Eilat, and the Old City of Jerusalem

Dear all,

I'm glad things are going well for you, and thanks again so much for your support from the last entry. I know that things are going to be alright in the next little bit. That said, I am still having a lot of fun before I have to go, with trips to Eilat and a few to the Old City of Jerusalem.

Travelling with the Office of Overseas Studies students, a group of friends and I boarded an early bus (6:45 a.m.) and headed toward Israel's southern-most city, Eilat. Our first stop (aside from a quick coffee break on the way down) was a viewing point along the Israel/Egyptian border. We were able to get pictures looking into Sinai and the rolling hillsides that were pretty much desert. See Max, my roommate, and I striking the "Walk like an Egyptian" pose along the border...ha! We definitely didn't let that one go! From there, we completed the 3.5-hour bus ride from our viewpoint to a mountain area. Now we weren't necessarily told how intense this hike was going to be, other than I have to say it was probably the best I've ever had in my life. We hiked up a mountain called Mount Shlomo, which is on the southern edge of Eilat and from here, you can see the city of Eilat and southern Israel, to our right facing the Red Sea you could see Egypt (Sinai), waaaay off in the distance just to the left of that is Saudi Arabia, and continuing left across the Gulf of Eilat (Red Sea) is Jordan. Breathtaking views of the region, looking into four different countries at the same time, as well as the Coral Beach right below us. This was, without words, awesome.

From here we went to Eilat, checked into our hostel and found a really cool pizza place to eat at before the Sabbath (Shabbat) began. From there, it was resting and then getting ready for a night on the town. We went to a place called the Three Monkeys, only kilometers from the Jordanian border, which was especially cool because a live band had come to the pub to play a gig that night. We rocked out 'til the wee hours of the morning to some great classics ranging from The Eagles to The Beatles...the best music in the world of course!

The best part was a full day at the beach! A coral beach, that is! I got the chance to go snorkeling off the coast of the Red Sea just a bit...and saw some amazing fish and other ocean life. The pics below include people snorkeling and us hanging out on the beach. It was a nice day of relaxing and getting in that last suntan of the year before winter hits. From there, we went to a Bedouin tent for some good Nargila, Pita and Hummus... Then back to the hostel, grabbed our stuff, and got locked in for the 3.5-hour bus ride home to Be'er Sheva.

Snorkelers and divers on Coral Beach, Gulf of Eilat, Israel.

All of us at Coral Beach!

This past Sunday was a trip by myself to Jerusalem's Old City. Since I'm heading out in a few days from now and am not completely certain of when I'm coming back here, I thought I'd get in a little bit more touring of probably the best spot in Israel yet. I got to spend some time walking around the Armenian quarter, which is probably the longest settlement yet in Jerusalem (dating back to the 4th Century...and they haven't been kicked out yet!) Finally, I wandered through the Christian quarter looking for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre...call me crazy..., but I couldn't find it! After asking around a bit, I stumbled into the Jewish Quarter, somewhat more familiar territory, and tried asking people who might know where the Church was...still no luck. Shortly after, it started to pour rain! And walking in leather flip flops in shorts without an umbrella meant bag it up and go back to the Old City the next day.

Now yesterday I found the Church of the Holy Sepulchre! Yay! And it definitely was awesome. I walked into the front doors only to find probably the most important relic to the church, which was the Stone of the Anointing, believed to be the place where Jesus' body was prepared for burial. The pics to the left show how people were bringing personal objects to touch it and saying prayers sitting next to it. From there, I walked over to the Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre, which is thought to be where the Tomb of Christ was, with a dome above the Edicule that was incredibly high. Next was a visit to Calvary, which was really interesting to see. Sitting in that spot, a crafted iron cross hangs above the spot where it was believed that Jesus was crucified. Lines of pilgrims from all walks of the Christian faith had lined up to touch the actual rocks of where the Cross was pounded into the solid rock. From there, I visited a chamber at the bottom of the church where it is believed that the crosses had remained and were rediscovered after Jesus' death. I also walked into a few other rooms that had other relics to the crucifixion, as well as people lighting candles and saying prayers. Overall, it was a fascinating experience to see all of the cool relics and to see where all walks of Christianity meet on one particular perspective on something that definitely happened...

So my adventures in the Holy Land are winding to a close......for now! It might be possible that I might come back quite soon...look for updates on when that will be. I will also post some of that information here on this blog, and from there, we may get some new adventures in the Holy Land once again.

There is also a new video up of my adventures on YouTube! Click here to check it out! And click here for a new photo album of all the action!

I hope everyone is doing well, thanks for keeping up with my adventures. Keep in touch!

B'Shalom,

Josh ;)