Jerusalem

Sunday morning we took a mini-bus to Jerusalem. There was traffic on the main road so we took a (wayyyyyy toooooooo long) detour through the windy, steep mountain hill roads, arriving an hour late.

We went first to the Tower of David where we looked down on the old city.

From there we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus is supposedly buried. I had been there before, but was happy to return because the building is incredible. There are so many nooks and crannies, all of which are decorated with mosaics and other designs.

Next, we had a lunch break and then walked to the Western Wall.

Dome of the Rock!!!!

Then we went through water tunnels in the City of David, the oldest part of Jerusalem. These weren't that worthwhile. It was interesting to learn about the history, and, yes, it is important that cities have a water source. However, I don't feel the need to walk through shin-deep water for 45 minutes. Even though it was warm outside, we were underground and after a while the water's chilly temperature started to get to me.

Back outside, we climbed back up to the starting area, changed and got ready for dinner, which was at a board member's house in a residential part of the city.

I had talked to her on the phone to discuss foods, so she has some stuff set aside for me: plain chicken and plain potatoes, etc. The food was tasty. During dinner, different board members sat at our tables so they could get a chance to meet us and afterwards, we had to introduce ourselves to the whole group.

By the time we returned back to Tel Aviv, we had been gone more than 12 hours. It was a really long day and I was pretty tired.