Jerusalem and Bethlehem!

Shalom!
We have been traveling around the old city of Jerusalem the past few days and also went on a tour to Bethlehem which was a unique experience. We have seen SO much -- we'll try to keep it brief!

The first day we wandered around the Jewish quarter and ended up stumbling across a great view of the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock from the rooftop of a building. We took some great pictures! Later that night we met up with Abe's friend Talia's sister Amalia and her boyfriend Sam. They currently are students here in Jerusalem and were kind enough to meet up with us at Jaffa Gate and take us around the old city. We had dinner in the Christian quarter on the rooftop of a restaurant. In the middle of dinner the call to prayer began. Here we were in the Christian quarter overlooking the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and surrounded by 3 mosques! It was such a cool experience!! The three quarters are incredibly close to each other.

The next morning we woke up early for our tour to Bethlehem. Abe had booked the tour through City Discovery and we were specifically told we'd be picked up at a hotel in the new city. So we walked out of the old city and into to the new to the hotel. We arrived on time and waited and waited to be picked up. Finally, an older gentleman picked us up and we drove off with him in his taxi. He also picked up a Swedish mother and daughter (who lived in Newton for a year. Small world!). He then asked us where we were going.......We all looked at each other in disbelief and said..."Bethlehem? On a tour? Where's the tour bus?!?" We were all very worried!! To make a long story short, we were brought to the border of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and had to be escorted by Palestinians through a check point and through the wall that Israel has built between Israel and Palestinian territories. It was a a little bit of a nerve-racking experience. Bethlehem was such a special place to visit but we were very happy to return to Jerusalem after the tour!!!

We saw all of the holy sites in Bethlehem such as the Church of the Nativity. Under the Greek Orthodox side of the church we saw where Jesus was born (picture to the left) and underneath the Catholic side of the church we saw the inn where Mary and Joseph stayed. We also saw the fields where the Shepherds saw the star as well as the caves they lived in! When we returned from the tour of Bethlehem we went on a 4 hour tour of the City of David...we saw so many archaeological ruins including David's palace, the ancient Canaanite City (1000 BC -- before David conquered it), and Hezekial's Tunnel (picture below) -- which was built to bring water from a spring into the city walls for sustenance during a siege. We also saw a recently excavated Roman road leading to the pool of Siloam. When the Romans burned the city they found the Jews hiding in the sewers. And the marble road is broken open just as the bible is written!!

Today we explored the Muslim and Christian quarters because that is where the stations of the cross took place. So we took out our maps and guides and walked from station to station taking pictures along the way. The last 4 stations are located inside the Holy Sepulchre Church. In the church we saw the tomb of Jesus (picture on the left), the rock he ascended from , the stone of unction (where they commemorate the wrapping of his body), and the location of the crucifixion called the rock of Golgotha (picture on the right)!!

After doing the stations we walked to Mt. Zion (which is next to the Armenian quarter) and saw the location of the Last Supper and where Mary lived and died after Jesus' death. It was all so amazing to see!!

Tomorrow we are renting a car and driving to Masada and stopping at Ein Gedi and Qumran on the way home. We will be seeing the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and swimming in the Dead Sea! Our stay in Israel has been an amazing experience and we wish we could stay longer. But it is almost time to pack up and head to country #3, India. We fly on Sunday!!!

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!

Kol Tuv!
Kabe