Jerusalem

Today was Jerusalem. It is different from anything I have seen before. The city is hilly. You could almost say mountainous. Walking is hard because most of the time you are exposed to full sun. It was 38 degrees today.

My adventure started when I put on my new linen trousers, specially bought for this day. They still had the security tag on the leg. I wore jeans and was quite hot.

Our trip started at the Jerusalem Wall. We had to show our passports to two heavily armed soldiers to gain access from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Still it was a million times better than yesterday’s border crossing.

The guide took us to the Mount Of Olives where Jesus was crucified. We started near the top thankfully and looked across at the old city. It is completely surrounded but the significant sites are still clearly visible.

The Dome of the Rock is outstanding.

We worked our way down stopping in at cemeteries and tombs. The Jews believe that the resurrection will start on the Mount so they aspire to be buried there. If you wish to join them I recommend you start saving now. Prices begin at several hundred thousand dollars.

Our tour continued down to the Garden of Gethsemane. The garden has about 50 very old olive trees amongst others. They were assumed to date from before

Christ but have been dated at a mere 800 years old. Beside the garden is the International Church which has been built over a number of important sites including the site of the betrayal and the site where Jesus asked the apostles not to go to sleep.

The garden is the bottom of the Mount and it was hot. We looked up to the old city and were not looking forward to the climb. Thankfully our bus collected us and took us up to near the summit of Mt Zion. Instead of heading into the old city we headed down into a cemetery. Here we were shown the graves of General Anders of WWII fame and Oskar Schindler.

We also saw capers growing and the guide explained that they formed the basis of Viagra. He then showed us the crown of thorns plant. It would have done a very nasty job.

The next stop was up hill to the tomb of David. This was more historic than pretty. It is quite run down but they are working on it. We separated by gender to go into the synagogue. Our guide was furious when some women tried to crash the mens’ side.

Leaving the tomb we finally entered the old city via the Zion Gate. Here we were confronted with marble paths reminiscent of Dubrovnik but perhaps not as smooth.

Joseph took us to the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall. Just outside was a huge pure gold Menorah.

To enter the area we passed through X-rays and metal detectors. The Wailing Wall is divided into mens’ and womens’ sections. The mens’ section is at least twice the size of the womens’. It is the piece you see on TVnews. The mens’ section continues inside where there are facilities for study and prayer.

We worked our way to the Via Delorosa and followed the Stations of the Cross. This was exhausting. We stopped at all 14. Some were more interesting than others with the climax coming at the end where we entered Christ’s tomb.

Not unexpectedly it is a popular site and we had to queue. Somehow our guide got inside

and shooed people through which sped things up considerably. It is not allowed but I managed a couple of illicit photos.

Apart from the tomb there are a number of other sites in the Church including the rock of Golgotha and the burial site of the man who gave his tomb to Jesus. They involved more stairs. Outside nails from Jesus’ Cross are embedded in the wall of the Basilica. Touching them was popular.

We finally headed for the bus. Unbelievably it was a long uphill climb before we finally headed down out of the old city. I have never been so happy to see a bus before. It took us back to Bethlehem. Leaving through the wall is much easier. It seems they were glad to get rid of us as they just waved us through… with their M16 rifles equipped with laser sites.

The driver headed for the Milk Chapel where Mary was suckling Jesus and spilt some milk. The rock instantly turned white. It time was well into the afternoon and there was no queuing. The grotto is fairly small and we were soon on the short walk to Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. Entry is a minor challenge as the door is low and narrow to stop Moslems entering on horseback. The church is now managed by Franciscan Monks. They kept a very low profile and I saw only a few.

Inside is an enormous Orthodox Altar behind which is the crypt where Jesus was born. Marble steps lead down to a relatively large room. On one side is where the manger was and on the other is a special spot where personal items are blessed.

The Church of the Nativity appears to be no longer in use. Beside it is a very modern church. We spent some time hear listening to an organ recital. That was the excuse anyway. The pews were quite comfortable after a hard day.

After a sufficient stay we walked back to our bus. On the way were offered the “original” Arafatka head dress. It seems many Poles visit here and the street sellers were pretty confident with the use of the language and diminutives.