End of Day Three!
After we left The Church of the Holy Sepulcher we went down to the market where I picked out a nativity scene made out of olive tree for a friend of mine. Before I left she and her husband, asked me to pick one up for them. They gave me dimensions and a price they were willing to spend. I was able to stay right near their budget, and went over only $10. That better be ok, or else they are going to have to give me the camel! (Their specifications, for the curious, were: about the height of a G.I. Joe figurine (so not kidding), in a certain price range, made out of olive wood, and a complete nativity, if at all possible. It was.)
I also picked out a smaller carving set for myself. It was simply the Holy Family. I was willing to spend about half of the price of what theirs cost me, but not the whole thing. It just seemed a bit much. Plus, I figured, I can always come back and add to my collection.
While we were here I off-handedly asked Aunt how much of a kick-back she thought George was getting for bringing us to this store. She asked him. Personally, I wouldn't have, but she did anyway. He seemed rather offended that she would assume that she would think that of him. He assured us that he got no kick back, which is why he took us to that store. It does pose an interesting question.
We eventually left the shop and made our way up David's street to David's Citadel. We went by Jaffa's gate where we saw two graves inside the city (this is seriously against Jewish law). Apparently, when the walls were rebuilt the king who had it done had instructed the architects to put Zion's hill inside the city walls. When he came back to Jerusalem to see what they had done he discovered that they had failed to do his command. So, naturally, the king had them killed and buried inside the city as an example to everyone else. I guess if you're going to punish someone severely you might as well do it for eternity.
Then we walked through the Armenian Quarter to King David's tomb. The tomb is controlled by the Jews, so the women went inside one side, and the men went inside another (grabbing a paper kippa that was provided).
From there were went out from Zion's Gate. On the outside of the gate we saw pock-marks from bullets that had been shot at the gate during the wars. It was kind of neat to see that despite all the damage that was done to the walls the shooting was mostly unsuccessful. I mean, did their enemies really believe that they would be able to penetrate the city by shooting stone walls many meters thick?
After passing through Jaffa Gate we went into the "traditional" site of Last Supper. There is another site which both Aunt and George seem of the opinion is really the spot, we plan on visiting it with Uncle, I think. This site, however, had at one point been converted into a Mosque. It seems that that happens a lot. One religion takes over and converts the holy spots into their own. The defacing is horrific to
me, but seems to be quite old hat here. When we asked George why, if he believed that this other site was the actual spot where the Last Supper took place, did he bring us here his answer was simple: "If tour guides take their tour groups to this other spot then people will quit coming here." Well, I'm not seeing the problem (aside from the obvious loss of money to the faiths who maintain the now ignored spot), but apparently it's a big enough issue. IIn fact, George didn't take us to see the other location. I don't know if it was because he couldn't, or because he chose not to.
Leaving this spot of the Last Supper we went back through Zion's Gate and down through the Jewish Quarter to see the Roman Cardo. The Cardo was a market street and was seen as the heart of the city (hence the name). Then we stopped to see the Broad wall (frankly my brain is too fried to remember what this was), then Down (again, quite literally) to the Wailing Wall. Aunt didn't want to go touch it (not that she wanted to not touch it, but it didn't seem important to her to touch it), but I did. That was the only spot that I really wanted to make a physical connection. As we approached the Wall an old woman approached us holding strands of red yarn. It was apparent that she wanted us to purchase strands from her, but I am not sure why? When we got up to the Wall I could see a million little pieces of paper that had been crumpled up and shoved in the cracks in the rock. Some of those papers look like they have been there for years, others were freshly inserted. I saw one mother lift her child up so that she could shove a note into a crack. When I finished we slowly walked backwards from the Wall until we reached a designated point where we could turn around. I'm not really sure why we couldn't turn our backs. Clearly, it was a sign of respect, but to whom am I giving my respect?
From the Wailing Wall we caught a cab to Garden Tomb (the walk would have taken us an hour). Some people believe that this is the actual spot of the Crucifixion and burial. George, however, doesn't believe it. Rather, he thinks that The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is. The Garden Tomb is very quiet and peaceful — quite a contrast to the rest of the city. President Kimball once expressed his opinion that this was the actual site of the burial. I really don't know. I do know, however, that I felt peace while I was there. They certainly have done an excellent job keeping up the grounds and creating the desired ambiance. My roommate asked me to pick up a pebble from some place (I have forgotten where), and while I sat there I remembered her request. I figured of all places this would be a spot where she might want a stone, so I scooped one up for her.
