Jerusalem & Bethlehem



Praying at the Western Wall



Dome of the Rock



Church of the Nativity



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Garden of Gethsemane



Church of the Holy Sepulchre


We began our day at the Garden of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives. The big olive tree in the picture is 2000 years old. It was there when Jesus prayed the night before His crucifixion. The size of the Garden is now 10% of its original size. The Church of Nations built on the Mount of Olives is beautifully designed inside and out. The inside is designed to look like what the Garden looked like when Jesus was arrested. The ceiling looks like a starry night. There are also murals depicting the Apostles sleeping while Jesus prayed and another mural showing Judas betrayal of Jesus.
  From here we were taken to Old Jerusalem. Inside the ancient gate we walk to the Western Wall where, because today is Thursday, we are told that Bar Mitvahs are occurring. On the right side the women are praying. On the left side are the men and their thirteen year old sons reciting from the Bible. It's a beautiful scene. The mothers, aunts, sisters stand on benches to look onto the left side to watch their boys. The Western Wall is what remains of the second temple which existed in Jesus time.
  Walking distance from the Western Wall is the Via De La Rosa (Stations of the Cross) where Jesus carried His cross to His crucifixion. The street is narrow and cobblestoned. There are shops all along the way leading up to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It's quite an experience to walk the same street as Jesus did  2000 years ago. The Church is shared by 8 Christian denominations.  A Muslim family holds the key to the church. They open and close it every day. That way there is no disputes between the 8 denominations. On the Greek Orthodox side ithe altar has a large silver crucifix on the exact spot of Jesus Crucifixion. 
  Bethlehem was our afternoon excursion. The town of Bethlehem is owned by the Palestinians. We saw the Church of the Nativity, site of where Jesus was born. There are many Christian Palestinians with some restrictions in Bethlehem. We were happy to be able to shop in one of their Bethlehem shops where we found some beautiful olive wood creations of nativity scenes and the Jerusalem Cross.