Monday February 16 - Jerusalem

Monday February 16 - Jerusalem
It was a chilly day in Jerusalem, but the sun was out for good parts of the day, and that made it more comfortable.
Walking along beside the city wall and in through the Lion's Gate gave us a bit of a sense of the scale of the wall and its stones.

The narrow street onto which we stepped was stunning for the fact of crowds of pedestrians, carts and 2-way vehicular traffic all sharing the small space. We had to take turns; not everyone could move at once.

 We emerged at the site of the Pool of Bethesda and the ruins surrounding it. Then we moved into the Church of St. Anne, where Rick and then the whole group sang to enjoy the magnificent acoustics.

 

At the Southern Wall we climbed the Teaching Steps, knowing that Jesus almost certainly taught there.





We could see the mikvahs below, where many new Christians were baptized on Pentecost.

 The excavations around the south-west corner of the temple are very interesting. We saw the stone from the pinnacle marked as the place for the priests to blow the shofar.

 The blocks that made up the temple, and that were thrown into the valley when the Romans destroyed it are immense! A first century street has  been uncovered there as well. Surprisingly it's quite intact despite the weight of rock that was dumped on it and stayed there for centuries.


  

 At the Western Wall, all around us were Bar Mitzvah celebrations with singing, dancing, drumming and laughter. As well there was a Change of Command ceremony for the Israeli Defense Force, and naturally a lot of security. It was hardly noticeable to most of us as we visited the Western Wall, placing prayers there for  many people back home.

The "Upper Room" is not the true location of the Last Supper, but rather was built by the Crusaders to commemorate it.

 Beneath is "David's Tomb", also unlikely to be the true site. We visited both.

 Lunch was in a buffet style restaurant below a very nice gift shop. This is the only place to buy the truly wonderful wood carvings made by Wisam and his extended family. His father created a marvelous and detailed model of Jerusalem after Bethlehem was cut off and he was  no longer able to visit the city. It took 3 years to create and holds pride of place in the shop.

 The road to the top of the Mount of Olives was rather alarming, but when we got there we were rewarded with a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Most of us did the Palm Sunday walk down, stopping at a small church, then in a park for a devotion. Rick based it on the events of Palm Sunday and at Gethsemane.
We reached Gethsemane at the bottom, and spent some time contemplating it.

The Church of the Agony (or Church of Gethsemane or Church of All Nations) stands beside the Garden. In it, beside the altar is the stone on which Jesus prayed just before he was betrayed.

We had a short break at the hotel for dinner, then several of us bundled up in as many layers as we could get on our bodies, borrowed blankets from the hotel, and went to a fabulous sound and light show on the walls of the old city. It was a colourful and lively review of the history of Jerusalem and in spite of the cold we were glad we went.

Link to all Photos for February 16

Link to February 17 Posting

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Tuesday February 17 - Jerusalem

Tuesday February 17 - Jerusalem
Happy birthday Sophia! Happy "Pancake Day"/Shrove Tuesday everyone! Hope you all had pancakes today.
An early start, prayers and devotion on the road, led by Janet and Diana. We picked up Wisam after crossing the checkpoint and stopped at Bethany.

   

There is a steep, precarious climb down and a low entrance to Lazarus' tomb, but most of us made it. (Everyone who went in, came back out.) Then we visited the Sanctuary of the Resurrection of Lazarus, a gem of a church with no windows (like a tomb) and a glorious skylight, representing resurrection.
 Outside are some 5th century mosaics.
Wisam brought us the olive wood crosses we had ordered, and we were delighted with them.

 Our next stop was the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, thought to be where Peter denied Jesus three times after his arrest. It is  built over the ruins of the traditional site of the house of Caiaphas, where Christ was held overnight after his arrest. It's also known as the Dungeon of Christ.

We were all shocked to see the small hole through which Jesus would have been lowered by rope into the dungeon. There is now a stairway down into it. In the dungeon,






David S. read Psalm 88 and we sang "He had to walk that lonesome valley". Gov. Mike Huckabee, former governor of Alabama, was at the site with several busloads of people, and we met him in the dungeon. The road into and out of this site is a real test for the bus drivers. Mamoud made it look easy. Part way down the hillside is a Christian graveyard where Oskar Schindler is buried.

 The Garden Tomb is a quiet, peaceful place, an alternate possibility for the location of Jesus' tomb. The possible place of crucifixion is now under a bus depot, a busy public place, just as the actual spot would have been. We had a communion and anointing service in the garden. It is a very holy place and we carried that feeling away with us.
Lunch was in a very interesting vaulted room at the Mar Elyas Monastery. Unfortunately, the church was closed today so we couldn't see it.

