Jerusalem and Bethlehem

This morning I woke up early which is surprising since my internal clock should have registered it to be 2 or 3 in the morning. I was anxious to begin my site-seeing of Jerusalem. Kris and I walked down the Mount of Olives and on our way down stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane. The spirit and peace of that place was inspiring. I enjoyed the grounds the most, but we did wander into The Church of all nations for a look at what is believed to be the rock upon which Jesus wept and suffered for the sins of mankind. We sat in the church for a time and offered our own prayers. We then headed down the mount further to the tomb of the Virgin Mary. It was interestingly decorated with ornately designed lamps, rugs and paintings. It also had a strong smell of incense.
Our next stop was the City of David. Here we traveled through an ancient water passage made under the rule of King Hezekiah so ensure water supply to the city while under siege. It is an impressive tunnel about a third of a mile in length with water running through the entire way. It was very fun, and a nice reprieve from the heat. On the way out we ran into a group of Morman students on tour and listened to what they were saying about the pool of Shiloam being where Christ performed many miracles. We thought we might tag along until they went into a sewer that they said the Jews hid in. When we discovered they had led us into a stinky sewer we decided we could do better on our own.
The old city was our next stop. We entered in through the Dung Gate and saw the Wailing wall. Apparently men and women aren't allowed to be together at the wall and it is partitioned off. All I have to say on that matter was that the women's side was smaller and had no chapels as the men's side did. Sexist Jews....

Everyone in the city was very friendly. I think maybe because they were hoping we would make a purchase from their pile of Sheshca pipes, rugs, jewelry, and what no they all had for sale. We never did make a cash donation there. We were able to get a feel for the city and see the division of the people there. There are the Jewish, the Armenian, the Christian, and the Muslim quadrants. I though I would feel uneasy among the Muslim people, but I didn't. I was even wearing shorts and still felt okay. Granted they are below the knee (I have a religion too). We wandered outside the city to find the Garden Tomb. It was closed from 12 to 2 (lunch?) and we showed up at 12;30. We decided to go in search of food, and ended up walking around lots of shops instead and ending at a cafe just within the Damascus Gate where we sat and enjoyed a coke. After settling on calling our favorite Taxi driver to take us to Bethlehem we went back to the Garden Tomb. I REALLY love it there. The peace that was felt there was amazing. There are certain places in the Holy Land where you feel what I would call a stillness. This was definitely one of them There is some debate on the actually crucifixion and burial place of Jesus Christ. The Church of the Holy Seplechure was built over what was believed to be the place. Kris and I are see that tomorrow, but based on my knowledge of the scriptures, what I felt at the Garden Tomb, and a helpful dose of Apostles and Prophets stating they believe the Garden Tomb to be the spot of His burial, I am going to have to say it was there.
we next went to Bethlehem. It was really interesting to learn that our driver who is a muslim living in Israel cannot get an Israeli passport because they say he is Palestinian. However, he was not allowed a Palestinian one either because they say he is Israeli. He cannot leave the country! In fact he took us to Bethlehem, but was technically not allowed to since he is Israeli. However he knew which roads would let him in and we went. We had to get another guide to take us into the church of the Nativity since there was no way the guards would let him do it. So interesting, and messed up. Churches aren't my favorite thing to tour, but this one was kind of cool. They build it over the cave (stable) where they believed Christ was born. They also had marked the exact location of his birth. This is were I think there is a lot of just speculation. I don't think we could ever know that for sure. We were diverted back to a trinkets and bobbles shop where we were persuaded to purchase a manger seen made from olive wood indigenous to the region. That will be our one souvenir from here. I like the idea of having a manger scene from Bethlehem made from their olive trees. Our driver dropped us off at Pasha's for dinner again. We were both starving at this point, and we enjoyed a variety of hummus and salads. Great food. This concluded our very full day. I loved it. Tomorrow we are doing an official tour and get to see the dome of the rock.