Day 3, Monday, March 5, 2018 - Jerusalem and Bethlahem
We slept surprisingly well and didn't wake up until the alarm went off at 6am. Even my mother was still sleeping, a rarity. The weather is perfect again today, clear and sunny with temperatures in the 70s.
The breakfast buffet at the hotel was amazing, with half a dozen hot dishes, many cheeses (probably non-cow as the food is kosher), yoghurts, fresh fruit, rolls, salads, 6 kinds of Halvah. Everything was delicious.
Our first stop was the Mount of Olives which has a commanding view of the old city with the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque. There are churches marking the site of Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives is also where Jesus is said to have ascended into heaven although there are three different spots claimed by the Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Lutherans. We were surprised to see a large Lutheran complex at the top but this was due to Kaiser Wilhelm(?) coming to Jerusalem in the 1800s.
The next stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which marks Golgatha / Calvary, the site of the crucifixion. We were able to see the hole in the ground where Jesus' cross was, the slab on which he was prepared for burial and enclosure above Jesus' tomb. We didn't go in to see Jesus' tomb as the line would have taken hours. We also saw where Adam was buried and behind it, a crack in the rock from the earthquake at the time of Jesus' death. Many pilgrims were wiping cloths on the slab where Jesus was prepared for burial (it is actually underneath) as this is supposed to bring healing when brought back.
We had lunch at a Kibbutz although it wasn't what one usually thinks of as a Kibbutz. It is largely a commercial enterprise to provide meals for the tour buses and also has a large hotel. It is also the site of a place where Mary was alleged to have stopped while on her way to Bethlehem.
After lunch we took the bus to Bethlehem. Our tour guide had to get off as he isn't allowed in the Palestinian-controlled area of the West Bank. At the checkpoint to the Palestinian area one can see the wall to keep the Palestinian terrorists out of Israel. Just on the other side is "The Wall Hotel", with the wall just a few feet in front of the hotel entrance. This is probably the kind of wall that Trump wants. In Bethlehem, we were met by Elias, a Palestinian tour guide who took us to the Church of the Nativity. Elias is a Palestinian Christian who had lived in Gaza but came to the West Bank 10 years ago when his family was threatened by Hamas and one of his co-workers at the church was murdered by Hamas. He was an interesting guide as he is very committed to his faith.
The Church of the Nativity is built over the cave where Jesus was buried. The construction of the church was ordered by the Roman emperor Constantine and was completed in 339AD. It is said to be the oldest continuously operating Christian church in the world. It has been damaged and rebuilt numerous times although much of the structure from the 4th century is still there. There are mosaics discovered under the floor and beautiful mosaics on the walls from the time of the crusades. There is even graffiti from the crusaders in the 13th century. There was quite a wait to get into the basement where one can touch a metal star over the spot where Jesus was born. On the other side is a manger marking where Jesus' manger was placed. This gives the pilgrims great comfort but I'm afraid I'm a bit too cynical in thinking about all this.
We took the bus back to the hotel for a lecture by a leading Israeli scholar about social issues in Israel today. Israel also has considerable income inequality with a large portion of the wealth held by 17 families.
This was followed by another delicious buffet dinner.
Our tour guide had said that craft beer was becoming popular in Israel and told us about a place at "First Station" that had local beers. The "First Station" was constructed by the Ottomans in the late 1800s and was in operation until 1989 when it was discontinued. It was redeveloped as an entertainment area with restaurants, bars and shops. We were fortunately able to find the pub with a number of local beers on tap - I had an IPA which was tasty.
The breakfast buffet at the hotel was amazing, with half a dozen hot dishes, many cheeses (probably non-cow as the food is kosher), yoghurts, fresh fruit, rolls, salads, 6 kinds of Halvah. Everything was delicious.
Our first stop was the Mount of Olives which has a commanding view of the old city with the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque. There are churches marking the site of Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives is also where Jesus is said to have ascended into heaven although there are three different spots claimed by the Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Lutherans. We were surprised to see a large Lutheran complex at the top but this was due to Kaiser Wilhelm(?) coming to Jerusalem in the 1800s.
The next stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which marks Golgatha / Calvary, the site of the crucifixion. We were able to see the hole in the ground where Jesus' cross was, the slab on which he was prepared for burial and enclosure above Jesus' tomb. We didn't go in to see Jesus' tomb as the line would have taken hours. We also saw where Adam was buried and behind it, a crack in the rock from the earthquake at the time of Jesus' death. Many pilgrims were wiping cloths on the slab where Jesus was prepared for burial (it is actually underneath) as this is supposed to bring healing when brought back.
We had lunch at a Kibbutz although it wasn't what one usually thinks of as a Kibbutz. It is largely a commercial enterprise to provide meals for the tour buses and also has a large hotel. It is also the site of a place where Mary was alleged to have stopped while on her way to Bethlehem.
After lunch we took the bus to Bethlehem. Our tour guide had to get off as he isn't allowed in the Palestinian-controlled area of the West Bank. At the checkpoint to the Palestinian area one can see the wall to keep the Palestinian terrorists out of Israel. Just on the other side is "The Wall Hotel", with the wall just a few feet in front of the hotel entrance. This is probably the kind of wall that Trump wants. In Bethlehem, we were met by Elias, a Palestinian tour guide who took us to the Church of the Nativity. Elias is a Palestinian Christian who had lived in Gaza but came to the West Bank 10 years ago when his family was threatened by Hamas and one of his co-workers at the church was murdered by Hamas. He was an interesting guide as he is very committed to his faith.
The Church of the Nativity is built over the cave where Jesus was buried. The construction of the church was ordered by the Roman emperor Constantine and was completed in 339AD. It is said to be the oldest continuously operating Christian church in the world. It has been damaged and rebuilt numerous times although much of the structure from the 4th century is still there. There are mosaics discovered under the floor and beautiful mosaics on the walls from the time of the crusades. There is even graffiti from the crusaders in the 13th century. There was quite a wait to get into the basement where one can touch a metal star over the spot where Jesus was born. On the other side is a manger marking where Jesus' manger was placed. This gives the pilgrims great comfort but I'm afraid I'm a bit too cynical in thinking about all this.
We took the bus back to the hotel for a lecture by a leading Israeli scholar about social issues in Israel today. Israel also has considerable income inequality with a large portion of the wealth held by 17 families.
This was followed by another delicious buffet dinner.
Our tour guide had said that craft beer was becoming popular in Israel and told us about a place at "First Station" that had local beers. The "First Station" was constructed by the Ottomans in the late 1800s and was in operation until 1989 when it was discontinued. It was redeveloped as an entertainment area with restaurants, bars and shops. We were fortunately able to find the pub with a number of local beers on tap - I had an IPA which was tasty.
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| Cheeses on breakfast buffet |
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| Dome of the Rock from the Mount of Olives |
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| Touching the spot of Jesus' cross |
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| Site of Jesus' birth |
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