Daily Archives

19 February 2009

Jerusalem

Ye Olde City

19 February 2009
After much sightseeing, we of course we through the Old City. I love the Old City. Just wandering around and shopping there is my most favorite thing to do. There are so many cool things to see.
And look at this wall. Is that not cool or what?
There are some sweet rings around here do. Check out these beastly ones. Aren’t they the coolest?
Here’s Marianne and I in a jewelry shop with a lot a lot of beads. You just tell the guys what you want and they’ll make you sweet earrings and they’d probably do necklaces and bracelets too. Pick whatever beautiful stones you want. I got two pairs of lovely earrings today for 10 sheks each, which is only $2.50. Pretty good prices here in the Holy Land.
Another favorite Old City purchase of mine is nuts. I love them. Yummy yummy. I buy these ones that we call love nuts, but I’ve also heard them be called sycamore nuts. They have other ones just like them that are more peanuty and they are goooood. And some of the almonds are just delightful. I am loving those nuts these days.
Then we went to West Jerusalem today, which is way way more modernized than East Jeru and Old City. But West Jeru is kinda just like a regular city, but cooler, and with cooler stuff in the shops. The Old City is my favorite.
Here’s Kara and I next to a grafitied wall in West Jeru today. I was trying to be one of the Hebrew characters. I think I need more practice.

Shopping here is fun fun fun. Everything is just really cheap. Today I bought cool things too, a new bag being one my favorites. Ok, the ring is lovely too, and the little stuffed camel and funny Jerusalem pen are a crack up. Speaking of crack, I think the nuts were one of my favorite purchases or the day. Hmm, I think I want some now…

Jerusalem

Mary-ing

19 February 2009

After our one hour Old Testament class, I did some serious sightseeing. I went to a lot of places of a lot of Marys. I went to the Church of Mary Magdalene, Old Roman Road, Church of All Nations, Garden of Gethsemane, Mary’s Tomb, Gethsemane Grotto, birthplace of Virgin Mary, St. Anne’s Church, and the Pools of Bethesda. It was quite a productive day. And then after that, I wandered around the Old City, bought some goods, and then went to West Jerusalem for a while too. I was gone for eight hours today, a very long day, but a good one, as always.

walking up to the Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene

The church is beautiful. It has I think seven gold onion things on the top. It was beautiful inside too. I’ve never seen such amazing churches.

This guy there had this crazy jacket. I secretly took a picture of it. I am so stealth.

These few steps my feet are on are part of the Old Roman Road. You might notice a cat in the picture as well. They’re all over Jerusalem.
Christ walked on these very steps on his way to Bethany.
I walked on them too.
Next we stopped at the Church of All Nations. These churches are so amazing inside. They would take so much work to build them and make them all beautiful.

a pretty door at the church

This is apparently the Garden of Gethsemane, which I didn’t know. It was just a small little courtyard looking thing. But there’s another place that is privately owned or something that they think is the more likely the place of the atonement.

This was in Mary’s tomb. There were all these chandeliery things all over the ceiling, all over.
Janay and I outside where her tomb is. Beautiful.
Mary’s tomb, though I’m not sure which Mary. And I don’t think they’re positivo that this is the place. There’s a lot of Mary sites around here. I hit them all up today too.

There was a monk from Greece there that we talked to for a while, and we got a picture with him. Yep, it’s pretty cool being here.

This leads into the Gethsemane Grotto, which was pretty cool beans. It’s kinda just like a big cave. But it’s the spot where Jesus came a lot when he was in Jerusalem, and it’s where Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and I think Jesus was arrested from here too.

Birthplace of the virgin Mary. Wow, it makes me love hospitals. I don’t think I’d like giving birth in a cave. No wonder Anne became a Saint.

This was at St. Anne’s Church, another beautiful one. I love all of these amazing churches here, and all of these significant historical sites.
At the Pools of Bethesda, which really aren’t pools anymore, unless it rains a lot. But there are ruins like crazy. Awesome possum.

These pools are where Christ healed the man who had been ill for 38 years. I was here.

Before shopping, Bethesda was the last place we went. I love ruins.

We also tried to go to Dome of the Rock today, but we finally made it to where we were supposed to enter, and the line was really long, and it was closing in a 1/2 hour, so we decided to go a different day. But all of the sightseeing I did today was great. I saw a lot of good Mary stuff. I love being here in this city so much.