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Orthodox church at the base of the Mount of Olives. I can't remember it's name but it is incredibly ornate -- "gaudy" might be an appropriate description. This is a shrine within the church to the Holy Virgin.
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This is the Garden of Gethsemane. Actually, it's an olive grove at the foot of the Mount of Olives that tradition says is the place Jesus was taken by the Romans. In the background you can see the wall of Old Jerusalem and, peaking over it, the golden dome of the Temple of the Rock.
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Another view of the walled old city.
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The "Golden Gate" of Old Jerusalem as seen from the foot of the mount of olives.
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From the top of the Mount of Olives to Old Jerusalem. The wall is roughly in the middle, just below the golden dome (of the Temple of the Rock). Just to this side of the wall are tombs of Moslems (who like to be ON the Temple Mount) and at the bottom of the picture are the tombs of Jews (who like to be OVERLOOKING the Temple Mount. There is a passage in the Bible about Jesus cresting a hill and the city coming into view; his view would be of this terrain, although the tomb and the dome would have been absent (and the Temple would have been approximately where the dome is).
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Jerusalem - Garden Tomb
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Jerusalem - Garden of Gethsemane
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Jerusalem - Chapel of Ascension
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Jerusalem - Golden Gate
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A view down the mount of olives at the cemetery there. This is one of the most popular cemeteries in all of Israel because it overlooks the Temple Mount.
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Tradition says that this rock was the rock in the Garden of Gethsemane on which Jesus prayed the night he was taken by the Romans.
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Jerusalem - Golden Gate
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The Lord's Prayer in English at the Church of Pater Noster. There are something like 200 plaques here all in different languages.
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A wall covered with the Lord's Prayer in many different languages. There is a church here (Pater Noster) and throughout the grounds are these little plaques that have the Lord's Prayer in every earthly language.
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The Lord's Prayer in Gaelic. This one is for you, Mom. :)
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Jerusalem - Damascus Gate
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Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Museum) Historical museum. This poster is sort of an index to the rest of the Museum. Notice that the dates go right to left; although the Israelis very kindly include an English version of everything, they read right to left so signs are often arranged in that order. I didn't take many pictures in this museum because we've all seen most of these images.
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You can't really read this but I think it's the most meaningful quote in the entire Holocaust Museum: "They came for the Communists and I didn't object for I wasn't a Communist. They came for the Socialists and I didn't object for I wasn't a Socialist. They came for the labor leaders and I didn't object for I wasn't a labor leader. They came for the Jews and I didn't object for I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to object" (Please excused the picture but consider the quote.)
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View of Jerusalem showing the high-density housing that is the rule in the city.
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My driver on my last day when I visited all the museums.
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When I first saw one of these fire hydrants (riding in on the bus from the plane to the terminal on my first hour in Israel) I thought it was a fanciful statue of an elf. It's ironic that this most pragmatic precaution of this most pragmatic of people should strike me as a frivolous statue.
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At the mall: these two soldiers allowed me to take their picture. They are, however, not native Israelis. The one on the right is French and the one on the left is from LA. They came to Israel to join the Israeli Army and defend Israel -- a Motherland into which they were not born -- from her enemies. They are here to protect people going to the mall from terrorists. When you enter you are searched and they have a number of soldiers on patrol. I found it disquieting to see the guns all over the place but I gather the Israelis find it reassuring. It goes to show you how tender my sensibilities have become living in a land of relative peace.
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An Arab salesman came and put this on me and then charged me for the picture. "It doesn't cost to look" is a oft-quoted saying. Don't you believe it!
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At least I only paid once for two pictures...
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The complex in which OmniSky Israel is housed. There are a number of high-tech companies in the same complex. The red metal sculptures are Hebrew letters.
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Jerusalem - General view
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Jerusalem - General View
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