Jordan, Dec. 10 (Part 1)

I don' think I ever mentioned that I put a new album on our pictures page, which includes some from softball's opening ceremony and International Day at school.

- Woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel around 8a.m. Walked through a conservative Jewish section toward the Old City.
-Paid to walk on top of the city wall (16 ILS each), which surrounds the Old City. We walk clear from the Jaffa gate to the Golden gate (I think- I've got to check the map). Saw a good bit of the old city and its surroundings this way. Kyle hit his head on a narrow doorway and we thought he was going to pass out. He swore, but he didn't pass out.
- Walked down Jericho Road to the Garden of Gethsemane. The trees there were SO old, but probably planted just a few hundred years ago. There's a basilica built next to it, and across the road is the Temple Mount.
- Hiked UP the Mt. of Olives, which proved to be tiring, but rewarding. From the view at the top, one can see all of Jerusalem. Is this what Jesus saw, plus a few Peugeots?
- We walked back into the old city, and up parts of the Via Dolorosa. Talked to a few vendors, and ate felafel sandwiches and lentil soup for lunch. Did I mention that this is the best food I've ever eaten?
-Walked through metal detectors to get to the section of the Wailing Wall. People leaving prayers on notes, and stuffing them in the crevasses between the stones. Men walking backwards away from the wall. School kids with paper yam akas on their heads.
- Went to the garden tomb and saw Galgotha. The mouth of the supposed "Hill of the Skull" is now covered by a bus station. Convenient. The tomb was smaller than I thought it would be, and seeing probable history before me was fascinating.


Photo: part of the garden tomb