Walk-a-thon

Today is our last morning here and we decided to make the best of it. After a big breakfast (we had to pay for our lunch today, and us cheapies didn't want to), we had a concluding worship and communion service. I read a scripture and I had helped K get the rocks ready for her part, but it was really her idea. She wrote one name from our group on each rock and piled up the rocks like a wall. We had to each pick one rock, not the one with our own name, tearing down the wall piece by piece. We are supposed to pray for that person for the next week. I have Mary, which is good for me, b/c Mary is one of the people I didn't get to know very well on the trip. We all hugged after the service, passing the peace to one another. I was surprised that some people had tears in their eyes. I know, I know, I'm not a very sensitive or emotional person, so it shouldn't come as a shock that I didn't cry. But I will miss this. Very much.



Today has been one of my favorite days so far, mainly b/c we had much of the day free to do what we wanted. K, B, Eugene, YoHan and I walked around the wall to the Jaffa Gate (faces West towards Jaffa) where we could get up on the ramparts on the top of the wall to walk around. While we were walking, YoHa had me stop at each gate we passed and show the gate and speak it's name while he filmed it. Who needs Iyad! I'm the tour guide! Haha! Walking on top of the walls was a lot of fun! We took our time, took some pictures, we even got to stand on the roof over the Damascus Gate at one point! Sometimes we were really up high, sometimes not too high. Some of the staircases were scary and I bumped my head at one point, but the views were spectacular and the breeze felt amazing. Plus we just talked and joked and had a good old time! We walked all the way from the Jaffa Gate to the Lion Gate on the East side of the Old City. Then we walked back through the marketplace to the hotel. I've decided after all that I did enjoy the marketplace and I am going to miss it. I love the bustle and the people. And I love the idea of bargaining for the price and not spending a lot of money on things. I love the huge carts that try to fit through the tiny streets crowded with people, watching the guys with the carts help each other out when going down a slope, one slowing it down from the front, another standing on a tire brake on the back. I'll miss it all. And I have a new appreciation for crowds!

At the hotel, K and I had an improvised lunch. I had a couple pieces of pita break with jelly and honey I had taken from the breakfast buffet earlier. Then K, B, Eugene and I went out again. We walked to the Garden Tomb b/c Brandie wanted a magnet from the gift shop there, but it was closed, so we walked through the Old City marketplace, one last time... Brandie got a big bag of Christmas chocolate for only 10 shequels!! Yum!

On the way back to the hotel, B and I went into Zedekiah's cave, which is a cave used way back in the day as a stone quarry for all the various building projects around Jerusalem. There wasn't too much to see, but it was cool and dark and a little bit creepy, but that could be b/c B happened to mention "The Descent" and I have have an active imagination. We saw a cat fight, literally. In one huge cave part, the room was absolutely silent. B and I smiled at each other b/c there was nothing to hear. At all. Silence.

Then B and I went back to the hotel and picked K and Eugene back up and then we went back to the Garden Tomb so that B could get that magnet. Now we're sitting in the hotel, waiting to leave, and we just saw a funeral procession of Orthodox Jews walk by. I'm signing off b/c we should be leaving soon! I'll be back in the states b/f you know it...after a 14 hour flight........