Jerusalem with a friend

Bit of a lazy morning, I said my goodbyes to everyone who was leaving, and then switched hotels. Why? Well, nobody was staying on in mine, and there was another close by at half the price. Plus, it was also closer to the tram that I would end up making us of over the next two days.

One of my tour mates was staying an extra 2 days so we ended up planning to hang out together. This morning, I met her at the Church of the Sepulchre (she was lining up for the tomb) and then we went to the Tower of David museum, where tradition has it is where King David built his fortress. Pretty easy walk with great views of the city. You can easily self guide. Our ticket was in combination with the King David night show that we'd be attending the in the evening.

Afterwards, it was off to find the bus station to get bus 275 to take us up the Mount of Olives and the churches there. It took about 3 tries and the help of a taxi driver, as we had the wrong impression. There are 3 bus stations close to each other, but we finally got the right one and were on our way. The bus is inexpensive and saved us a climb up the hill.

I was very lucky my friend had her guide book and knew which churches we needed to see and the best path to link them all. Admittedly, I haven't done much research for Israel. We started at the Chapel of the Ascension (there are two) but you want the one not by the Russian monastery. The Chapel of the Ascension is actually tucked away behind a gate. There's a stone there that marks the spot where Jesus is believed to have ascended into heaven. We also went to the one the Russian Monastery, but it was more of an interesting view. We also had to wear skirts which was a bit strange. They had some loaner ones where you wrap the fabric around your waist, over your jeans.

Next stop, a really cool place, Pater Noster Church. Pater Noster means "Our Father" and inside this Roman Catholic Church is "Our Father" in numerous languages ranging from English to Chinese to Korean to various European and African languages. You'll even find Farsi and Burmese. There is a small fee, but it's very cool inside. You can also leave prayers with the Carmelite monastery and the nuns will pray on your behalf.

We tried to go the Church of Mary Magdelene next even though it was closed, as we'd hoped to get some outside photos. This is the Russian church with the gold onion tombs on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. No luck though, so we moved on to the Gardens of Gethsemane and the Church of all Nations. The Gardens where Jesus is said to have been praying when he was betrayed isn't too much to look at but the church is stunning. Have a seat in the sombre setting and take in the mosaics, especially that of "The Kiss of Judas", "Christ in Agony Being Comforted by an Angel" and "The Arrest of Jesus"

Exiting the church, we hurried down the street and just made it in to see the Tomb of the Virgin Mary before it closed. After entering the doors, head down the steps into a very cool chamber, decorated with lamps. Mary's tomb is off to your right, but the line up isn't very long. There's also one way one and one way out which helps keep the line moving.

Tonight, we took in the King David night show at the Tower of David. Images are projected right onto the walls of the citadel using 14 projectors, creating a very cool 3D effect. Sometimes the figures were so real they were like ghostly figures actually dancing in the citadel walkways. Photos aren't supposed to be allowed, but we snuck in a few to show people what it looks like. A very cool way to end the night before a late dinner.Baca selengkapnya