Following the Garden Tomb we walked back up to Village Green for dessert and then caught a cab and went home. We got there around 4:30. Can you believe we did all of that in one day? Me neither.
I also picked out a smaller carving set for myself. It was simply the Holy Family. I was willing to spend about half of the price of what theirs cost me, but not the whole thing. It just seemed a bit much. Plus, I figured, I can always come back and add to my collection.
While we were here I off-handedly asked Aunt how much of a kick-back she thought George was getting for bringing us to this store. She asked him. Personally, I wouldn't have, but she did anyway. He seemed rather offended that she would assume that she would think that of him. He assured us that he got no kick back, which is why he took us to that store. It does pose an interesting question.
We eventually left the shop and made our way up David's street to David's Citadel. We went by Jaffa's gate where we saw two graves inside the city (this is seriously against Jewish law). Apparently, when the walls were rebuilt the king who had it done had instructed the architects to put Zion's hill inside the city walls. When he came back to Jerusalem to see what they had done he discovered that they had failed to do his command. So, naturally, the king had them killed and buried inside the city as an example to everyone else. I guess if you're going to punish someone severely you might as well do it for eternity.
Then we walked through the Armenian Quarter to King David's tomb. The tomb is controlled by the Jews, so the women went inside one side, and the men went inside another (grabbing a paper kippa that was provided).
From there were went out from Zion's Gate. On the outside of the gate we saw pock-marks from bullets that had been shot at the gate during the wars. It was kind of neat to see that despite all the damage that was done to the walls the shooting was mostly unsuccessful. I mean, did their enemies really believe that they would be able to penetrate the city by shooting stone walls many meters thick?
After passing through Jaffa Gate we went into the "traditional" site of Last Supper. There is another site which both Aunt and George seem of the opinion is really the spot, we plan on visiting it with Uncle, I think. This site, however, had at one point been converted into a Mosque. It seems that that happens a lot. One religion takes over and converts the holy spots into their own. The defacing is horrific to
me, but seems to be quite old hat here. When we asked George why, if he believed that this other site was the actual spot where the Last Supper took place, did he bring us here his answer was simple: "If tour guides take their tour groups to this other spot then people will quit coming here." Well, I'm not seeing the problem (aside from the obvious loss of money to the faiths who maintain the now ignored spot), but apparently it's a big enough issue. IIn fact, George didn't take us to see the other location. I don't know if it was because he couldn't, or because he chose not to.
Leaving this spot of the Last Supper we went back through Zion's Gate and down through the Jewish Quarter to see the Roman Cardo. The Cardo was a market street and was seen as the heart of the city (hence the name). Then we stopped to see the Broad wall (frankly my brain is too fried to remember what this was), then Down (again, quite literally) to the Wailing Wall. Aunt didn't want to go touch it (not that she wanted to not touch it, but it didn't seem important to her to touch it), but I did. That was the only spot that I really wanted to make a physical connection. As we approached the Wall an old woman approached us holding strands of red yarn. It was apparent that she wanted us to purchase strands from her, but I am not sure why? When we got up to the Wall I could see a million little pieces of paper that had been crumpled up and shoved in the cracks in the rock. Some of those papers look like they have been there for years, others were freshly inserted. I saw one mother lift her child up so that she could shove a note into a crack. When I finished we slowly walked backwards from the Wall until we reached a designated point where we could turn around. I'm not really sure why we couldn't turn our backs. Clearly, it was a sign of respect, but to whom am I giving my respect?
From the Wailing Wall we caught a cab to Garden Tomb (the walk would have taken us an hour). Some people believe that this is the actual spot of the Crucifixion and burial. George, however, doesn't believe it. Rather, he thinks that The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is. The Garden Tomb is very quiet and peaceful — quite a contrast to the rest of the city. President Kimball once expressed his opinion that this was the actual site of the burial. I really don't know. I do know, however, that I felt peace while I was there. They certainly have done an excellent job keeping up the grounds and creating the desired ambiance. My roommate asked me to pick up a pebble from some place (I have forgotten where), and while I sat there I remembered her request. I figured of all places this would be a spot where she might want a stone, so I scooped one up for her.
Following the Garden Tomb we walked back up to Village Green for dessert and then caught a cab and went home. We got there around 4:30. Can you believe we did all of that in one day? Me neither.
posted by granola girl at 11:00 PM
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