Israel Day 6

We've been home since Sunday, and I'm just now able to hold my eyes open long enough to finish writing about our trip. Jet-lag is no joke! I've been in bed every night by 8:00 and asleep not long after. 

Friday we began touring in Jerusalem. We started the morning at the Southern Steps and Robinson's Arch.  I learned that the temple was built on Mt. Moriah (where Abraham went to sacrifice Issac (Genesis 22). My first impression of the temple was that I thought it was massive--much bigger than the diagrams and pictures I've grown up seeing. I learned, though, that it wasn't always that way. King Herod, who was known for major building projects, expanded the temple and added the wall around it. While at the temple, we visited the wailing wall and walked through the Rabbinical Tunnel, where we walked on 1st century streets in some places.

1st century streets! Maybe Jesus walked on these...

After our time at the temple mount, we walked to the City of David and Hezekiah's water tunnel (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30), Gihon Spring (1 Kings 1:32-37) and ended at the Pool of Siloam (John 9, and I guess I don't have a picture?!)  It was really dark inside the water tunnel and hard to get pictures, so there aren't many from this area. Also, I had this a-ha moment when I saw the Pool of Siloam. In my mind, "pools" in scripture were more like ponds, not like swimming pools with concrete in the bottom. I had no idea! 

After seeing the Pool of Siloam, we drove through a Hasidic Jewish Quarter. (Evan took some awesome pictures here, but I don't have those!) Hasidic Jews are European Jews (think, very traditional dress, men and boys with shaved heads and side curls) and is a slum area of Jerusalem. We then went into the Jewish market for lunch, which was CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY. It was noon on Friday, so Shabat was starting within hours. There were people EVERYWHERE!!! We split up 2 

adults/4 kids and were left in the market for about 45 minutes to grab lunch. It was a little stressful, to say the least!

After lunch, we drove to the Palestinian border, with a little political lesson for the students. 

Below is a picture of the wall that separates Jerusalem from Bethlehem.