Day 7: Up to Jerusalem

Day 7 - Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, City of David, Jewish Quarter, Western Wall and tunnels, Water Works

The day was too full!!!

We drove from the Dead Sea to the Mount of Olives, bypassing Bethany because it’s a Muslim town which is behind the walls Israel’s built to prevent terrorists from entering Israel. First stop, the top of the Mount of Olives overlooking the Dome of the Rock, the Temple Mount, the Golden Gate, etc. Breathtaking. Down to a garden on the slopes (Gethsemane?) - some very old olive trees, and quieter than the streets. Prayer and lesson time. All this is in the Muslim Quarter, but several Catholic and Eastern/ Greek/ Russian Orthodox churches.

To the Jewish Quarter, and down to the City of David (I thought the City of David was a part of Jerusalem but it’s actually outside the old city, and below the Temple Mount). Down to the water works - a very deep tunnel built by David to provide water when the city was under siege by enemies). To David’s tomb which is also the traditional site of the upper room (under renovation, couldn’t get in).

After dinner, back to the Old City - through metal detectors (memo to self: self, leave pen knife home next time.) Looked at the Western (wailing) Wall - absolutely amazing - Jews praying at the wall - modern, ultra Orthodox, whatever. To the tunnels - originally a support structure to allow the Muslim quarter to be built above. The external Western Wall is only about 75 yards long, but it continues 1/3 of a mile North under the Muslim quarter, and the tunnels follow it there. Back to the hotel at 9:30, and …

…a 6:15 wakeup call to be able to go to the Temple Mount before it closes at 9:00 AM. Then Western Wall (again), Southern steps to the Temple, Via Dolorosa, St. Anne’s Church, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Bethesda (pools), and shopping (unfortunately).

This has got to be the most amazing city in the world, for its confluence of peoples and cultures. All monotheists meet here - Catholics to born - again Christians, ultra orthadox Jews with their ‘funny’ curls, coats, hats, etc. to conservative, reform, and secular Jews, and secular to fundamentalist Muslims. Probably a few radical/ extreme/ terrorist types, too, but I couldn’t spot them. This is God’s city.