The View from the Top

(Graffiti on the wall around Bethlehem)


(View of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives)


(The Lions' Gate into the Old City of Jerusalem)


(Believed to be stone slab where Jesus' body was prepared for burial)


(Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre)


(The Church of St. Peter Gallicantu)


(Children playing in the street below us)

Yesterday we started at the top of the Mount of Olives...this was, of course, after we waited forever to go through the checkpoint entering Jerusalem. Our bus was pulled over, and two soldiers with guns bigger than them came on the bus. They walked slowly down the aisle, carefully looking at each of our faces. About halfway to the back, they started checking passports...maybe we should start sitting closer to the front! Anyway, they were rather menacing, but as they left the bus they said, "have a nice day!" What a strange world we live in!

The view from the top of the Mount of Olives is stunning. You look out over the old city of Jerusalem, and the gold dome of Mount Moriah stands out. We were supposed to go there yesterday, but apparently there was some trouble the day before and we had to wait for things to calm down. The story we heard was that the Israeli government announced that they were going to build 1600 more settlement units, and because they knew this would anger the Palestinians and they didn't want any disturbances, they closed down the West Bank and would not allow anyone over the age of 50 to go to a mosque. We heard bits and pieces on the news. There were LOTS of soldiers in the old city yesterday.

From the Mt of Olives, we went to the church at Bethphage (which means "the house of early figs" where it is believed that Jesus got on the donkey to ride the rest of the way to Jerusalem. An interesting fact we learned was that palm branches were actually a sign of rebellion...and they would have had to been brought from around Jericho because they did not grow hear. Then we walked on to the Basilica of the Agony beside the Garden of Olives. The olive trees are so old and massive. There was a grotto (or cave) here where it is believed that Jesus was when he was arrested..one of the gospels says "he came out to meet them".

We walked down the Mount of Olives and went into the old city of Jerusalem through the Lions Gate. There weren't quite as many people there because it was the Jewish Sabbath. We looked around the Lithostrotos, where there are ancient stones with markings from a game that Roman soldiers used to play, called the Game of the King. It was apparently very brutal, and prisoners were used as the game pieces.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built over the supposed site of the crucifixion. It is VERY large and ornate, and ownership is shared by several groups (Coptic, Armenian, Orthodox, Catholic) and they all fight over who has to keep it up. There were lots of smoke and bells going on, that is for sure. We were able to reach down into a hole and touch the stone where it is believed the cross stood. Maybe not the real spot, but pretty moving, none the less! We ended up at St. Peter in Gallicantu (Peter of the Cock's Crow) which is believed to be the site of Caiaphus' house. We were looking down on the houses of some Palestinians and the children starting waving at us and dancing for us...it was cute.

It was a long day, but really interesting...and today we are headed for the Western Wall and a church service at St. George's Cathedral. Hope all are happy and well at home, and I REALLY hope your weather is as nice as it is here, because we are getting spoiled to it!