0000 (Otherwise Known As…The Day In Jerusalem)

Special Israel Edition

Just as I was getting ready to type up a posting, Ezra got ahold of the keyboard, resulting in the unusual title – unless you are into binary code.

This morning we met up with a family friend – Eli Peded – and he took us to Jerusalem for a day in the old city. Eli gave Ahna and I the gift of a tour during our honeymoon 5 years ago, and he eagerly accepted the task again this time. I can’t tell you how interesting, fulfilling, fun, entertaining, educational, and special this sort of opportunity is…needless to say, we can never thank him enough for his generosity.

We started the day at Mount Olives and ended the day at the Church of the Nativity. In the middle, we went to many places in the old city including the Western Wall, the Holy Church of the Seplica, and walked most of the Stations of the Cross. We also walked through the market, had lunch at a nice filafal stand, and bought some interesting spices that you can’t find in the US.  Wow…the history is amazing. So were the crowds, but that’s the way of life in the summer at the only city on Earth where the three religions who believe in one God converge.

The last part of the day was perhaps the most interesting to me, since most of what we saw today was a reminder of what we saw a few years ago. Eli arranged for a tour guide to meet us at the wall seperating Israel and the West Bank – a Palestinian Territory – and to take us to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Not only was the experience of going to such a place special, but the experience of going through the security checkpoint, the fences, the gates, and the wall was something that none of us had ever experienced. It was a magnificent excursion into the West Bank, and at times a battle with emotion, conception, and presumtion. Our tour guide was great, and we go to see a small glimpse into life in an occuipied territory.

As night came, we all felt more and more tired from all of the heat, sun, and walking (you have to wear pants for the trips into the holy sites…and I had to borrow some of Dave’s since I didn’t bring any on the trip at all). Tomorrow comes more sites with Eli, this time up north.

Also, and perhaps most importantly, Ahna and I celebrated our 5th anniversary today. It was special to be able to celebrate it with family in a place like Jerusalem, and it was special to think about everything that the last 5 years has brought to us.