My day in Jerusalem started after a quite night in The Little House in Baka. The small Inn was located in the German Colony of Jeruslalem, a ways from the Old City. It was a long walk to the gate of the Old City, but worth it conisidering I saved around $80. Everything is expensive in Jerusalem, especially near and in the Old City.
I got a map of the Old City at the hotel and when I was finished and back in Beit Sahour I outlined my 5 mile walk. I wish I could upload it somehow and share my path with you. I tried taking a picture of it but that didn't work so well. Words will have to be enough...
I passed Mt Zion and entered at Jaffa Gate (Christian Quarter) and went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The church was built on the sight of Golgatha. When you walk in there is a stone that has been recreated to represent the place where the blood of Jesus was washed away.
Not what one might think, just to let you know ahead of time. The land od Judea and Sumaria is nothing like the literature of the Bible. Golgatha is literaly inside the church. The entire Old City has become such a tourist magnet that I found it hard to truly reflect on the scriptures. The one place I found true reflection was on the Mount of Olives which I will get to later.
After entering Jaffa Gate and visiting the chuch I enjoyed all the markets. Vendors are everywhere and everything is rididulously high priced. I wanted to buy a cross necklace for my sister and couldn't find one for less then $30, without the chain and not real silver. Sorry sis, didn't buy one. I wouldn't pay that in the states, and at least there the vendor can tell me what it is made of. I wondered down the stone paths and looked for some other gifts, still all too expensive and didn't end up buying anthing. However, I did end up getting lost. LOL The many street markets all started to look the same and I completely lost my sense of direction. I finally asked someone where the Via Dolorosa was and ventured there.
Again, it was hard to feel the conviction one experiences when reading about Jesus' walk down the Road of Sorrow. I thought walking the Via Dolorosa would envoke a more powerful spiritual awakening. It was powerful, don't get me wrong, just not as one might expect. Again the busy tourist and obnoxious vendors may have something to do with it. One even went so far as to ask me for a kiss, big mistake. I didn't stick around to look at his merchandise.
The Via Dolorosa is a long street with many stations to represent the different times Jesus fell. There are wooden crosses that you can carry, if you choose. I didn't. From the Christian Quater the Via Dolorosa actually extends into the Muslim Quarter. I walked the length of it into the Muslim Quarter and turned around to head to the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall.
To enter the Western Wall you first have to go through a Police Station where you and your belongings are scanned. Once through the little checkpoint, there is a side for women and men. I preceeded to the men's side to see if I would get in trouble. Just kidding. :) I have no intention of "playing" with the IDF or Israeli Police while I am here. (My friend was protesting at the wall around this time and was detained, fingerprinted, and photos of her were taken by the IDF, not my cup of tea.) So the Western Wall was largely uneventful, but sad. To think it was all that was left of the Jewish Temple.
The section where the Dome of the Rock is, Mt Moria, and El Aqsa Mosque was closed. I hope to visit another day and spend some more time on Mt Zion as well. I exited out Dung Gate and entered into the City of David.
I walked through the City of David via a path along the main road to Mt of Olives. Once I reached an overlook called Ophel Promenade I was able to view the tombs of Jehoshaphat, Bnei Hezir, and Zechariah. I got some great pictures of the the tombs and Mt of Olives. I continued my walk up the mountain and to the Mt of Olives, a long and most tiresome uphill battle.
I kept walking until I reached the Church of Mary Magdalene, the architecture of this church was amazing. I didn't stay long because I figured if I did I would give in and not make it up the mountain to the Church of the Ascension ( the Olive Garden from wich Jesus was taken) and the Dominus Flevit (the cave where Jesus prayed with the disciples).
I made it to the Church of the Ascension and had to pay an entry fee. There is a large dome shape made of rock around the place where Jesus was taken. Nothing elaborate, which seems to unviel the sorrow of the event that took place here.
However, Dominus Flevit was incredible. Here you can view the Lords Prayer in 167 languages, and walk through Olive Groves, well only if you become friends with the manager. The manager was a short, old, French man who kindly showed me around and invited me to tea after. The most amazing thing happened when he offered me a chance to take sand, rocks and even some mosiac. He helped me hunt for mosiac from the Byzantine church that was built in 643 AD. He showed me a tree that was the same kind of prickly branched tree that was used as the crown of the thorns, and even cut off a piece for me to take. I couldn't believe it! I carried down sand, mosiac, rock and even branches from trees down the mountain with me!
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| Rock where the Blood of Jesus was washed away (not the original one) |
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| Entrance to the steps leading to Golgotha. |
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| "Said" location of Jesus' Cross |
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| Road of Sorrow: Where Jesus walked before he was crucified. |
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| Western Wall: Part of the strucure that supports the Temple Mount from the west. The second Jewish temple was destroyed in 70 AD and this remnant has become the holiest of Jewish sites. |
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| Dome of the Rock (Temple Mount: From Inside the Old City. |
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| Zechariah's Tomb |
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| Jehoshaphat's Tomb |
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| Church of Mary Magdalene |
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| Church of the Ascension |
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| Dominus Flevit |
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| Lords Prayer: Arabic |
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| Lords Prayer: English |
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| Crown of Thorns Tree |
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| Dome of the Rock and Old City: From Mt of Olives |
