Gallivanting Geismom: Jerusalem…..My Destiny

We've had quite an experience here in Jerusalem. Way too much to put in one blog. So, my plan is to fill you in on some highlights of the day, and share our adventures with you as I get organized with the photos and have the time to post more. In the meantime, let me give you the highlights of the day.

We awoke to brilliant sunshine, but brisk temperatures. Perfect for making the hike which would involve a lot of up and down travel by foot.

After a delightful breakfast here at the St. Andrew Scottish Guesthouse, we took a quick photo from the veranda outside our room

and set out for the Via Dolorosa.

We had decided to enter the Old City through the Lion's gate which is located opposite the Jaffa gate. Despite leaving early in order to beat out the tour busses, it took us nearly an hour by foot to walk the distance to the gate.

The tour busses were already in full force when we finally arrived.

Once through the gate, we headed towards St. Anne's Church. We were already detouring from our plans for the day, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so we planned to make the most of it!

Upon walking through the doors, we found ourselves in the midst of a large tour group who appeared to be Ethiopian. They may have hailed some other African country as home, but for the purposes of this blog, the exact country is immaterial.

At first, I was dismayed, knowing that the day would involve dealing with a multitude of tour groups. We had hoped for at least a little tranquility!

But, as I was scoping out my plan for moving around this group, the church suddenly filled with a spectacular musicial experience as this group began to sing A Cappella "Allellulia".

Just a simple phrase, sung as a Latin chant, but unbelievably beautiful. The director then led them into "Amazing Grace". I couldn't help but be immersed in the beauty of the moment. It was as if time had stood still. I was in awe as I watched and listened to their joyful sounds.

This group then got up out of the pews, walked to the front of the Sanctuary, and began to sing something in their native language. It was obvious from their expressions that they were singing a song of praise to God.

At this point, I found myself on the verge of tears. The delight in their faces, combined with their amazing voices as they moved around and waved their arms in celebration, left me with a strong sense of the spirit among them.

What had I been thinking? This group of Pilgrims had added something to the beginning of my day that would change the way I thought as I dealt with the craziness and commotion that would follow throughout this day. How lucky were we, to have begun our Jerusalem tour with this type of enthusiasm surrounding us?

When the crowd moved on, we were able to look through the many icons in this church.

St. Anne was the mother of Mary, which would make her Jesus' grandmother. The church featured a statue of St. Anne with Mary as a young girl.

Here is the simply decorated sanctuary with a purple robe decorating the altar to symbolize Lent.

Beneath the church, in a small chapel, is a special devotion to the birth of the Blessed Mother.

Above is a Russian Icon which is entitled "The Nativity of Our Lady".

The spot below the church is recognized as the home that Mary would have known as a child.

There is an icon designating the spot of Mary's birth, set among the rocks of the original mountain below the church.

This was all quite fascinating to us.

Outside the church are the remains of a 3rd century Temple.

From this point, we headed back down to the street to make our way to the Via Dolorosa.

My plan is to highlight that walk in a later blog, as the wi-fi here is slow, and a beautiful day is once yet calling our name here in Jerusalem.

The day was certainly quite the adventure and we would find ourselves crushed in the midst of countless tour groups, one of which involves a delightful story. But that is for another day.

As I had mentioned in yesterday's blog, the Via Dolorosa is flanked by Arab vendors hounding you as you walk along the path, attempting to get you into their store, or, in some cases, offer their services to the tourist who appears to be lost, and even those who aren't!

We found ourselves a bit confused, looking for the VIII station, so Marty and I chose what we thought was a private corner to study the map. The scene that follows could play out in a Bing Crosby/ Bob Hope movie. One with Leddie La Mar comes to mind.

We were both intent on the map, trying to locate just where we were, when, suddenly, an Arab face appears between our two heads, popping out from a body that was standing behind us.

Two large eyes looked at me and then at Marty and he said, " Are you lost? Can I help you?"

Words cannot describe the look that must have been on both of our faces.

We assured the man that we were just fine, closed the map, and headed off, not really worrying about whether or not we were going the right way.

Just for the record, we did find what we were looking for.

After a full day on the Via Dolorosa, we ventured out to David's Tomb, which is located right outside the Old City Walls.

Here you can see a statue of David playing the harp at then entrance.