Jerusalem

 We were sitting here and looking out towards the opposite direction at the picture below, which is the West Bank, or Bethlehem (beyond the wire fence)

The Shepherds' field

As we were listening to the account of the events of our Savior's birth and gazing upon this field (of rocks), and feasting on the most delicious meal of falafels, this little caravan of animals came marching across and gave us a little glimpse into the past. I wonder if it looks the same as it did 2,010 years ago?

Old City of Jerusalem

This is the Western Wall or Wailing Wall, it sits at the western foot of the Temple Mount, one of Judaism's most holy and sacred places.  It has been a sight for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries.  In the picture below you can see movement, as there was a lot of rapid bowing, over and over.  The right side is for women, the left, for men.  We went down there and it was a beautiful experience to be a part of it.

People bring little pieces of paper with prayers on them and stuff them in the cracks between the stones.

The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, an important Islamic shrine, sits in the center of the Temple Mount. (I was dying for my tripod for this shot)

 This is our how our tour guide did our tour,  we had little camp chairs and head sets and read scriptural accounts to give us reference to the places we visited.  Steven Rona was our guide.  He did a fantastic job and I would love to go back and do a full tour instead of the whirlwind day and a half tour we did this time. 

 Mount of Olives

 This was really far away and I had barely any time to capture this picture of my cat from Israel.