The Advantage of Tour Groups

Did I say that I had a problem with tour groups?

Well……let's just say that I've had a complete change of heart, and my conclusion is that they can come in quite handy….when the time is right.

I'm not saying that I want to be part of a tour group when traveling.  But, I can attest to the fact that they  can be a blessing at times here in Jerusalem.

How can that be?   Well. at nearly every shrine entrance, you can be guaranteed the presence of at lead one Arab, more than likely several.  All want to be your tour guide, or try to get you to pay an admission fee which is not listed anywhere as being required to gain entry.

These men are relentless, and will continue to pester you, even when you state that you are not interested.  It isn't easy to avoid them, as the entrances are narrow and involve going through some sort of gate or doorway to get inside.

Now, the entire scenario changes when a tour group arrives.  The guide leads the group through the gate, and the Arabs somehow magically leave the group alone.

So, if you just attach yourself to the end of the group, these men think that you are part of the busload entering the shrine, and you are through the door without anyone pestering you!  Remember, there is no fee to enter many of these holy places.  No one is out any money, and we are saved from having to endure the harassment of these pests.

Clever idea, don't you think?

I'm sorry that I ever badmouthed the tour group idea.  Sure, we were squished and suffocated a bit yesterday, as we found ourselves in the middle of a crush in the Holy Sepulcher Church, but I was beginning to find the positive side of these otherwise annoying groups.  Plus, as I shared yesterday, some of them can be downright entertaining!

So, it was with this newfound knowledge that we headed out, after breakfast, to the Mount of Olives, which is located in the Arab part of Jerusalem.  We were ready for the challenge.

After breakfast, we headed out on foot, this time walking around the edge of the walled city towards the Mount of Olives.

It is located in the distance of this photo.

As we walked at the base of the walls of the city, we passed the ancient tomb of Zechariah

as well as the tomb of Jehoshophat

These tombs stand at the base of the hill which is covered with tombs from centuries past.

Our walk was a long one, but filled with beautiful vistas along the way.

Finally, we were nearing our destination, the Church of Nations, also known a the Basilica of the Agony.

As luck would have it, several tour groups were headed through the door as we made our descent to the gate.

On the other side of this wall stand ancient Olive Trees in a large garden.

It is obvious that many of the trees are centuries old, and some are believed to be seedlings from trees that existed in the time of Jesus.

It is my intention to go into more detail regarding these shrines within the next few days when I have more time to explain the details.  I hope that you won't be too disappointed to have to wait a little while to see all of the special sights that we were blessed to have visited.

Next to the garden is the Church of Nations which has some beautiful mosaics inside and a rock at the foot of the altar that is believed to be the rock where Jesus prayed.  I'll elaborate more on this sometime in the future. 

Upon leaving the church, we scurried out and began to climb the mountain with the intent of seeing the Chapel of the Ascension as our final destination. 

Along this steep hill, we soon found ourselves just behind a group of Eastern European Pilgrims.  The women were in simple dress, each with their heads shrouded, many in what looked to me like babushkas.  They were standing outside the Russian Orthodox Shrine to Mary Magdalene.

You may have noticed it in some other photos, peering from behind the cedars.

We had read that this church could only be viewed on Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours each day, so we had ruled it out as a possible visit.

Suddenly, I noticed the green door pop open, and there stood an Arab with a collection basket in his hand, seeking donations from this group as they passed through the gate.  He looked quite nervous, peering left and right, and he swung his arms, ushering us to get through quickly.

I realized at this point that he thought that we were part of the group.  I pulled my scarf up over my head, and motioned for Marty not to speak a word.  (Didn't I tell you that tour groups could be an advantage?)

This man reminded me of a time in Italy when I had given a donation to a man dressed very nicely outside a church.  I had presumed that he was collecting offerings for admission.  It was later, at dinner, when someone in our group mentioned that he had almost been tricked by a beggar standing outside the church, for a donation.  I don't know what bothered me most…..realizing that I had been tricked, or knowing that I never would have known I was tricked had the subject not come up!

In any event, we all know that the man at this gate was not collecting funds for the church.  Better to add to the collection box inside, which was locked for practical purposes.

We bypassed the group,  and headed up the walkway, knowing how fortunate we were to be able to access the beautiful grounds.

It was the Church of Mary Magdalene, a Russian Orthodox church as you can see by the beautiful Golden Spires on the roof.

