by the way, the hike was worth it. The views of the city were amazing.
And by the way, the hike was worth it. The views of the city were amazing.
Shopping in the Old City
Old City Shopping Bazaar
Visit
Once again, I will not be able to complete this blog tonight. It is already 11:30 pm and I have to be up early tomorrow. We have another full day. I will try to at least get the videos and pictures up tomorrow morning, even if I don't get any commentary done. That will give me something to tell you when I see you. Goodnight.