A Biblical Day

Another rainy, cold day in Jerusalem, but not as cold and certainly not as windy as yesterday. Not great weather for sightseeing, but we were not about to spend another day in our hotel room. Thus, we ventured, at long last, into the Old City, which is made up of the Jewish, Armenian, Christian and Muslim districts.

We entered through the Damascus Gate in the Muslim quarter, a maze of alleyways and souks, with wafting aromas of spices and grilled food.

The Damascus Gate, one of four entryways into the Old City

The Arab Quarter

Al Aqsa

Did some necessary shopping, then had lunch at The Sultan’s restaurant, before getting into the inevitably religious aspect of every visit to the Old City, which is holy to Christians, Muslims, and Jews alike. Throughout, the way was often patrolled by young Israeli Army enlistees carrying UZI rifles; they seemed mostly, quite polite.

A very fuzzy shot of Sugar the Cat at a café spot

Walking along the Via Dolorosa – the road taken by Jesus as he was carrying the cross – and stopping at a number of stations, indicating where He fell, where He met his mother, where Veronica wiped his face, and others, we came to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is divided in two parts; the Chapel of the Angel, and the inner room where his tomb is located and from where He resurrected. Even if one is not a fundamentally religious person, one cannot help but being immensely moved in such an awe-inspiring locale.

Where Jesus was condemned to death

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Entrance to the church

The rock slab where Jesus is believed to have been laid on after being taken from the cross.

A long line of pilgrims waiting to enter the tomb of Jesus

From there we headed to Judaism’s holiest place, the Wailing Wall, here called the Western Wall. It is the remnant wall of the ancient temple. Here on a normal day, you would see hundreds of devout Jews praying and leaving notes of prayer inside the fissures of its stones. Today however, on account of the persistent rain, there were only a limited few.

Children at play in the Jewish quarter

Prayers left in the Wailing Wall

Praying at the Wailing Wall

A bit of Jewish humor

T-shirt for Jewish Celtics fans (lol)

Not far from the Wall, is one of the holiest places of Islam, the Dome of the Rock, with the Mount of Olives as its background. The inlaid mosaics that make up its exterior walls are magnificent. It was however closed to non-Muslims for the afternoon.

Dome of the Rock

While we do have a car, we were told we could not access the Palestinian Territories in the vehicle. We had wanted to visit Bethlehem, so in mid-afternoon we took a bus to get there. It was another incredible experience. Once there, we hired a driver to take us to the main sites. From him we learned of the struggles of the Palestinian people living here. They are essentially prisoners in their own land, unable to travel outside of it, unless they can obtain special permits that are very difficult to come by. Checkpoints are located on every road entering and exiting the territories.

A square in Bethlehem

Our first stop was the Church of the Nativity, built upon the purported site of Jesus’ birthplace. I’m at a loss of words to describe the depth of emotion one feels in such a place, a feeling matched only a few hours earlier at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Church of the Nativity

This is purportedly the spot where Jesus' manger birthplace was sited

Our next stop was at the Milk Grotto. This is where the Holy Family hid, while Jesus was being nurtured, from Herod’s soldiers who had been ordered to kill all newborns in the city. From here they then escaped to Egypt. Another deeply moving site. Nuns were singing inside.

Entry to the Milk Grotto

Then it was on to another very touching site, one considerably more modern and painful to witness. The Wall separating Palestine from Israel. It’s a shame that two such different realities coexist in the same country. We have found most people, either Arab or Jews, to be most kind and eager to live in peace with one another. Yet politics usually do not follow the will of the people, but only that of those in power. It’s a struggle that humanity has thus far been unable to come to terms with.

Wall art. You may recognize the character on the far left.

The wall separating Israel from Palestinian Territories

Our driver said "This is the Holy Land, but it is not Paradise.

I think I have babbled long enough in completing today’s blog, I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave a “like” below. Thank You and Good Night.