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Blog for June 14 08 Saturday and Sunday June 15, 2008
Today was “Do Jerusalem” Day. Not so much all of it as it was starting to learn where and why things were where they are. It is
Today was “Do Jerusalem” Day. Not so much all of it as it was starting to learn where and why things were where they are. It is
AN IBEX AT EIN GEDI BY DEAD SEA (WATER IN THAT AREA)
rather complicated especially when there is a time frame of 4 millennium and multiple destructions of the city along with new leaders building over other buildings.
Perhaps the most moving time was the visit to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was in the morning and as it was quite quiet, we could picture Christ coming to the Garden and appealing to his disciples to “stay awake” as that was the reading. Old Olive trees, a sloping hill, a garden gate (lots of flowers!) and a gentle wind brought the Spirit with it.
Then it was trying to discern the various buildings and spots looking across from the east vantage points, especially Haas Promenade. (The weather has been flawless so far and this helped in viewing especially when seeing from hill to hill. "Tsippy” was excellent in her descriptions of not only where things were but their significance in the changes that took place in the city. The changes in the walls that each Emperor and governor affected was brought out. Then we visited Dominus Flevis dedicated to the “Agony in the Garden”. Also on that day we visited the Upper Room, where the Last Supper was held, the Mount of Olives, The Chapel of the Ascension, the Church of the Nations, and viewed the hill called Mount Zion, where the Temple of the Mount is located. This is the center of the Old City where the Holy of Holies resides. It was a busy day.
Our driver, whose name is ‘Said’, is a Palestinian and is really not only a great driver, but has terrific knowledge of the roads in Jerusalem He and Tsippy make a good team. He was always waiting for us just outside the doors or at the end of the walk, wherever we were.
Our guide “Tsippy” stated today when asked about training, that she receives two years of training as a sacred sites/tourist guide and the class work was “harder than college”. Her Dad said that if she became a guide, that she would get no more support from home. She gets no support from home! It is a heavily sought after position in Israel.
Lunch was at a combination, lunchroom and antiquities shop. They had ancient artifacts that you could purchase like an oil lamp…for $1,200, gold and silver ancient coins, cloth goods, wall plates of metal, vases, and other assorted items ranging from the thousands of dollars to a few shekels. A US $ right now is worth 3.29 shekels. Lunch (our only personal cost) is usually $3.00 for soup and $5.00 for a salad (that is a large assortment of veggies, buffet style. A coke is $3.00 and other beverages are similar in rice.
The afternoon was spent mostly at the Israel Museum which holds the Qumran scrolls and we were privileged to see that wonderful exhibit. It is all contained in a cone like, white building, and it was completely humidity and temperature controlled (nobody wanted to leave this air conditioned building) to preserve the artifacts. Outside the building was a model (1:50 scale) of the complete walled city of Old Jerusalem that covers about two acres in size. It was a superior structure and made identifying the city much easier (see picture). We focused on Christ’s last four days and where all of that that took place .There is a controversy about the Via Dolorosa and whether it really is in the traditional place. Additional evidence suggests it was not far from the Palace of Pilate.
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Sunday June 15, 2008
A trip to the Dead Sea and Masada. (Mezada, Mesada, Mazada)
Again, this journey from Jerusalem, where we stayed, goes downhill from the 2500 feet elevation to the Dead Sea , now at about 1600 feet elevation. We were able to see today the millions of trails of sheep paths on the seemingly barren slopes of the Judean Hills. These have been grooved over a period of many millenniums. The Bedouins were present some of the time when we went by. Then about 1 ½ hours later, we arrived at Mesada, and by then the temps were well into the 90 F range. All week Tsippy had warned many that walking up would mean you would miss much of the presentation of the history of Mesada. More than 10 did walk up, however, the “snake trail” on the south side. The rest of us rode the 3 minute cable car ride. (Gary, Laurie and Garth, Haller, G. and D Rich, J and L Brandsma, D Hand, D and M Timmerman were some that walked up. Only Laurie walked down)
Perhaps the most moving time was the visit to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was in the morning and as it was quite quiet, we could picture Christ coming to the Garden and appealing to his disciples to “stay awake” as that was the reading. Old Olive trees, a sloping hill, a garden gate (lots of flowers!) and a gentle wind brought the Spirit with it.
Then it was trying to discern the various buildings and spots looking across from the east vantage points, especially Haas Promenade. (The weather has been flawless so far and this helped in viewing especially when seeing from hill to hill. "Tsippy” was excellent in her descriptions of not only where things were but their significance in the changes that took place in the city. The changes in the walls that each Emperor and governor affected was brought out. Then we visited Dominus Flevis dedicated to the “Agony in the Garden”. Also on that day we visited the Upper Room, where the Last Supper was held, the Mount of Olives, The Chapel of the Ascension, the Church of the Nations, and viewed the hill called Mount Zion, where the Temple of the Mount is located. This is the center of the Old City where the Holy of Holies resides. It was a busy day.