Pictures were not permitted inside the building, but I can tell you that there was a stunning mural of Jesus before Pontius Pilate, and two paintings of Jesus with Mary Magdalene on the walls.  The interior of the church was rather small in comparison with the outside of the building.

After spending some time inside, the tour group was making their way into the church, so we headed out to the courtyard to grab a few photos.  Here is one of the gardens.

And the views from here were amazing.

We exited through the gate where we had entered, which was now closed to the public.  I was originally concerned that it would not open, but with a tug, we were out again on the street,  once again climbing a hill to our next stop:  The Church of Tears.

It is here where it is said that Jesus wept over the future of Jerusalem.  

The church is maintained by Franciscans, and upon passing through the doors, we were greeted by a Friar who welcomed us into the church, just as Mass was ending.

Walking into the small church, my eyes were immediately drawn to the window behind the altar.

It looked directly out over the city walls of Old Jerusalem.  I learned that this church is the only one of its kind set up so that the congregation is facing east, looking towards Jerusalem.  What a spectacular view!

A mosaic on the front of the altar features a hen with her chicks

this mosaic represents the Biblical passage from Luke 13: 34

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."

We exited the church out to a brick overlook that once again, offered amazing views.

A cute little puppy was romping around, delighting all who were outside

and he stopped for about 5 seconds so that Marty could give him a quick pet.

Once again, we headed out the gate, but this time we had to wait for an attendant to open it electronically before we could leave.  Things seemed to be getting more complicated regarding these visitations.

We were hiking to Pater Nostra, which we found closed, due to it being Sunday.  So, we continued up the extremely steep hill towards the shrine of the Ascension.  It shouldn't be too surprising for you to learn that the church was on the pinnacle of this mountain.

However, the shrine in question was under Muslim control.  And, once at the top of this mountain, we suddenly felt quite uncomfortable with our surroundings.

There were no tour busses, or even any tourists, for that matter.  It suddenly seemed like Arabs were coming out of the woodwork. A cab driver kept asking us if he could take us to Bethlehem, others asked if we needed directions.  One man wanted to know if I needed to use the toilet or take a shower.  

Really?  Would anyone in their right mind have said yes?

At that point, we decided that it would be in our best interest to high tail it out of there, and I'll admit that running down a hill is far easier than climbing up one.

Along the way, this poor little thing was tied up, seeming all alone.

I half expected an Arab to pop out of the wall and demand payment for my shooting this photo, but it appeared that we were on the free and clear.

By this point of the day, we both decided that we had seen enough for one day, particularly in this part of Jerusalem, so we began the walk back to the guest house.

Along the way, we stopped for a quick peek to see what was in the City of David.

There were some beautiful floral gardens

but this was mostly an archeological park, with excavations in tunnels, unearthing the remnants of the city of David, from the Old Testament of the Bible.

We opted not to pay for the tour, and to head back to the Guest House for some R&R, but not before taking this lovely photo with the gates to David's City below the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Later in the day we walked into West Jerusalem, passing through a lovely park just across the street from our guest house.

Children were having a blast playing on this fountain, which I found to be very entertaining.

The neighborhood was built in the 1860's and it features the first homes built by the Jewish community outside the Old City Walls.

The views were stunning.

 The houses were beautiful

 and there was even a preserved windmill that had once served to grind grain for this small Jewish community.

Walking through the neighborhood led us to the heart of West Jerusalem and into a festive mall which was obviously relatively new.

It was buzzing with the excitement of Purim, and I couldn't help but get wrapped up in the festivities, as I watched little ones and adults, dressed up and enjoying the evening.

Once I passed a man wearing elephant ears, I figured that we'd be seeing a lot more costuming, and I was right!

The walk through the mall was very entertaining. Here you see Marty getting into the festivities.

There were kiddie cars for transit

And if you think the attendant in the background is dressed like an American Indian, then you guessed right!

There was a Global Warming exhibition on display outside. Here you see Marty checking out one of the entries.

And, of course, his favorite featured fish:  lots of them.

I enjoyed myself checking out the unusual art work

This one is called No Body

I found it to be quite amusing.

But this was my favorite by far.

Unfortunately, it would never fit in my suitcase, and I'm fairly certain that there is no room for it in my house!  But it certainly is entertaining, don't you think?

It's our last night in Jerusalem, one filled with lots of commotion as the local Jewish community is celebrating their Purim holiday.  Who ever would have figured that so many festivities would be part of our stay here?

Until tomorrow……Shalom!