Arriving in Jerusalem

We arrived in Jerusalem last evening, rested for an hour and grabbed dinner with friends. We went to Rimons Restaurant. We shared a Veal Schnitzel with grilled potatoes that was amazing. After dinner and some amazing ice cream finds we headed back to the rooms. The company and wait staff were also amazing. The waitress in the picture with Randy and Debbie was named Shair (pronounced sheer) which means song in Hebrew.

Ice cream, ice cream, we all scream for ice cream!!!!

After a great nights rest (albeit a bit chilly), we were off to breakfast at the convent with our group and off to one of the most amazing, faith-inspiring, uplifting days!
Our trek into Jerusalem began through the market at David street, through the Jaffa Gate

 to the church of the Holy Sepulcre. This is where it is believed to have been where Jesus died and was buried in the tomb. What a humbling morning.

 This is believed to be where Christ's body was laid.

This is believed to be the top of Golgatha, where Christ was crucified.

Then we headed  to the Jewish Quarter at the Old City to the Western Wailing Wall. There were quite a few bar mitzfas going on today. It was very interesting to see and to pray at the wall. 

 The Wailing Wall and excavations work.

 The Wailing Wall

 The women's side which was very crowded.

 The men's side.

 Prayers are folded and pushed into cracks or openings in the walls.

Jim Bob and I with the Wailing Wall behind us.

We then moved on to the Davidson Museum that has the 1st century market road, one of the very roads that Jesus would have walked on to enter the city.

 A collapse of  part of the 1st century road.

 Jim Bob and the road that Jesus walked.

 Stacy on the very same road.

 The stones were HUGE and a small one was no less than two and a half tons. How did they create such majestic buildings with these being stacked high int he first century?

 The thickness of the stones in the first century road.

 Just climbing and playing around.

 A good view of the road that Jesus walked.

 A Riual Bath. We watched a story about the process of sacrifices including the trek to Jerusalem and the ritual bath before the presentation of the sacrifice. It was so wonderful to put all the pieces together. Interesting thing is that they would walk down on the right impure into the water, bathe, and come up on the left side, purified. They did this in order to enter the Temple with their offering for sacrifice.

Jerusalem is flat NOWHERE. It is hills or stairs all throughout the city. I walked 15,000 steps today and climbed 55 flights of steps according to my FitBit. Think about San Francisco on steroids.

 Israeli military are everywhere and they are just babies. Most are as nice as they can be and love to converse with tourists. These two guys were more than obliged to pose for a picture with the old lady. it is hard not to feel safe with these guys around.

 Jim Bob and I took a marriage enrichment a month ago that was fabulous with Wayne and Tami Roberts called "His Shoes, Her Shoes" When we told them we were coming to Israel, they said to take pics of our shoes in the country. Here we are standing on a Jerusalem man hole cover.

 The market

 Cars and motorcycles drive these TINY streets and you are expected to be out of the way.

Saint Anne's Basilica

Pool of Bethesda

 Watching a beautiful cat staring at something in a way too deep cavern.

 Praying at St. Ann's, where we later all gathered to sing. Our group is not all church of Christ but we all sang hymns of praise to the same Lord and inside this church, the acoustics are AMAZING and it was an emotional experience. It was SO beautiful. Never again will I hear something like this.

 This is believed to be the site of the Garden of Gethsemane . It was so peaceful and beautiful. A very bittersweet experience knowing the heartache of Jesus when He was here.

 Jim Bob praying at the Garden.

 This is believed to be the rock that Jesus wept and said "Let this cup pass from me".

After a wonderful day, we had dinner all together as a group at the Armenian Tavern, with baklava for dessert. We had an awards/roast ceremony afterwards at the restaurant. I was one of two (Savanna Harris) to be awarded "being too skinny and having to sit in the front row middle seat between Randy and Debbie". We took turns in that spot this trip. I was also awarded "Holding down the fort" award for keeping Masada standing while everyone else perused the ruins. The heights up got the best of me and I was content to sit, wait and people watch and converse with people from all over the world.