OLD CITY JERUSALEM - DAY 6

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EXPLORE OLD JERUSALEM - DAY 6

First, to those who read day 5, my problem with loading pictures was solved when I switched browsers, lesson - have at least two. The funeral I mentioned was for a 93 year old Rabbi with a great following; there were an estimated 800,000 people lining the roads for his funeral procession.

For three of the world’s great religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity, Jerusalem is a holy city of incredible significance. Our group of 32 was split into two sections with my tour guide being Niki, who continued the reputation of excellent tour guides with Tauck. We began the walking tour by entering the Old City through the Jaffa Gate and went to the Tower of David. The Old City is, indeed, old. The history goes back several millennia and the walls can go back more than 2,000 years. Settlements outside the walls began only since about 1860 and have established the new city of Jerusalem. The view from the tower is spectacular and almost all the holy historical sites are in view. One thing, of many, that has impressed me is the nearness of most sites to each other. It shouldn’t have surprised me, because the primary mode of transportation was walking, but it did.

We next went to the Jewish Quarter and visited Jewish Synagogues and we heard of the history of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. The history here is so intense that it is impossible for me to comprehend the totality. It would take a long time to digest the whole of the history of this place I’m visiting for just a few days. Then another fine lunch at the Quarter Café with a great view of the Old City. A short walk to the Western Wall took us to the place where people placed prayers into the wall (I did write a prayer for all my friends, so you are remembered in my prayer I placed in the wall).

Our walking tour ended as we exited the Dung Gate, but we’ll be back tomorrow. We got on the bus and drove to the Mount of Olives for a group photo and taking some of our own photos while looking down on the Old City. A short drive took us to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of Our Lord’s Agony. The short trip back to the hotel to rest a little before dinner was the end of the tour for today.

Included dinner was ordered ala carte from the fine dining restaurant at the hotel, Scala. My main dish was lamb osso bucco. Another very good meal. Tomorrow we start early so as to get a head start on the crowds at the more popular destinations. ILYS

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Photos

DAVID CITADEL HOTEL
FROM THE TOWER OF DAVID

TOUR GUIDE NIKI
EXPLAINING JEWISH TRADITIONS IN SYNAGOGUE

VIEW OF THE OLD CITY
FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Comments

[Marcy]

Try to absorb it all
We\'re finally back from China and surprised to see where you are. Talk about jet lag! Israel is such an exciting and interesting country especially Jerusalem. We\'ll compare notes when you return.