Jerusalem Day 3

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I have had another full day here in Jerusalem. Today I walked around on my own, following up on some of the sights I saw with the tour yesterday and seeing some new things, too. I followed more of the Via Dolorosa and stopped in at the Crusader-built church of St. Anne. The latter is located next to the Pool of Bethesda, a site mentioned in the Bible as a place where Jesus healed the sick. I walked through the Muslim Quarter and then went to see the Western Wall up close. (Yesterday I had only seen it from a distance.) It was just like in the pictures with numerous Hasidic men rocking and praying. I visited several archaeological sites around the city over the course of the day. They contain Jewish, Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, or Ottoman ruins - and often times a combination of all of those. I had lunch under the trees in a pleasant little square in the Jewish Quarter. (See picture) I had large salad called the "King David Salad". It was vegetarian and delicious. I ended the day at the Jaffa Gate where there is a museum with a concise and well-presented history of Jerusalem. I had intended to see this exhibit early in my stay, but I think I appreciated it more after having spent two full days in the city. There were some spectacular sunset views from the museum's tower (see picture) and I can see how a person could come to love Jerusalem.

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