I can barely keep my eyes open, I’m so very tired – but I must update everyone on the first day of touring! Wow- what a g-r-e-a-t day! I rode on bus #2 today and Amnon is the guide. Amnon has this great way of teaching and we are enjoying him greatly. Our day began with breakfast outside in the terrace! Sounds wonderful? It was! We ate outside with the beautiful morning sun and it was a tasty buffet! I LOVE to eat outside.
It wasn’t long and we were traveling along the Old City walls to the Dung Gate. This is the gate closest to the entrance of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. The Temple Mount was our first stop – climbing the walkway gave us a birds eye view of the Western Wall that not many people have the opportunity to see. Amnon stopped here so we could take pictures. It was breathtaking!
It wasn’t long and we were traveling along the Old City walls to the Dung Gate. This is the gate closest to the entrance of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. The Temple Mount was our first stop – climbing the walkway gave us a birds eye view of the Western Wall that not many people have the opportunity to see. Amnon stopped here so we could take pictures. It was breathtaking!
The coolest thing about being on the Temple Mount to me was the opportunity to stand just feet away from the backside of the Eastern Gate! Today was the closest I’ve ever gotten to this very special place… 
From here we visited the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church where 2 people from our group sang beautifully while the acoustics here in this ancient church amazed us. (Here is a picture of Lisa reading scripture at the Pool of Bethesda)
It was enlightening to walk the Via Dolorosa – way of the cross. We tried hard not to get distracted by the shop keepers calling out to us but it was difficult. There is so much going on in such a small area. We stopped for lunch and ate outside in the market. Some of us got falafel and some got shawarma (does anyone know how to spell that? haha). I’m all about a falafel in the Old City. Its tradition – everyone should have a falafel when they come to Israel! Yum!
We wondered through the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and Cardo to end up at the Western Wall. We burned a lot of calories today! It was hot, sunny and I was thankful I wore my comfortable shoes!
The Western Wall is a moving place for me. Over 3 million people visit the wall annually. I have to pinch myself because I just can’t believe I am here. I had prepared several prayers on small pieces of paper and when I went down to pray I found peace slipping the prayers into the cracks in the wall. I prayed for so many things and so many people and then…I just gave them all over to Him. Your Will be done is all that kept running through my mind.
If you know me, you know that I love the sun, warm weather and summer time. I drive my kids crazy because I don’t run the air conditioner in the summer. I have a pretty high heat tolerance you might say. But today…after all that walking, when we got back into our air conditioned luxury bus that our bus driver had stocked with water…I was so grateful for Michael Faraday (the inventor of the air conditioner)!
Last stop… Yad Vashem. Coming to Yad Vashem is a necessity to any trip to Israel. Visiting this memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust is heart breaking and leaves me with a knot in my throat for 2 hours. Walking through and hearing the stories, seeing the pictures and items recovered from this tragedy is tough – but so important. Part of me wants to outright sob at times and then I turn the corner and I find myself extremely mad. Mad that the world sat by and did nothing. Nothing! Oh don’t get me started!
I had time to relax before dinner and guess what…it was OUTSIDE!
We had a lovely dinner with beautiful tables set up elegantly around the poolside deck. Rafi Ben Hur, the deputy director-general of the Ministry of Tourism spoke to our group during dessert. It was really nice to hear from him! It was a great day – great evening and now… I must sleep because tomorrow is my favorite day and I need my sleep! What is tomorrow you ask? Better stop by and see…. You won’t be disappointed, I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures!
I’d love to hear from you… any messages you want me to pass on to your loved ones on the tour? Just let me know!
Exhausted and blessed,
Kim
We wondered through the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and Cardo to end up at the Western Wall. We burned a lot of calories today! It was hot, sunny and I was thankful I wore my comfortable shoes!
The Western Wall is a moving place for me. Over 3 million people visit the wall annually. I have to pinch myself because I just can’t believe I am here. I had prepared several prayers on small pieces of paper and when I went down to pray I found peace slipping the prayers into the cracks in the wall. I prayed for so many things and so many people and then…I just gave them all over to Him. Your Will be done is all that kept running through my mind.
If you know me, you know that I love the sun, warm weather and summer time. I drive my kids crazy because I don’t run the air conditioner in the summer. I have a pretty high heat tolerance you might say. But today…after all that walking, when we got back into our air conditioned luxury bus that our bus driver had stocked with water…I was so grateful for Michael Faraday (the inventor of the air conditioner)!
Last stop… Yad Vashem. Coming to Yad Vashem is a necessity to any trip to Israel. Visiting this memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust is heart breaking and leaves me with a knot in my throat for 2 hours. Walking through and hearing the stories, seeing the pictures and items recovered from this tragedy is tough – but so important. Part of me wants to outright sob at times and then I turn the corner and I find myself extremely mad. Mad that the world sat by and did nothing. Nothing! Oh don’t get me started!
I had time to relax before dinner and guess what…it was OUTSIDE!
We had a lovely dinner with beautiful tables set up elegantly around the poolside deck. Rafi Ben Hur, the deputy director-general of the Ministry of Tourism spoke to our group during dessert. It was really nice to hear from him! It was a great day – great evening and now… I must sleep because tomorrow is my favorite day and I need my sleep! What is tomorrow you ask? Better stop by and see…. You won’t be disappointed, I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures!I’d love to hear from you… any messages you want me to pass on to your loved ones on the tour? Just let me know!
Exhausted and blessed,
Kim
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