SUNDAY TO TUESDAY

We arrived in Jerusalem! Brad and I grabbed a cab and went off looking for an Internet Cafe.  We're ended up in town near the Jaffa Gate at an Internet Cafe.

The next days were filled with so many sites and a LOT of walking, particularly in old Jerusalem.  We visited Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Jewish Quarter, King David's Tomb, Temple restoration sites, the Temple Mount, scale models of the city, the Eastern Gate, and much much more!  We packed in a lot, but also missed quite a bit because of the Independence Day celebrations and holidays.

Brad and I were able to add to our trip experience, thanks to Roni and Franklin, friends of ours who live in Jerusalem.  We went downtown into the chaos that is their Independence Day celebration.  It was a wild scene of people, music and overall madness.  We participated in a recent tradition of "foaming" -- where people spray cans of something that looks like shaving cream on everything (and everyone).  Earlier in the evening (Monday night), we met with several folks from JYA -- a group of young adults in Jerusalem that meet regularly to fellowship.  It really meant a lot to have folks come out to see us.  Roni also let us bring our laundry. What a pal! Having the same laundry done at the hotel would cost us over 50 bucks.

The remaining time in Jerusalem was spent mainly on walking tours.   We saw a lot, but there is also more I want to go back and see.  At the end of the tour, a few of the folks headed back home.  The rest of us continued with a trip extension to Jordan.  Another adventure!