Israel Trip

“Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!” – Psalm 122:2

After returning home to Amman on Wednesday night, we can now echo these words that King David wrote some three thousand years ago.  But that’s getting a little ahead of ourselves.  Why don’t we start at the beginning?

"Tree of Life" Mosaic

Sunday morning we got up a 5:30am (which is no big deal for us, but you can ask the other girls how they felt about it if you like) to put the finishing touches on our packs.  We were picked up by a friend of a friend who drove us to the King Hussain/Allenby Bridge, where we started the 4 hour-long process of entering Israel.  We arrived on the Israeli side of the bridge around noon, and caught a bus to Jericho, to see what it had to offer.  We went to what they call Old Jericho, or Tel Es Sultan, which contains the ruins of the ancient city.  Unfortunately, it is not all that well excavated, so it wasn’t as impressive as we were hoping for.  After that, we walked (about 2 miles) to a place called Hisham’s Palace, a ruined Islamic complex just north of town.  Now, this sight was a must see for us because we bought a mosaic that depicts the same scene as one found on a floor in the palace’s bathhouse.  These newer ruins were more impressive than the older ones, and it is amazing to imagine what it looked like before being leveled by an earthquake.

Damascus Gate

From Jericho, we managed to find a cab most of the way to Jerusalem.  We say “most of the way,” because, from the West Bank, you can’t get into the city without passing through a security checkpoint.  From the checkpoint, a local man drove us the rest of the way.  He unknowingly dropped us off exactly where we needed to be: right outside the Damascus Gate, and just a short walk to our hostel.  We were quite pleased when we discovered this!  We stayed at the New Palm Hostel, and would recommend it to anyone who is traveling on a budget.

Western Wall and Dome of the Rock

After some much needed rest, we set off on another day of adventure.  We passed through the Damascus Gate, the most impressive gate of the Old City, around 9am and made our way to the Western/Wailing Wall.  We observed the masses praying at the Wall and what we think was a bar mitzvah.  Right above the Wall is the Temple Mount (home of the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock), so we decided to do that next, and it was a good thing we did: after being there for only 30 minutes or so, men started yelling at the tourists (a.k.a. non-Muslims) to leave.  We would have liked more time, but we were lucky to have been able to get in at all.  Once we descended the Temple Mount, we made our way to the city of David, which is located south of the Old City, just outside the walls and down the hill.  Our main objective for the city of David was to go through Hezekiah’s tunnel, which we did.  After winding our way through the dark, wet, and cramped tunnel for 40 minutes, we were able to turn off our flashlights and emerge at the Pool of Siloam.  Even though there is no light in the tunnel, it was a highlight of our trip!  The old Pool of Siloam is not entirely excavated, but it’s amazing to think that we were standing at the site of one of Jesus’ miracles (John 9:1-7). 

Inside Hezekiah's Tunnel

As we exited the city of David, we took a footpath that led us through the Kidron Valley, below the Mount of Olives.  While waiting for the Garden of Gethsemane to open, we climbed to the top of the mountain and stopped for lunch.  We then proceeded to the main viewpoint on the Mount of Olives, were you can see all of Old Jerusalem and a beautiful view of the Temple Mount.  The Mount of Olives is linked to the coming of the Messiah for Christians, Jews, and Muslims, so thousands upon thousands of people (estimates say approximately 150,000) are buried right on the slope of the mountain in order to be the first resurrected.

After we were done soaking in the view, we made our way down to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Of course it’s impossible to know if this is actually the right place, but some of the olive trees have been dated (insert corny joke from Darren) at over 2,000 years old.  After this event-packed day, we made it back to our hostel, got a bite to eat, and then went out to explore the little shops of the Old City.  That night was especially busy, and the markets were a cacophony of shouting stall-owners, bartering shoppers, and passing tourists.

Garden of Gethsemane

The following day was the first day of a major Muslim holiday (Eid Al Adha), so all of the Muslim section of the city was closed.  Fortunately, all the things run by the Christians and the Jews were still open.  On this day, we paired off and did our own things.  We went first to the Garden Tomb, one of the proposed sites of Jesus’ burial, which would have been a beautiful and relaxing place if it hadn’t been for the several huge tour groups that showed up.  After that, we were off to the Citadel, also called the Tower of David (although it was not built by David), which houses a museum on the history of Jerusalem.  It’s ironic that Jerusalem (literally “City of Peace”) has been the most fought-over city on the planet: taken from the Jebusites by the Israelites, besieged by the Assyrians, pillaged and destroyed by the Babylonians, re-settled by the Jews, captured by Alexander the Great, fought over by the Ptolemys and Seleucids, captured then destroyed then rebuilt by the Romans, captured by the Muslims and ruled by several dynasties, taken by the Crusaders, retaken by the Muslims, handed back over to the Crusaders, taken by the Muslims again, passed through several more dynasties, handed over to the British, then seized by the Jews.  Phew!  God really meant it when He said “I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples…a very heavy stone for all peoples” (Zec 12:2-3).

After we were finished there, we walked down to the Valley of Hinnom, (a.k.a. Gehenna, translated “hell” in bible verses such as Mark 9:47, used as an ancient garbage dump and incinerator), which is now a beautiful park.  We spent quite some time just sitting and listening to the wind in the trees, enjoying the smell of the grass, and the sound of the birds in the distance.  For a place called “hell,” it’s ironic that it was the most relaxing spot we visited.  Once we felt revived, we walked the length of the valley, up through the City of David, and back into the walls of the Old City.  We then went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, traditionally the most accepted site of Jesus’ burial, and had a quick look around.  When finished there, we walked the streets of the Old City, looking at the shops again.  That night, we were very thankful to have a bed to sleep in after another long day of walking.

To keep the theme of walking, that was exactly what we did the next day.  We started the day by walking to the bus station about 2 miles away, where we caught a bus to Ein Gedi Wildlife Preserve.  You can find it in the bible in 1 Samuel chapter 24.  We spent several hours hiking, looking at the waterfalls and springs, and keeping an eye out for animals – so much beautiful scenery, flora, and fauna.  We left there around sunset, heading to Masada, but due to a mix-up, our stay there was canceled, and we came home a day early.  We arrived at our apartment safe and sound on Wednesday night, around 11pm. 

Ein Gedi

Ein Gedi

So, as mentioned, we can now say "Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!”  It was definitely a site to behold – there’s no place quite like it – and it is a trip we are sure to remember for the rest of our lives.