Today we exhausted ourselves. After breakfast we headed along David’s Street and then the Via Dolorosa till we came to the Lithostrotos.

After exploring the cisterns and pavement we made our way to the Church of St Anne’s. This is also the site of the pools of Bethesda. Today the pools are just excavated stones and holes and the church, the third one, is a crusader structure. The wonderful thing about this church is the acoustics, that is if you have a good voice, although it does make most people sound better than they are. We sat and listened to a group singing as well as a few other people.  The church is stark and lacking any embellishments, just finely dressed sand stone, which gives it a simplicity and beauty although the history of the crusaders and their action in Jerusalem was just the opposite, how could such violent and brutal group of people also produce such beauty?

Walking through Lion gate and down Derech Jericho and up to the top of the Mount of Olives was a little tiring to say the least. It was still early so not too hot and a slight breeze helped make the walk pleasant. The view from the Mount of Olives, as always, causes you to stop and consider the City of Gold, the city that is mentioned over 800 times in the bible, the city which is a very unique place and has seen the best and worse of people, war and tragedy. The Jews say that this is the centre of the earth and the bible says that mount Moriah [Temple Mount] is and will be the footstool of God. The stories of Avraham, David, Solomon, Hezekiah and so many other all bear testament to its significance. The Life of Yeshua started just south of Jerusalem, Beit Lechem, and came to its dramatic end here. Prophecy fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled relates to Jerusalem in so many ways makes this a city that once visited become a second home.

Visiting the church of Paternoster, with its multiple translation of the Lords Prayer, we quickly realise the vast variety of languages spoken all over the world. Standing in the market or street of Jerusalem you get to hear many of them spoken. Almost at the bottom, the Garden of Gethsemane with olive trees that are over 2000 years old stand silently as a witness to events that have shaped history.

Walking down into the Kidron Valley and up the other side recalls the significance of this place, not only separating the Mount of Olives from the city but the walk that Yeshua would have made on the night he was arrested.

Further on we came to a place now called Church of St Peter in Galigantu. This is a church commemorating the story of the cock crowing when Peter denied Yeshua.  It is built over a series of chambers carved into the rock where prisoners would have been kept.  The house of the High Priest, Caiaphas was reported to be in this area, so the assumption is that this is that place.

By this point we had walked across the Old City, down into the valley, up to the top of the Mount of Olives, down and along the Kidron valley, up to Peter in Galigantu and then back in to the Old City through Zion Gate.  We stopped for a quick lunch after which we crashed for a while.

We had booked to see a Folklore Ensemble at the YMCA, so we walked across town to the Y, paid for our tickets and had supper at the 3 Arches Restaurant. The show was a variety of song and dance, including Israeli, Arab and traditional Hassidic and Yemenite items.  A very enjoyable evening, after which we walked back to the hotel for a relative early night.

Tomorrow … Mt Moriah (Temple Mount) Day 22