Via Dolorosa

Stand by, long-suffering friends, for an excess of posts today. It is only lunchtime and my capacity for taking things in is already feeling rather stretched. It was a lovely beginning to the day. I headed out at 6am and was glad to be joined by another of our group, Sheryll, as I wasn't overly confident I would find my way unaided to the Lion's Gate, from where I wanted to begin retracing the Via Dolorosa. Sheryll was keen on the same idea and with the combined resources of the map, stretching signs and one or two people we asked along the way, we got there.

The streets were generally very quiet, but we found ourselves behind a group of pilgrims (South Korean, I think) doing the same route but, unlike us, carrying actual crosses. It was good to make our way around the stations at a more measured ace than yesterday and with less crush around us.Read more