The Last Days

Shalom from the top of the Mount of Olives!

We had a jam packed day today and that was out first stop. The view was incredible and there was even a camel and a "Jesus taxi." 

Jesus Taxi

We were taking the path down the mount in reverse of the path that Jesus would have taken up the mount on his last days. It was a gorgeous walk in the morning and we passed many biblical sites along the way. One of which being the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Now if you want to feel close to Jesus, this is the place to go. It's indescribable because you can really feel His presence and see where He spent his sacred time. It's hard to go into detail because each person experiences it differently but I personally could feel the weight of the ground I was standing on. I will just post pictures of the ground and the church because it is too hard to describe.

We saw several tombs again today before heading to the city if David. It was a really pretty place but the main reason we were there was to go through Hezekiah's tunnel. King Hezekiah built this ancient water way in the bedrock for the city and you can still walk through it today. Now I wasn't sure what I was getting into and vastly underestimated what it was. When we entered the underground tunnel, we couldn't see a thing. It was pitch black. We decided that ignoring the "flashlights are required sign was a really bad idea. Nonetheless we proceeded through the tunnel by shouting directions at each other like "Ouch! Duck!" when the celings got low or when the walls got narrower. The walls touched my shoulders on both sides!

Heading into the tunnel!

There's the water!

So tight! (Crazy eyes again...)

We made it through the tunnel which was quite an experience to say the least and ended up at the Pool of Siloam. That was also a place that felt very close to Christ. All that was left were ancient stairs that led into the pool but it was a place that Jesus spent his time and even healed people. Very cool to say the least. 

The final part of our day was spent seeing a few more famous Jesus places. We went to the room where the last supper is believed to have taken place. 

We also saw the area of the ancient wall that was believed to be the place where Pontius Pilate gave his judgement on Jesus and the area that would have been the jail that Jesus was beaten in. It's hard to see that now because all that is left are steps that lead to nowhere but if it was able to be excavated, more stairs and the barracks could be uncovered. 

At the end of the day, we visited our favorite Armenian potter an shopped some more before stopping in for a quick second at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There was a service going on so we weren't able to stay long but I will be going back soon! 

Needless to say we had a very busy day but it is now Shabbot, the holy day, so the city is very quiet. Tomorrow is the trip to the Dead Sea and I cannot wait! I will most definitely be blogging about that!

Mikvah: Hebrew word for a baptismal pool

Shalom Shabbot!