We were dropped off the bus at the Lion's Gate (I think -- it might have been Herod's Gate) and went to an interpretation centre on the site of the Antonia Fortress. We climbed down to see the old paving stones and cistern, then walked through the  souk of the Muslim Quarter. What an array of goods and odours! Spices, candies, meat, toys, clothing, precious jewellery, souvenirs, hot food, everything from licorice allsorts to bright  pink cauliflower, to hanging animal carcasses to spiderman-themed bras and leather purses. Lots of noise, foot traffic and the occasional cart.

 

Eventually, we arrived at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and a whole different kind of crowd. There were hundreds or even thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, climbing the precarious steps up and down to the site of Golgotha, kneeling and touching the stone where Jesus' body was prepared for burial, lining up for an hour or more to touch the place where the tomb used to be. Priests of several orders and nationalities moving about, some busy with mundane tasks, others processing with incense and chanting. We found quiet places too, in the Armenian church that houses the cave where Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine found the true cross, and in a side chapel with a sign reading "For prayer, silence please". We looked into the cave that is thought to be the burial place of Adam. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre really is a rather overwhelming place with so much under one roof.
Leaving there, we again experienced the souk as we walked back to the Damascus Gate to get on the bus. There were even more people and it was hard to stick together, but we all made it. Everyone was ready for a quiet evening and early to bed.

Link to All Photos for February 17 

Link to February 18 Posting

 

 

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Wednesday February 18 - Jerusalem

Wednesday February 18 - Jerusalem

Everyone who is returning home tonight loaded their luggage on the bus before we left for the day's tours. Fortunately they will be able to stay in their rooms until they go to the airport tonight. It rained off and on all day and Wisam told us that there's a  major snowstorm expected tomorrow afternoon, throughout the region. We may see snow in Jordan tomorrow. Four of us are going there, while several others are going to Cairo or on a Nile cruise. They will likely not see snow. [ including all EO groups 29 are going ]

    

Nebi Samuel is the traditional site of Samuel's tomb. We could see out across the land as the Crusaders did when they caught their first sight of Jerusalem and named it Mt. Joy. We couldn't enter the tomb, nor the mosque that's on the site, but saw the ruins of the early village. There were groups of Muslims and Jews as well as ourselves visiting there, all greeting one another in a friendly way.  

     













At Emmaus, after a look around the very well-preserved Crusader church, we gathered on the lower level near the spring for our Ash Wednesday worship. Doris explained the Emmaus Walk and shared her experience of it, as did Mike. Fran and Roxanne read scripture. Pastor David and Rick served Communion and performed the Imposition of Ashes. We sang the Lord's Prayer. 

  

Our visit to the church of John the Baptist was short because it was closing at noon and we arrived just before. On a lower level at the front was entry to what tradition says is the cave where John was born. Above us on the mountain was the Church of the Visitation where Mary came to visit her cousin Elizabeth when they were both pregnant.

We drove up a long, steep winding road that took us into the clouds and made us truly appreciative of Mamoud's skill. It gave us a great look at some of the many springtime flowers that are blooming now, all over Israel. 

 

Then back down into Eshta'ol Valley, and on to the Elah Valley where David fought Goliath, giving the Israelites victory over the Philistines. Several people climbed down the banks to the stream bed to collect smooth stones as David did.

Lunch at Ruth's Restaurant in Shepherds' Fields was excellent. Falafel, shawarma, fries, drinks, in a congenial atmosphere. 

As we re-boarded the bus we had to bid Wisam farewell. Mamoud returned us safely to the Olive Tree Hotel, where we all had a last dinner together. We thanked Pastor David and Nanci Branson for their inspirational leadership, and David S. expressed his appreciation as well. Then the departing group boarded the bus. Larry and I waved good-bye to them and wished them all safe journey. We will miss this group particularly enhanced by our new friends from Maryland and Boca Raton.  This pilgrimage through the Holy Land has been a blessing and inspiration to us, and we are forever grateful for the experience.

The blog will continue with the Jordan extension for another three days. 

Link to All Photos for February 18

 Link to February 19 Posting

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Thursday February 19 - Jordan - Petra

Thursday February 19 - Jordan - Petra
This morning Larry, Ann, Lev and I became part of a new "tribe", the rainbow bus, on its way to Jordan. It's called "rainbow" because we've all been parts of colour groups, so are all wearing different coloured name tags. Because there's a major storm expected through the region we've been told to stay flexible. They'll do whatever is necessary for us to see Petra and get back safely to our flights on Saturday, so the itinerary is fluid. It was raining as we left Jerusalem, with snow expected later.
We drove through some very barren, sculpted landscape around the border area, and changed to a Jordanian bus at the border. There was a bit of delay while our passports were processed but no problems. Our guide, Michel,

confirmed that we'd be going directly to Petra today, because of the incoming storm. [ both Petra and Amman are high altitude so several feet of snow is expected ].
We passed a huge tell where excavations are proceeding, that is believed to the the site of Sodom. As we climbed from 1000 feet below sea level to 3000' above, we had the Gilead Mountains on our left.

