As Holy Week begins...

The courtyard outside of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The church was undergoing reconstruction while we were there, but we could still see splendor.

Imagine the thrill to hear music filling this beautiful place!

The Roman Catholic chapel within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

These stairs lead to Calvary, where Our Lord suffered on the Cross.

This is called the Rock of the Annointing. I don't believe there is any evidence to suggest that it was on this rock that Jesus' body was annointed following his death, but worshipers pause to pray and remember here.

Bowing prostrate to remember His suffering and death on our behalf. It is possible to reach down below this floor and touch the bedrock of Calvary.

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Care for a camel ride?

As our bus traveled down the road in Jericho, this enterprising gent came trotting along to sell us a camel ride.

Here is a view of the Mount of Temptation, which soars above Jericho. Note the monastery near the summit.

We'd already had the opportunity to ride a camel in Nazareth earlier, so passed this time. But the camel brightened up the arid landscape, didn't he?

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Jerusalem kitties

This kitty seemed to be reduced to hard times, scavenging in the trash for food.

Someone got a shot of this little fellow coming to me for attention... or perhaps a handout.

He was pretty and friendly, but I doubt Israeli airport security would have let me slip him aboard the plane. Nor would my husband or our two felines taken kindly to the idea.

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The market in the old city of Jerusalem

The sights and smells and sounds and colors and tastes of the old city are almost intoxicating!

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Kibbutz Ramat Rachel

The grounds were immaculate. We had the opportunity to have a delicious lunch in the kibbutz as well.

I was curious about the last sentence. Apparently, the Mar Elias Monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery founded in the 6th century. During the battle for Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, it was used as a base for the Arab Legion.

Note the kibbutz kitty at the base of the statue.

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The Jesus Boat

In 1986, two brothers who were fishermen and amateur archaeologists discovered a 2000-year-old boat in the Sea of Galilee. It was found when a drought caused the waters of the lake to recede. It is not believed that this boat was used by Jesus and his disciples, but it has come to be called the Jesus Boat as it was built and used during his lifetime and provides us with an idea of how boats of his day would look. The brothers reported their find to authorities, who were faced with the task of removing the fragile remains of the boat before the water again covered the boat as the drought conditions reversed. They worked day and night for nearly two weeks before they succeeded in safely removing the boat. Today it is displayed in the Yigal Alon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar. The museum overlooks the sea where the brothers first found it.

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The West Bank wall

In order to visit Bethlehem and Nazareth, it is necessary to travel behind the Israeli West Bank Wall. The wall is a separation barrier in the West Bank. Israel considers it a security barrier against terrorism, while Palestinians call it a racial segregation or apartheid wall. It is 440 miles long and 26 feet high, and it is highly controversial. Although Israel maintains it is necessary in order to reduce terrorism, the International Court of Justice found the barrier to be a violation of international law, and the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that condemned the barrier by a vote of 150-6 with 10 abstentions.

This situation was one of the things I think I will not be able to fully understand as a Westerner visiting the Holy Land.

While another guard inspected our bus and questioned our driver and guide, this fellow looked like he was having a bit of a break.

The only time I felt uneasy in Israel was when we were behind the West Bank Wall. If nothing else made me doubt that there could be peace in the Middle East during my lifetime, this did. And although the iron gate below has nothing to do with the barrier enclosing this portion of the West Bank, it expressed the feeling I had until we emerged from the other side of the partition.

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