DAY 11 – THURSDAY, JANUARY 27: HERODIUM, BETHLEHEM, PROMENADE, MT. OF OLIVES, GETHSEMANE
We were greeted by a six inch blanket of snow from last night. What a beautiful scene all throughout the city. The building of snowmen and snowball fights abounded! Temps warmed to around 40 today, with rain falling throughout the day, but thankfully with a breaks here and there.
Herodium
We managed to get the bus out of the snowbank so enable us to drive south and east to Herodium. This was a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great. He was also buried in 4 BC. The site was incredible, with many new renovations and displays. We braved the cold and high winds as we climbed to the top. We saw the bathhouse, synagogue, royal arches, impressive frescoes, cistern system, and the small theater. Looking west, the snow on the hills of Judea was fun to see.
Bethlehem
Since the Shepherds’ Fields was closed, we went to an olive wood factory and store in Bethlehem. The olive wood products were impressive. We grabbed a bite to eat here too (falafel again).
Promenade
Driving back towards Jerusalem, we made a quick stop at the Promenade that winds around on the west and south end of the Old City. The sun came out, making for good pictures. We also enjoyed a few snowball fights with the local kids.
“It was incredibly fun to see snow last night and today in Jerusalem. Wow, what a unique thing here in Israel. Despite the snowfall (6 inches or so) and the rainfall today, we still visited a few sites throughout the day. It was a cold, damp, but great day!”
Mt. of Olives/Gethsemane
Our last stop of the day was the Mt. of Olives. While the cold rain and closed sites shortened our time here, the view of the Old City is spectacular from here! We walked down the slope to the Church of All Nations, the traditional Garden of Gethsemane. Being there alone, we enjoyed singing a few songs in the chapel.
We returned to the hotel by mid afternoon to dry out. Prior to dinner, we enjoyed Shlomo share a talk about his family in Vilna, Poland. He lost 12 family members in the Holocaust. After dinner, a few of us walked to the Western Wall.
DAY 12 – FRIDAY, JANUARY 28: WESTERN WALL/TUNNEL, CITY OF DAVID, HEZEKIAH’S TUNNEL, OLD CITY, HOLY SEPULCHER CHURCH