We reached the Plains of Moab, where the story of Ruth took place. Moses crossed here and saw the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo.
Lunch at the Petra Magic Restaurant was very good. We could have soup only, or the whole buffet. The view was great.

          

Then came Petra -- the reason for the trip and well worth it! From the bus we started downhill, at first across wide-open areas. It gradually narrowed until we were in a very deep, very confined canyon. Horse-drawn buggies jounced by, and young men showed off their riding skills on other horses. We could have ridden, but most, or maybe all the goup walked. There were, of course, the usual souvenir hawkers, but our attention was held by the beauty of the place. The Siq (canyon) twists and turns, with surprises around every bend, gravel or asphalt or Roman paving stones underfoot, water courses along the sides. Some areas have carved tombs, and others rounded caves. The colours are varied because the sandstone contains many minerals. There are reds, greens, yellows, blacks and beiges. Nearly a mile in, the Siq ends at "the Treasury", and absolutely stunning sight. Just as we arrived there, the first pellets of hail hit us. Michel let all know that we mustn't tarry, so we started back up to the bus. Of course it's uphill going out, so we were not exactly racing. By he time Hasan got us back out onto the road, the snow was accumulating and conditions quickly deteriorated. Then the fog settled in. It was a slow trip, but he's a great driver. Meanwhile, Michel was awaiting word on where to take us for the night. The decision was a resort by the Dead Sea. We stopped once to stretch and finally got the our hotel around 10 pm. They had kept the dining room open, so we had dinner and turned in.

 

  

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Link to February 20 Posting

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Friday, February 20 -- Jordan

Friday,  February 20-- Jordan

It was raining lightly by the Dead Sea this morning, but Amman got something like 24" of snow. We heard that another tour group didn't make it to Petra and ended up at our hotel even later than we did last night. We're at the north-east corner of the Dead Sea and drove south this morning. The Sea appears calmer than it was when we visited on the other side, but it is choppy. It never snows at this extremely low altitude, but we can testify that the wind gets dang cold.

We pulled off to get a good look at "Lot's Wife" -- a naturally eroded rock formation that people think looks like a woman turned to a pillar of salt. It was uncovered during the building of the road and apparently became quite a sensation.

Michel pointed out there's no rush today, our range of travel is so limited by the severe weather in the higher areas. 

We got off the bus to walk across a bridge for a better view of a valley and the very small amount of water going into the sea. The fresh water is diverted into swimming pools and other domestic or industrial uses. Across on the Israeli side we could see waterfalls created by the snow melt. They'll help a bit, but they say the Dead Sea will dry up in 30-60 years unless something changes.

We saw Bedouin camps, where they spend the winter months here in the Great Rift Valley. They'll move to higher ground when it gets too hot here in the summer. There were people out and about in a couple of the camps, something we hadn't seen before. A bunch of the children waved excitedly and blew us kisses.

By late morning Michel received word that the road was now clear enough that we might be able to reach Mt. Nebo, so we set out in that direction. There was an inch or so of snow on the ground there, and along the road we saw a group of young men and a very stylish snowman they'd built. 

Hasan got us safely to the top, where we stood on the spot  Moses is described to have stood on when he first saw the Promised Land, after God told him he couldn't enter it. We sang "Majesty" and said The Lord's Prayer, then Michel played us a sung version of the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic, the language in which Jesus first said it. Our bus was the only one that had made it to the site today.

 

  We went farther east and a bit higher. At a mosaic studio they showed us several of their techniques and served us hot tea and pita. There was some purchasing. While we were there, snow began to fall again. By the time we drove back past the earlier site, two more buses were arriving, so though we were pioneers, we were no longer the only venturesome souls.

Back down the mountain, we stopped at a Dead Sea products shop, then back to the hotel. We saw several buses with piles of snow on their roofs and heard of more groups for whom Petra had become an impossibility. We're very grateful for the foresight and actions of everyone who worked to get us to Petra and then back to a nice warm place by the Dead Sea before the roads became impassable. Of course, while we were at dinner and into the night, there were violent thunderstorms, part of the same storm system that has brought the higher areas to a halt. I think we've experienced nearly everything the Middle East has to offer in terms of winter weather. 

Link to All Photos for February 20

Link to February 21 Posting

 

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