We packed our bags for the next 4 days and drove to Jerusalem. Our first stop in the old city was the Western Wall. Apparently it was a BarMitzpha day so there was a lot of activity. There were probably twenty-five 13 year old boys and their families celebrating this special event. Women are not allowed in the men’s area, so there are groups of men set up next to the divider wall. The women pull chairs up to the divider and stand on them so they can see and participate in the ceremony. The boys tie a box with scriptures on it to their foreheads and put a leather strap around their arms. Then they read from the Torah and the women clap and throw candy at them. (This is obviously my observations only as I haven’t researched or asked much about what actually happens at a BarMitzpha). It was fascinating to watch.
After visiting the wall we ventured further into the old city and walked past a million street vendors with all sorts of things to buy. Sara tried her hand at bartering - she needed some coaching :-) It can be overwhelming with all the commotion and things to look at. Once you stop and look if you don’t buy you must be prepared to hear them call you names. One vendor was muttering stupid ugly faces as we were leaving. It was almost funny. That seems like something you might hear from a 5 year old, not a grown man. Anyway, we tried to not stop and look unless we were seriously considering a purchase. After picking up a few things, we found the Via Dolorosa. We stopped at each of the 14 stations that mark the path Jesus took with the cross all the way to the crucifixion and burial. It was a hard path to follow with so many street vendors and tourists along the way. The final stations 10-14 were all in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
After touring much of the Old City we made our way through the Muslim quarter and out the Damascus Gate towards the Garden Tomb. This is by far my favorite spot in Jerusalem. It’s so peaceful here. We stayed for almost and hour and then decided we should probably figure out where we were staying tonight. We noticed there were a few hotels not to far away so we went in and asked if they had any rooms and what the price was. At the second hotel we said we were looking for something a little cheaper and he directed us to the St. George’s Cathedral Guest House. He called them and they had availability so we walked another block and reserved a room. Now to get back to the car which was parked at the mall outside of the Old City. We stopped at the outdoor mall and split a pasta dish for dinner. Sara ordered coffee. The lady looked at her funny and said “hot?” I was surprised too. How can anyone drink coffee when it’s 90 degrees outside? I guess if I drank coffee maybe I would understand.
After dinner I thought I would show her the Mt. of Olives. Ken and I walked up it last time, but there were cars there and I thought I would be able to find the road easily. Hmmmm. We drove all over, down a few one way streets and had a few near misses. One pedestrian seemed pretty angry with my maneuvering and Sara thought he might try and break through the passenger window. She said, “it’s clear, it’s clear, drive, drive!” We did also come face to face with a tour bus on a one way street. I was thankful for a parking spot on the left to jump into while the bus drove by. In the end we finally made it to the street I thought would take us to the top of the Mt. We drove and drove and pretty soon I thought there is only room for one car here, how are we going to get down the mountain? Is this a one way? How does this happen!?! In my defense there are hardly any street signs in Israel. The road turned to gravel and the next thing I know there are a bunch of teen age boys on the side of the road just hanging out. They thought it would be fun to bang on the windows of the car. Yikes! Up a head I saw a girl with a couple of guys and thought maybe we could ask her how to get down off the mountain. Miraculously her brother was just about to drive into Jerusalem and he was willing to show us the way. We went barreling down the same road we just came up. I guess the street is used both ways and they just honk when they get to a blind corner. With all that adventure, Sara felt like she had seen enough of the Mt. of Olives and didn’t need to come back in the morning. We arrived at the hostel and fell asleep…or tried to.
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