Mount of Olives

Laurie, Stephanie, Zandra and I checked out of the hotel this morning. We are moving to a hotel near the city center so we get to experience more of Jerusalem. Bob is staying at the hotel in the Old City. We headed for the Mountof Olives. I am excited for this day and the chance to walk the path that Jesus took on Palm Sunday. We started with the Pater Noster Church (Our Father Church) also known as the Sanctuary of the Eleona. We started outside where Bob pointed out incomplete walls. He told us a story of an Italian woman who had a vision that Italy should build a church here and they would win the war. They began but didn't finish, perhaps aware they weren't going to be victorious. 

In the middle of the courtyard is an altar and underneath it is a cave that is considered significant. At one point it was believed that it was in this cave that Jesus taught his disciples about good and evil. Others say he ascended to heaven from here. But the more popular thought now is that Jesus taught his disciples the Lord's prayer in this cave.

The beauty of this place is it's walls. Inside and outside the building they are covered with the Lord's Prayer written in different languages. Everything from Braille to Sanskrit to Hausa, the first language of my mother.

Below Pater Noster, is a great viewpoint of the City of Jerusalem. I was very moved by the ability to look out over the city, even though the place was filled with buses, a camel, guides spouting their biased views, and people selling stuff you don't need. 

We started down the hill in which Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. We passed the Jewish cemetery. 

The road was so steep that we had to traverse from side to side.

Our next stop was the Dominus Flevit Church (The Lord Wept). The site of this church is believed to be where Jesus stopped on Palm Sunday and wept over Jerusalem and predicted the destruction of the temple. The church was built to look like a teardrop.

Outside of the church you can look down into a couple tombs that have ossuaries in them. They found them with the names of second century Christians from the very early church.

On the altar inside the sanctuary is a mother hen sheltering her chicks under her wings based on Luke 13:34, when Jesus says, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem...how often I have desired to gather your children as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you were unwilling."

Looking out at the city from there was so powerful as I heard Andy Murray's song, "The Things That Make for Peace," reverberating in my head.

Back out on the street we continued the path downwards towards Gethsemane, which means "Olive Press."  Bob feels that this is most likely the Garden of Gethsemane because the only olive press in the area was located across the street. When you think garden, think olive tree grove.

Beside Gethsemane is the Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony. The inside is kept dim to give it the feel of nighttime. The ceiling is a deep blue to represent the night sky. The stained glass windows on the side have a purple hue to represent that Jesus was in such agony when he prayed that he sweat drops of blood. The mosaics in the front show scenes of Jesus being betrayed by Judas...

and Jesus praying to have this cup removed.

At the base of the altar is said to be the rock slab on which Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified. 

Across the street is a cave (now a chapel) that once held an olive press. Jesus probably taught his disciples in this in order to get out of the glaring sun. Tradition believes that Nicodemus came to this cave at night to visit Jesus. Now it is believed to be the tomb of Mary.

Next door to the cave chapel is an Orthodox Church with more steps than I care to remember.

Down at the bottom and to the right the claim to have the slab on which Mary's body was placed.

Bob and Stephanie climbed the hill to bring down the car. Bless them. We headed for Yad Vashem. The Museum of the Martyrs of the Holacaust. Laurie, Zandra and I are doing the museum. Stephanie is going to check us into our new hotel. Bob is going back to the Old City. 

We had lunch at the kosher cafe, checked our backpacks, purchased the audioguides and headed into the museum. No photos are allowed. The museum was dense with the history of prejudice, the war, the camps and the gas chambers. Yad Vashem was created to get down the names and history of all the victims and to have a place to speak their names. It was exhausting and I was beat, physically and emotionally. I couldn't stop thinking of the similarities with what is currently happening in the United States. We walked the grounds afterwards, which have different art installations. The most amazing was the memorial to children who are killed in the Holacaust. Again we were allowed no photos.

We got a taxi and headed to our new hotel, the Herbert Samuel. On the way we passed the kosher McDonalds.

Checking into the hotel was difficult. We had asked for two beds and that became a drama in which we got them but we had to totally remake our own beds. We ended the day with an Italian meal down the street from our hotel. 

Everyday is filled with sacredness and is exhausting at the same time.