Jerusalem: Temple Mount, Western Wall, Garden Tomb, Home of Caiaphas and Garden of Gethsemane

Nov 24, Thu:

Jerusalem-Temple Mount-Western Wall-Garden Tomb-Home of Caiaphas-Garden of Gethsemane

            We awoke with the realization that it was Thanksgiving Day in America and so, at breakfast, we wished each other. After a lovely breakfast in Hotel Arthur that included smoked salmon on toast—my particular favorite—and good coffee, we set out for our exploration of Jerusalem. By the end of the day, we would be quite astounded by what we would see—indeed this day proved to be the most memorable one for me on our entire trip.

Discovering Old Jerusalem:

            The drive from our hotel took us past modern Jerusalem and its impressive official buildings including the Parliament House (or Knesset) where we were quite taken by the development of the city. When we arrived at the Old City, it was indeed a strong contrast and something of a revelation. Moti led us on a walking tour past the massive main walls built by Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Great into the maze of streets that form the heart and soul of this mysterious city. We passed through Jaffa Gate (so-called because it faces the old city of Jaffa) and went down many low steps that led through the market and on to the main square of the Old City.

We were able to see remnants of some of the old walls in the huge stones scattered around the periphery of the Old City. He explained to us (and we were able to see a model of the original city of Jerusalem in the Israeli Museum on the day of our departure) that Jerusalem had been built by the great Hebrew King Solomon in the 10^th century BC. It was a massive city, beautifully well-constructed and built in keeping with Roman principles of design and urban development. In the center, at one end, surrounded by the great high city walls, was the Arc of the Covenant in which was concealed the original twin tablets containing the Ten Commandments as given to Moses by God. When the Muslims vanquished the city during the Crusades, they destroyed it and, in keeping with Hebraic scripture, indeed “left no stone unturned”. They ransacked the Arc, pillaged and plundered and took away the Ten Commandments with them—they are assumed to be destroyed. The one wall that stands today on the site of one of the original walls of Solomon’s city is on the Western side—it is, therefore, known as the Western Wall (in common parlance, it is also called the Wailing Wall as Jews make a chanting sound when praying against it. However, it must be noted that Jews find the use of the term ‘Wailing Wall’ derogatory and prefer ‘Western Wall’). As we looked upon the scene of so many centuries of destruction and rebuilding, we also became cognizant of well-dressed Jews hurrying towards the Western Wall as a large number of bar mitzvahs were scheduled to occur that morning.

Viewing the Western Wall:

            A little later, Moti led us towards an elevated walkway with gave us our first glimpse of the Western Wall. Although it was still early in the morning, Jews had already assembled to start praying there. They were clad in flowing white robes with stoles in dark blue and head gear that was draped either shawl-like around their heads or as caps. There was a long partition that ran the length of the open courtyard in front of the wall and in that partition, we saw Jewish women begin the act of prayer. The genders were well segregated with women peering over to the men’s side as the morning lengthened and crowds swelled. We took pictures from the elevated walkway as we made our way to the Dome of the Rock.

The Dome of the Rock:

            The Dome of the Rock is the name of the ornate shrine built in Byzantine style on Temple Mount in Jerusalem on the site of what used to be the Temple of Solomon and the old Jewish Second Temple. It is characterized by an octagonal base completely covered with Turkish Iznik ceramic tiles mainly in yellows, whites, greens and blues and topped by a glorious gold dome that is visible from almost every corner of the city. Extracts from Koranic scripture in cobalt-blue calligraphic design were all over the doors and arches. At different times in history, the structure and the site were under the custody of differing authorities—the Jews, then the Muslim Saracens, then the Christian Crusaders, then the Muslims again. At the top of the dome has been a cross in past centuries—today, there is a crescent. As an architectural Islamic monument, it has few equals and I was just enthralled by the many aspects of Islamic decorative design evident all over it—aspects that we have seen at the Al-Hambra Palace in Granada, Spain (the macarabi or honeycomb design that was popularized by the Nazarids) and the striped red and white arches that we had seen at the Grand Mosque in Cordoba in Spain (an aspect of Moorish design).  

It is currently under the control of the prelates of Islam and is considered the second most revered edifice in the world by Muslims after the Kaaba in Mecca. Non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering the building. All we could do was admire it from the outside. At any rate, since it was not a Friday, there was no prayer activity anywhere in the vicinity. The place comes into its own on Fridays when the neighboring Al-Aqsa Mosque which is right opposite it, is filled with Jerusalem’s Muslims at prayer. Right next to the main building, is a smaller domed structure—probably the spot at which ablutions are performed before entering for prayer. As befits such a significant monument, the entire area surrounding it has ancient structures in Islamic style—arches, domes, minarets, cupolas. It is a fantastic site for the avid photographer for at every juncture, you feel tempted to shoot. Because Islamic strictures prevent public displays of physical contact between the genders, we were allowed to pose for pictures as a group and as couples but without any parts of our bodies touching! Once we finished taking pictures, we climbed the stairs leading to the Dome of the Rock and had fabulous views of the surrounding buildings of Jerusalem from this heightened vantage point.

