Day 10--Tunnels, soldiers, shopping, and sore feet

There are 46 of us on the tour, and tonight we have 92 very tired feet! We walked and walked today, and saw more than I can describe to you. We started the day touring the oldest part of Jerusalem, the site of the City of David excavation project. This is southeast of the old city wall that is currently around Jerusalem. This is the first time Ferrell has ever taken a tour group to this site, and we highly recommend it. Walkways in parts of the site are metal catwalks that you can see the actual excavations taking place beneath your feet. How exciting to be walking over the ruins of the city David chosefor his capitol about 1000 B.C.! To add to the interest, Elie had worked on the site and he added tidbits of information no other guide could have known.

In parts of the excavation we had to climb down stairways, and at one point we walked through a Canaanite tunnel. While on the tour we viewed the historical Warren’s Shaft, which Ferrell said looked a lot like the film of his colonoscopy! From time to time Elie had us gather around him for information, and he asked those with “Zacchaeus DNA” (the short people) to get to the front of the group. We went through a Canaanite tunnel and also saw the Gihon Spring where Saul was anointed king. being usedFrom that area we went to the Pool of Siloam and visited the site where Jesus healed the blind man. From there we walked through a storm drain which is currently under the existing street. Other than being used for drainage, it was used during the revolt as a hiding place for the Jews. This was the first time Ferrell had been through this tunnel, and he was as excited as we were about that experience. It had only been open to the public for about a month.

We ended up where we started the tour, making a complete circle of the area. There was a group of young Israeli soldiers touring the area. I talked to several of the girls and found out that every 18-year-old in Israel serves for two years, and then is on “call” until they turn forty. The girls were so nice, and I ran into them with their entire group a few minutes later. Just like most 18-year-olds, they were enjoying themselves, and several of the boys and girls posed for my photo. Then my new army-girl friend asked if I would like my photo taken with the soldiers, and I told her to pick out some cute ones. You can see the result. What fun to enjoy a few minutes with teenagers in Israel.

We went into the old city through the Jaffa Gate, which has been restored and just re-opened a couple of weeks ago. The tour group ate falafels at an outdoor café for lunch and several of us took that time to haggle a bit in some of the local shops while everyone else was eating.

The next stop was at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is on the location of one of the traditional sites of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Today it is within the city walls, but would have been outside the walls during the time of Jesus. It was extremely ornate (think gaudy) inside, and Elie referred to the decorations as “holy hardware”, which is fairly accurate. This site is highly controversial with several religious groups claiming the area that can not even be documented positively as a site of importance.

While we were at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher three of our tour members got separated from the group in the mob that was pushing and shoving at the “holy“ site. When the group met before we left the area, Stan, Therena and Bruce could not be found. For quite a while scouts were sent out to search the church, the surrounding area, and even the site where we ate lunch, but there was no sign of them. Finally, there was nothing to do but leave them and assume they would get back to the hotel. Before any of you readers become horrified, I must tell you “the rest of the story”. There was some confusion about the meeting place, and the “lost from the tribe of Ferrell” went to the exact spot where they THOUGHT they were to meet the group and waited...and waited. Then, whenwe did not show up and it became evident that they were separated from us, they did exactly what anyone would do…they went shopping…and then walked back to the hotel! We were glad to see them when they showed up for dinner tonight. Now you know “the rest of the story”…so those of you who are friends of these people…don’t panic. They are safe and sound.

Elie told us that from our location at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher that we would “walk the Via Dolorosa backwards”. What he meant was that we would walk it in reverse order than people usually walk this route, but I could imagine what the grandchildren would have done when told to “walk it backwards”. They would have turned around and walked backwards!

On the way through the Via Dolorosa we saw several women carrying huge bundles on their heads. They were closing their “shops” for the day. We had seen them several times just sitting on the roadside with green leaves of some kind (grape?) to sell. Also, we saw several women and young boys selling bread on the street. It did not look too appealing to me since it had been sitting out all day, but Steve bought one and shared it with the rest of us, and it was quite tasty.

We went to the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus told the lame man to “…take up your bed and walk”. From there we went to the upper city to the area where Peter denied Christ, and where the traditional House of Caiphas was located. The view of Jerusalem from that area was worth the stop. We had a lovely view of the Mount of Olives in the afternoon sunshine.

This is where it all happened! How unreal it is to actually be here and see the sites and understand the lay of the land where the incidents in the life of our Lord took place. We are so thankful to be here today and be blessed with the health and strength to enjoy it, and we are thankful for the lovely weather we have experienced.

Tomorrow we will see if our feet and legs will actually function normally! I wish I had worn a pedometer today!