Running down from the Mount of Olives

Traditionally pilgrims walk steadily down the Palm Sunday path from the Mount of Olives, recalling the night before Jesus died.

But if you've lingered too long taking photographs, and you look around and find everyone in the group has disappeared, and then you take a wrong turn and end up in the little village on top of the hill - then you have no choice but to run like crazy to catch up!

After a moment of quiet panic on reaching the bottom of the hill and finding the Garden of Gethsemane empty, I realized our guide must have taken the group on a little side track.

Having the Garden of Gethsemane almost to myself for a short time was pretty special.

Playing ladies at the King David

How do you think five Aussie ladies 'of a certain age' might choose to spend a free afternoon in Jerusalem?

Visiting the Archaeological Park? The Church of the Holy Sepulchre? The remains of the Roman Cardo?

I'm afraid not. We took ourselves off for coffee at the elegant King David Hotel, built on the 1920s and opened in 1931. It's been the venue for state banquets, visits of dignitaries, and even the signing of a peace treaty.

When two or three are gathered together...

This was how our hotel, the Olive Tree Hotel, looked just before 8 o'clock on Sunday morning, bathed in fog and bitterly cold.

Setting out for St George's Cathedral nearby I was incredibly glad of my thigh-length cable knit socks (under my jeans), my knitted gloves and my dorky-looking Nike (knock off) beanie, all of which I had bought from a stall for the princely sum of 23 shekels (approximately AU$6) the day before.

Inside we were a congregation of two so it was a very intimate Holy Communion service in the side chapel, celebrated by the Rev'd Canon Hosam Naoum, Canon Pastor of the Cathedral.

In case you're wondering, the rest of our group chose to avoid the early morning fog and chill, and enjoy a well-earned lie-in, a leisurely breakfast, and a short walk in the sunshine before going along to the 11am service.

A sense of place

Just a few photos which I hope might give you a feel of this amazing city.

The streets of Old Jerusalem

What an exciting place! Music, shouting, bright colours and the ever-present aroma of eastern spices. Occasionally, though, you'll glimpse a quiet side path leading to ... Who knows where?

I love the fact that little has changed here for centuries.

Chilly in Jerusalem

No snow, but with the maximum temperature around 9 degrees and the rain falling steadily we certainly piled on our layers of clothing (5 in my case!) for our first day of pilgrimage in Jerusalem on Saturday.

Beverley and Barbara had the right idea.

The rain held off a few times so we were able to make outside visits to places like the Pool of Siloam and the Garden Tomb (not likely to have been the actual tomb where Jesus was buried, but an excellent example, and in such a beautiful setting).

Here's where I felt coldest - can you tell? - on the roof of the Austrian Hospice where those prepared to brave the elements had an absolutely splendid view of Jerusalem.

Downstairs at the hospice we took a few minutes to thaw out before joining the throng in the narrow streets outside.

Handcrafts

A glimpse if some of the beautiful embroidery, cross stitch and quilting we've seen in our travels - I hope my quilting friends won't feel so neglected now ;-)