Our First Day in Jerusalem

Yes, I rode a camel yesterday – in Jericho! …in case there is any question (see the blog from Feb 9 for that). When an opportunity such as this presents itself, one shouldn’t pass it up! What a hoot!!

We arrived in Jerusalem last night and checked into a beautiful hotel. At 8am this morning we were on the bus heading for the sights of historic Jerusalem. We started high above the city, looking out at the Dome of the Rock (which was located on the very site of the temple in Jesus’ day), the Golden Gate (where Jesus entered Jerusalem; it is now closed), an ancient city to the east of the city where there is a very large Jewish cemetery, and the old eastern wall of Jerusalem. It was rainy and cool, so with umbrellas in hand we made our way down into the Kidron Valley over very rough terrain and questionable stairways for Don(!). He’s been a trooper and refuses to miss out on anything. So far, so good!! We descended down from the Mt. of Olives to the Church of Agony, in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed before he was arrested.

(Two pics: Sherry Burg, Joyce Wicklund, and Sarah & Jay Raymond hiking the traditional route of Jesus' Triumphal Entry, from the Mt. of Olives down into the Kidron Valley; second pic: Don Anderson & Shawn Bubb doing the same)

We spent time at the Church of St. Peter on the slope of Mt. Zion where Peter denied Jesus three times. Then we also visited King David’s tomb, and the Upper Room – known as the location of the Last Supper.

Extra curricular standouts include:

·         A donkey kissed Jay Raymond (smack)!
·         A strike of sanitation workers - whew, the smell!
·         A farmers’ market with luscious fruit, vegetables, and very big fish (displayed in open air).
·          A real dungeon deep in the bowels of the city
·         Clean bathrooms!!!!
·         A large Korean choir that appeared out of nowhere in the Church of St. Anne and sang Amazing Grace in Korean. They were a real delight and sounded like angels!

We didn’t finish exploring the whole city, but we’re going to continue on another day – there is just so much to see!! (pic: walking through the Old City of Jerusalem; group members Don Anderson, Monica Simon, Sharon bubb, Joan Johnson, Dean Wieland, Jay Raymond)

Written by Ellen (& Don) Anderson