Israel

In the middle of our stay in Jordan, we were able to get to Jerusalem for 3 days. One year ago, when I was in Tibet, I told Dave that I the next place I really wanted to go was Israel. Border controll was insane. It took two hours move about 200 yards. We stayed in the Christian quarter of the Old City in a hostle. It was pretty disgusting but we didn't spend much time in our room anyway. We got to see everything that we wanted to and we even made it into Palestine to go to Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. Golgotha and the garden tomb were the most moving sights. This picture pretty much sums up my feelings about the Holy City. The mixture of influences was almost unbearable. It is truly a unique place in which Christians, Muslims, and Jews revere as "their" holy place. The picture is of the western wall or Wailing Wall; the wall the Jews go to and recite prayers. In the background is the Dome of the Rock; the third most holy location in Islam. It was here that muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. As you look out over the city at the Mount of Olives and the garder of Gethsemane, you can't escape the Dome or the sound of the calls to prayer five times a day. It was a frustrating but expected sight.