Oh, Jerusalem

Headed to the Allenby Bridge bright and early the next morning. Crossed the border with much less excitement than we expected (Team Brody’s passports are pretty colorful these days) and were in East Jerusalem by lunch. A delightfully unexpected snafu allowed us all to stay at the St. George Guest House and we were able to check in early and head out to lunch at Big Al’s (Al Shukri? Al Somebody…. those who have spent time at the Albright know what I’m talking about). We spent the afternoon in the Old City and wandered down the Via Dolorosa (not remembering the significance of ANY of the stations of the cross – such lousy tour guides). We tried to get up to the Temple Mount, only to be turned back and told to try again tomorrow. Pam and I went to the ladies side of the Western Wall and took in the scene, reverentially backing out of the area as the other gals were doing. We wandered over to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and got swept up in the confusing, diverse, and overwhelming services there. Having first been barred entry into the church because a Bishop (?) parade was entering the church, we headed up to the Ethiopian area of the church (this is my favorite) and hung out on the room listening to the Christian chants coming from the central dome while the call to prayer sounded from the neighboring mosque. Following a sign, we entered the Syrian Coptic area of the church and descended some stairs into an ancient cistern still containing water. We came out of this area of the church and managed to sneak into the main section – in between processions – and were swallowed by a number of different services. While we couldn’t go into the sepulcher itself, we had front row seats for some service that included a slew of folks marching around the structure three times and singing. Noah was mesmerized by the ‘smoke’ (incense) and a couple of the clergy pinched his cheeks each time the procession would march by. Went down to St. Helena’s chapel (another favorite spot) and up to the area where the Medici altar is. Couldn’t see the altar through the people, but we were able to admire the stunning mosaics in this area. Spent a lot of time trapped near the stone where Jesus is said to have been laid out before burial. It’s not the real thing, but it treated as such by the pilgrims visiting the site. Lots of kissing, cloth rubbing, touching.
Left the church and headed back to East Jerusalem straying to the rooftops of the Old City for a different view and wandering back through the Jewish Quarter. After a dinner that included a much anticipated Taybeh (Palestinian microbrew that is as good as we remembered), we headed back to St. George’s to sleep.
The next morning we delighted in colored eggs at breakfast (western Easter) and headed over to the Albright after we checked out. Aaron and Noah delighted in hanging out with the Masters (Dan, Emily, Jeffrey, and Lucy) while Pam and I headed back to the Old City to visit the Temple Mount. After wading through the crowds at the Wall (it was Passover) and the police with riot gear at the foreigner’s entrance to the Temple Mount, we ascended to the Temple Mount. We weren’t allowed in to see the Dome of the Rock (as we’re not Muslim), but we drank in the beautiful construction and decoration of the buildings. Had a great view of the Mount of Olives while we read the guidebook and listened to the caretaker of the shrine yell at an Italian tourist to cover herself. After the Temple Mount, we headed to the Jewish Quarter – again, clogged with Passover celebrations – to see the Burnt House (the remains of a Roman period house). Watched a movie about the house in Hebrew only realizing AFTER the movie that the headphones we were handed would have allowed us to listen to the movie in English. Oh well. From the Burnt House, we headed to the Tower of David. We were stopped by a procession of kids and bagpipe players marching down the street of the Old City. They apparently followed us to the Tower of David and we were able to see them (and their security) from the top of the Tower. Can you spot the sniper in this photo? Really enjoyed the seemingly incongruous Chilhuly (sp?) sculptures (here’s the ‘grass’) sprinkled throughout the Tower.
Made our way back to the Albright to catch up with Dan and Emily (many thanks for the hospitality!) before heading back to the border and on to Amman. While the trip over to Jerusalem took five hours, the trip back took only three.