|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Day 6 (June 1, '08): Today we spent most of the day in and around the old city of Jerusalem. We began at the Mt. of Olives, which is a significant place in both the Old and New Testaments. The view of the city from the Mount of Olives is breathtaking, and the largest Jewish cemetary in the world is located there. From there, we walked the Palm Sunday Path, which is thought to be the route that Jesus took from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. On the way down the path, we stopped at the Dominus Flavius Church (Teardrop Church), which is the site where Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. The modern church is built on top of Byzantine remains that were present during the the time of Christ. The path ends at the Garden of Gethsemane, which is where the "passion" of Jesus took place, prior to his arrest. The olive trees that are present in the garden have roots that have been dated back to the time of Christ. Next to the garden is the Church of All Nations, which holds the rock where it is believed Christ knelt and prayed on in the garden. Visible from the steps of the church is the Eastern Gate, where Jesus entered the city on Palm Sunday - the gate is the only one of eight into the city that is closed. Next, we entered the Armenian quarter to see the Upper Room, the place where the Last Supper and Pentecost took place. The room has been rebuilt many times, by several different groups, but it is widely believed that the site is correct. Below the upper room is the Tomb of David, which we also saw. For lunch, we went to the Jewish quarter for more falafels...I'm getting kind of addicted to them! :) After lunch we went to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) to place prayers, and to the Davidson Center to learn more about the Temple Mount.
|