Our driver, whose name is ‘Said’, is a Palestinian and is really not only a great driver, but has terrific knowledge of the roads in Jerusalem He and Tsippy make a good team. He was always waiting for us just outside the doors or at the end of the walk, wherever we were.
Our guide “Tsippy” stated today when asked about training, that she receives two years of training as a sacred sites/tourist guide and the class work was “harder than college”. Her Dad said that if she became a guide, that she would get no more support from home. She gets no support from home! It is a heavily sought after position in Israel.
Lunch was at a combination, lunchroom and antiquities shop. They had ancient artifacts that you could purchase like an oil lamp…for $1,200, gold and silver ancient coins, cloth goods, wall plates of metal, vases, and other assorted items ranging from the thousands of dollars to a few shekels. A US $ right now is worth 3.29 shekels. Lunch (our only personal cost) is usually $3.00 for soup and $5.00 for a salad (that is a large assortment of veggies, buffet style. A coke is $3.00 and other beverages are similar in rice.
The afternoon was spent mostly at the Israel Museum which holds the Qumran scrolls and we were privileged to see that wonderful exhibit. It is all contained in a cone like, white building, and it was completely humidity and temperature controlled (nobody wanted to leave this air conditioned building) to preserve the artifacts. Outside the building was a model (1:50 scale) of the complete walled city of Old Jerusalem that covers about two acres in size. It was a superior structure and made identifying the city much easier (see picture). We focused on Christ’s last four days and where all of that that took place .There is a controversy about the Via Dolorosa and whether it really is in the traditional place. Additional evidence suggests it was not far from the Palace of Pilate.
.
Sunday June 15, 2008
A trip to the Dead Sea and Masada. (Mezada, Mesada, Mazada)
Again, this journey from Jerusalem, where we stayed, goes downhill from the 2500 feet elevation to the Dead Sea , now at about 1600 feet elevation. We were able to see today the millions of trails of sheep paths on the seemingly barren slopes of the Judean Hills. These have been grooved over a period of many millenniums. The Bedouins were present some of the time when we went by. Then about 1 ½ hours later, we arrived at Mesada, and by then the temps were well into the 90 F range. All week Tsippy had warned many that walking up would mean you would miss much of the presentation of the history of Mesada. More than 10 did walk up, however, the “snake trail” on the south side. The rest of us rode the 3 minute cable car ride. (Gary, Laurie and Garth, Haller, G. and D Rich, J and L Brandsma, D Hand, D and M Timmerman were some that walked up. Only Laurie walked down)
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CATAPULT STONES NEVER USED AT MESADA
Masada is a fantastic experience of Roman and especially Jewish History. Briefly, the Romans established the fortress and were there from 44-67 AD. It stands about 2,000 feet above the surrounding land and another 1,000 feet above the Dead Sea. It was a self sufficient place with water, access, lookouts, and had the ability to keep invaders out, being essentially non-accessible. When the second Jewish rebellion took place and the Romans burned the temple in Jerusalem, many Jews, especially the Zealots fled to Masada, (about 55 miles from Jerusalem). They defended it from the Romans and for one full year the Romans laid a siege on it and built a ramp to attack eventually. The Zealots allowed many to escape and eventually had 100 men left and decided to kill all the remaining members, except one (10 men drew lots for the last one as suicide was not allowed in Jewish law. ) The lots for the last man were actually found as the members kept very accurate records. When the Romans finally rammed the entry on the west side all of the defenders were dead. (See picture of unused rocks used in catapult). The entire site can be viewed and Tsippy covered it all, including the Emperor’s Palace (Caesar, Titus). We had arrived at 9:30 so we beat the afternoon heat and the crowds both.
A tour of the Oasis at Ein Gedi, a place where King David wrote many of his psalms, was a stop on the way to lunch at Qumran where we at lunch and rode camels.
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The final stop of the day helped us cool off at Siesta Beach where we indulged in the waters of the Dead Sea. Remember that these waters are mineral filled and have a 37% salt content. The technique is to cover ones self with the local mud, let it dry some, and bathe. The buoyancy is so great that you cannot force your self to sty under water. It was fun and we relaxed and enjoy the change of pace on the beach.
A tour of the Oasis at Ein Gedi, a place where King David wrote many of his psalms, was a stop on the way to lunch at Qumran where we at lunch and rode camels.
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The final stop of the day helped us cool off at Siesta Beach where we indulged in the waters of the Dead Sea. Remember that these waters are mineral filled and have a 37% salt content. The technique is to cover ones self with the local mud, let it dry some, and bathe. The buoyancy is so great that you cannot force your self to sty under water. It was fun and we relaxed and enjoy the change of pace on the beach.It was back to the Hotel. Supper, (buffet) and a short lecture on the geography of the area. Tomorrow we do “Old Jerusalem".
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