Day Twelve: Exam & Free Afternoon - Old City

Walking along the Wall from JUC

The exam went well this morning, and I enjoyed the lectures to follow. We were prepped for our Galilee field study starting tomorrow. After lunch twelve, us came back for another lecture to prepare us for our Jordan expedition next weekend! It is hard to believe I've already been here two weeks. Even though this is already longer than most tour groups, I feel as if there is no way we can see everything in just the five weeks!

I took the remainder of the afternoon to just wander the streets of the old city and visit a few shops. I am still not comfortable with the whole bargaining thing, so I just "looked" today. I found my way back to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and wandered back through again. I was amazed at how much I missed the first time through. There is artwork around every corner. When I was getting ready to leave the Orthodox Patriarch made his procession into the church, knelt and kissed bench and preceded around the corner to the holy sepulcher.

After dinner we were invited up to the Wright's home for an "afterglow." They shared more about the school, some stories, and how they came to JUC.  One story they shared was about a JUC student who had gone for walk in the Muslim Cemetery by the Golden Gate. While he was walking by the gate, the earth gave way and he fell into a hole. Here he discovered the arches of another gate underneath the present one as well as many bones and the like. He later published his discover in … I think it was Biblical Archeology. Never know what you may fall into around here ;)

Taking Christ's body down ... Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Othodox preparing for service. Notice the lights are on this time :) ... and
they've lighten the "belly button of the world"

Better Picture of the Small Chapel on top of the Holy Seplechar

Another Chapel in the Church

Going back down to where Helen supposedly found
Christ's cross

Somewhere down in this cave Helena found three
wooden crosses

I think that's the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem

Fountain in the Old City

Church of the Redeemer

Afterglow at the Wright's Home at JUC

Here is an example of how they would grind the grain in
Biblical times. The boards have (basalt?) stones embedded in
them. The sleigh would then be driven in over the grain.
This was used up to modern times in more remote parts
of the middle east. There are still places today (especially
rural Jordan) that use this same farming method. 

Plow and Sickle - similar to what they would have used in biblical times