"Squeeze the World"
Sunday, July 09, 2006
first two days
So, my first introduction to Israeli culture was an ice coffee in the Tel Aviv airport. Since I hadn't slept since the Seattle-London flight, a bit of caffeine was a pleasant boost. They aren't much different from granitas, and they are everywhere here. After loading the bags, we drove immediately to Jerusalem. The hostel we stayed in was across the street from the last bit of Herod's huge palace. The actual hostel was in the same location as his guest home. It's amazing how small Old City Jerusalem is for all the history it holds.
We walked down to a tourist center called "City of David" where they give a great layout of how the city looked during David's reign and how he captured it from the Jebusites. We walked through the same water tunnels Joab used to penetrate the city, and had a glimpse at Hezekiah's tunnel. Afterwards, we visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was quite an eye-opener, especially since I'm used to reading about Corrie ten Boon, and the rest of the "righteous gentiles," and I hadn't known just how much persecution Jews have endured from Christianity over time, from both Catholics and Protestants. I wish I had been more awake for this since halfway through I had to concentrate more on staying upright than what I was seeing.
After a much needed sleep, we went to the top of Mt. Olives and we all had camel rides. Good fun, though not exactly comfortable. We had a great view of the city from there, and it was a great observation point to discuss the temple. We then walked back to the city through the Kidron Valley, which is much more shallow than in Bible times. As we passed through the valley, the many mosques of Jerusalem were all calling their devout to prayer. The songs echoing through the valley made quite an effect as I saw all the monuments of history around me.
Upon our entry to the city, we walked along the Via Deloresa and visited several cathedrals of interesting origins, such as St. Mary's resting place, and the point where St. Veronica wiped Jesus' brow. St. Anne's Cathedral really was amazing, though. It's completely unsymmetrical, yet has survived many periods of capture and uses. Also, it has the best acoustics I have ever heard.
The Garden Tomb was a great stop, just what a religious historical site should be. Run by a non-denominational group, our guide merely laid out the facts and descriptions given in scripture and showed us how they could apply to that area. And, even if it isn't the actual site, they've uncovered the third largest water cistern in Jerusalem and an impressive wine-press from the first century. It was a huge contrast to the Holy Sepulcher, which we visited immediately afterward.
This is another prospective claim of Jesus' crucification and burial, but it greatly lacked the facts given by the Garden Tomb. Nevertheless, it is claimed the first most holy site of Christiandom. It is predominately Greek Orthodox, though there are chapels for other sects, which has caused more than a few problems over time. For example, above the door from the main courtyard sits a ladder that has rested there for over a century. Someone went to fix a window once, and it sparked a huge argument as a different sect felt that their space was being intruded upon. I stood in line with Brian to enter the tomb (everyone else wanted to sit) but the priest at the entrance wouldn't let us in because I had too much arm showing and he wore shorts. We went back the next day and I wore long shorts and a tank top, covering my arms with a long scarf. He gave me a cloak to wrap around my legs and let us through.
What really touched me was the Western Wall. I'm used to the americanized Jews back home, and I really cannot connect to the flocks of Orthodox Jews on the street, especially when they cover their eyes so they can avoid seeing us. But to see young girls so much like the ones I've prayed over at Lost Lake Camp for so many years and to see the same reverence on their faces, as well as the old women clinging to the stones of the wall, the intense emotion really hit me. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to spend there since we had an appointment to walk along the wall, under the Muslim Quarter. It is so amazing how many layers of history are preserved in such a small area.
We walked down to a tourist center called "City of David" where they give a great layout of how the city looked during David's reign and how he captured it from the Jebusites. We walked through the same water tunnels Joab used to penetrate the city, and had a glimpse at Hezekiah's tunnel. Afterwards, we visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was quite an eye-opener, especially since I'm used to reading about Corrie ten Boon, and the rest of the "righteous gentiles," and I hadn't known just how much persecution Jews have endured from Christianity over time, from both Catholics and Protestants. I wish I had been more awake for this since halfway through I had to concentrate more on staying upright than what I was seeing.
After a much needed sleep, we went to the top of Mt. Olives and we all had camel rides. Good fun, though not exactly comfortable. We had a great view of the city from there, and it was a great observation point to discuss the temple. We then walked back to the city through the Kidron Valley, which is much more shallow than in Bible times. As we passed through the valley, the many mosques of Jerusalem were all calling their devout to prayer. The songs echoing through the valley made quite an effect as I saw all the monuments of history around me.
Upon our entry to the city, we walked along the Via Deloresa and visited several cathedrals of interesting origins, such as St. Mary's resting place, and the point where St. Veronica wiped Jesus' brow. St. Anne's Cathedral really was amazing, though. It's completely unsymmetrical, yet has survived many periods of capture and uses. Also, it has the best acoustics I have ever heard.
The Garden Tomb was a great stop, just what a religious historical site should be. Run by a non-denominational group, our guide merely laid out the facts and descriptions given in scripture and showed us how they could apply to that area. And, even if it isn't the actual site, they've uncovered the third largest water cistern in Jerusalem and an impressive wine-press from the first century. It was a huge contrast to the Holy Sepulcher, which we visited immediately afterward.
This is another prospective claim of Jesus' crucification and burial, but it greatly lacked the facts given by the Garden Tomb. Nevertheless, it is claimed the first most holy site of Christiandom. It is predominately Greek Orthodox, though there are chapels for other sects, which has caused more than a few problems over time. For example, above the door from the main courtyard sits a ladder that has rested there for over a century. Someone went to fix a window once, and it sparked a huge argument as a different sect felt that their space was being intruded upon. I stood in line with Brian to enter the tomb (everyone else wanted to sit) but the priest at the entrance wouldn't let us in because I had too much arm showing and he wore shorts. We went back the next day and I wore long shorts and a tank top, covering my arms with a long scarf. He gave me a cloak to wrap around my legs and let us through.
What really touched me was the Western Wall. I'm used to the americanized Jews back home, and I really cannot connect to the flocks of Orthodox Jews on the street, especially when they cover their eyes so they can avoid seeing us. But to see young girls so much like the ones I've prayed over at Lost Lake Camp for so many years and to see the same reverence on their faces, as well as the old women clinging to the stones of the wall, the intense emotion really hit me. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to spend there since we had an appointment to walk along the wall, under the Muslim Quarter. It is so amazing how many layers of history are preserved in such a small area.
A, 4:16 PM
1 Comments:
Hi sis! Happy Birthday! I'm pretty damn jealous about the camel ride. I love you!!!! I can't wait to hear more! Happy 19th! Write soon!
