TODAY WAS AMAZING!!!! Wow, I love my life. It started out with a run around town with about 25 other people. After we had this amazing oatmeal-fruit-concoction swimming in milk that was to die for. We headed to town to get Shekels and walk on top of the wall. To get ready we dressed like typical tourists and I loved it! I wish so badly these pictures could work for y’all to see, because we looked ridiculous. Fanny Pack, necklace with phone and student I.D., and gallon water bottle strung around our shoulder. We were quite a beautiful 50ish bunch to see. We started out at 8:30 and by the time we were to the Kidron Valley oh, 3 mintues walk down we were already sweaty, and then we had to hike up the massive hill all the way around the wall to the safe entrance to exchange money. I think sweating is just a part of life, and now don’t think it’s disgusting. It’s actually hilarious when all of us are trudging along with dark spots on our shirts the size of China, and our whole face drenched in sweat. It builds character =) We had no idea if we got a good deal or not exchanging money, which is one of the disadvantages of being a “tourist/student”. We’ll learn quickly. Ah, This town is gorgeous. I love it. It’s very filled with trash and weird smells (Michelle, hate to break it to you but I KNOW couldn’t do it here!) but really I love it so much already. There is so so much to see and experience. The culture is like nothing else. The people are so different and amazing. We have to have guys with us at all times, especially today because it’s a holiday in town, and it’s so busy. I was so thoroughly impressed with the guys that were with us. They took such good care of us, making sure we all were always there and constantly watching for pick-pocketers and other strange men. I would not feel safe without them though. The men here… yeah. That’s all. I constantly have to be aware, and not look at any men in the eyes. The guys that are with us which we have about 2.85 girl ratio to every guy, they take such good care of us. I could go on forever about them. So glad they’re here, and are so wonderful!
So we started today with a walk on top of the walled city. It’s was so interesting to see where hundreds and thousands of men fought from. There are open spaces about 4 inches every couple of feet for armies to shoot out arrows back in the day and we got to walk all along it for about 40-50 minutes. At the end of the walk the view was phenomenal. I wish I could post the pictures so so badly. We could see all the domed houses with hundreds of satellites and the bright gold Dome of the Rock in the distance.
Great picture opportunity! It’s so crazy the different lives that people live if you are inside the city vs. out. It was so cool to stand on the wall and look inside feeling like we go back in time and as soon as we took out of the city its modern buildings, and a modern world! Following the walk we went to Zedekiahs cave or Solomon's Quarries which runs about 5 blocks under the city where all the rock for the temple in ancient days was quarried from. I Can’t imagine what hard work it would have been for these people to get the rock out. It was a steep down hill! According to Wikipedia one legend is that “the cave was a hiding place of King Zedekiah (a 6th Century BC Judean king) Zedekiah tried to escape from the troops sent by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem. There was a cave from the palace of Zedekiah to the plain of Jericho and he fled through the cave. God sent a buck running along the surface on top of the cave as Zedekiah was walking down below. The soldiers chased the buck and arrived at the exit of the cave just as Zedekiah was coming out, enabling them to capture and blind him.”
This is kind of cool to relate to the Book Of Mormon with Zedekiah’s son, Mulek escaping and this is the place Zedekiah could hide out.
We spend hours in the Old city on a search for our genie pants! We were in the wrong side of town and looked everywhere. Sweet Mike shopped with about 8 girls looking for these ridiculous pants. He never complained once until Becca had him hold her purse while trying on some pants and he said, “okay I haven’t held a girls purse unless it was my girlfriends. We’re going a little far here!” Then after he apologized for whining. He is a serious sweetheart. He’s just practicing to be a husband one day! I also believe that he really did scare off a couple guys and got a couple hollers from other men such as, “You lucky guy! All these ladies!” goodness gracious…
Bargaining was a real treat. I have always felt intimidated in the past because my dad would do it for me, but I think I did pretty well today! My blow dryer blew out first day and I am in desperate need so I asked this kid how much and he said 400 shekels which is about $108 American dollars and I said “WHAT!? No way!” “okay how much for it?” “10 shekels” which is just a couple dollars “okay.” Woohoo! I just struck the best deal in the world! Then his dad came around the corner yelling at him in Hebrew and shooed him away. They want $40 American dollars for a blow dryer! No way Jose. I found one at a different shop for about $15. It was awesome.
We got to visit the Holy Seplicur and learned a lot of history from Mike about it. This is where it is believed that Christ was crucified, laid, and buried according to the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Ethiopian Coptic people. There was a stairway leading down below the ground and we sauntered down while Mike explained that this is where emperor Constantine’s mother, Saint Helen was buried. She is the one responsible for naming the exact places that Christ had these events happen to him. It was incredible to see the people’s utter devotion and worshiping, crying, kissing and brushing scarves over the place where Christ’s body was laid.
We were all very tired and sweaty heading back to the Jerusalem Center. Such a successful day! We got back drenched and it felt incredible to sit down! Now to buckle down for hours of homework in my amazing genie pants.
Great picture opportunity! It’s so crazy the different lives that people live if you are inside the city vs. out. It was so cool to stand on the wall and look inside feeling like we go back in time and as soon as we took out of the city its modern buildings, and a modern world! Following the walk we went to Zedekiahs cave or Solomon's Quarries which runs about 5 blocks under the city where all the rock for the temple in ancient days was quarried from. I Can’t imagine what hard work it would have been for these people to get the rock out. It was a steep down hill! According to Wikipedia one legend is that “the cave was a hiding place of King Zedekiah (a 6th Century BC Judean king) Zedekiah tried to escape from the troops sent by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem. There was a cave from the palace of Zedekiah to the plain of Jericho and he fled through the cave. God sent a buck running along the surface on top of the cave as Zedekiah was walking down below. The soldiers chased the buck and arrived at the exit of the cave just as Zedekiah was coming out, enabling them to capture and blind him.”
This is kind of cool to relate to the Book Of Mormon with Zedekiah’s son, Mulek escaping and this is the place Zedekiah could hide out.
We got to visit the Holy Seplicur and learned a lot of history from Mike about it. This is where it is believed that Christ was crucified, laid, and buried according to the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Ethiopian Coptic people. There was a stairway leading down below the ground and we sauntered down while Mike explained that this is where emperor Constantine’s mother, Saint Helen was buried. She is the one responsible for naming the exact places that Christ had these events happen to him. It was incredible to see the people’s utter devotion and worshiping, crying, kissing and brushing scarves over the place where Christ’s body was laid.
Megs, Dad and I are sitting here devouring every word. What a blast you had in Jerusalem. You are being EDUCATED in ways you never knew were possible. Good job on the bargaining! Dad's proud of you. We're headed to facebook now to see if you got your photos posted at the Hebrew University. We need to SEEE you! xoxoxo
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