Back to the Western Wall:

            Once we had soaked in the splendor of Islamic Jerusalem, we made our way back to the Western Wall. Crowds had swelled enormously and the place was simple mobbed with people—male and female—either in traditional Jewish prayer robes or dressed to the nines as invitees of the various bar-mitzvahs that were being held. We met an American woman from New Jersey who had arrived in Jerusalem for her son’s bar mitzvah which was to take place today. As it turned out, some members of our party ran into her.

Moti instructed us on how to get to the wall and following the movements of the Jewish faithful all around us, we too placed our petitions on small slips of paper in the prayer niches all around the wall. Hundreds of such petitions had been left in similar fashion. The Jewish women (as we were in the women’s section) beat their heads against the wall or placed their right hands against the wall and recited prayers—either singly or in groups. Meanwhile, over on the men’s side, we saw large numbers of Jewish men of various ages surrounding Jewish priests as their children took part in religious services. There were still and video photographers all around recording these events. Moti explained to us that the people were not praying to a  sacred wall—they were facing the Arc of the Covenant and since only this portion of the original wall of the city remains and the Arc used to be right beyond the wall, that is where they position themselves. We took a lot of pictures at this spot and were thoroughly taken by the fervor of the religious rituals taking place around us.

A Stop for Tea and Refreshments:

            By this point, we were quite fatigued and needed refreshment. Moti led us out of the narrow lanes and steps through which we had passed in the morning (but which were now filled with human activity as the shops had opened for the day) and into a small tea shop which was packed with people. There we had mint tea or coffee and a variety of snacks and sweetmeats that Moti organized for us from the neighboring vendors. It was quite an interesting lot of rather unusual and unfamiliar eats and we did justice to them as they were all very tasty.

            This tea shop happened to be right adjacent to the Via Dolorosa which is the Way of the Cross. In fact, we found the third, fourth and fifth stations to be right across—so we stepped in the Shrine of the Fifth Station (where Jesus meets his Blessed Mother). But Moti told us not to linger in the area too long as we would be returning here tomorrow to actually participate in the Stations of the Cross at 3.00 pm when they begin. Instead, he led us on a long walk through Old Jerusalem and the city walls out of Damascus Gate to our next port of call, The Garden Tomb.

Visiting the Garden Tomb:

            The Garden Tomb was not on our original itinerary and we are very fortunate that Moti was obliging enough to include it when Llew requested him to do so as his colleague had told him not to miss it. None of us had any idea what to expect and it was thanks to an Anglican guide called Martin, inside the complex that was in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem, who explained the discovery of the venue and its significance to Anglicans that we understood what it means to some Christians and how fortunate we were to go there.

 It turns out that in the middle of the 19^th century, Protestants began to challenge the location of what Catholics believe to be Golgotha or the Mount on which Christ was crucified. A large segment believed that they ought to look for a ‘Skull Hill’ and when one was found that met the description in the Bible of the site of Christ’s crucifixion and burial, Anglicans began to accept this tomb as being the actual site. However, scholarly opinion has discounted this possibility as the use of the cave as a tomb dates to the 6^th or 7^th century after Christ’s death!

Controversy apart, the Garden Tomb is a lovely place to visit. It is set in the midst of a typical English garden (if such a thing is even possible in the arid desert-soil conditions of Israel). After a wonderfully animated lecture by Martin which completely grabbed our attention as well as laid out complicated concepts in a very accessible fashion (how I wish all guides were like him!), we were taken into a rock-cut cave tomb through a rather narrow entrance. Inside, we found two stone-hewn platforms, one of which is supposedly the last resting place of Christ. We also saw a large round stone which replicates the kind that was used in Jewish burial in Christ’s day to close up a human tomb after burial. I must make it clear that this Anglican belief is completely different from that of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches that regard the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the spot of Christ’s death and burial.

Visit to an Armenian Ceramist:

            The visit to the Garden Tomb done, Moti led us on foot through the Muslim Quarter and back to Damascus Gate to take us for a slow climb up a hill towards the Christian Quarter to the shop of an Armenian potter who makes ceramic objects by hand. We entered the quarter through a stone wall and once inside, did admire the artisan’s work. However, few of us felt tempted to buy although some members of our group looked specifically for mugs with the loaves and fishes motif on them.

Lunch at Radolin Café:

            By this point, a few members of our group were hungry and wished to eat lunch and a few wanted to wander around and get some shopping done. Moti led us to the main shopping square where we separated with each group getting the kind of meal they desired. Llew and I joined Ian and Jenny at Radolin, a local Israeli chain of restaurants where Moti joined us. We ordered soup and cheese toasts which were quite tasty and just substantial enough without being too heavy. Cheri-Anne managed to find the time and a fine place to do some substantial shopping and ended up buying and shipping home a tableau of The Last Supper at a store where the prices were half of those in the olive-wood carving shop to which the Palestinian guides had taken us! When we all got together about an hour later, Moti told us that we were headed to the House of Caiaphas.

Visit to the House of Caiaphas (The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu):

Before we entered what is known as The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, Moti led us to the back of the church and to a stone promontory from where we had a very good view of the city of Jerusalem with its stone walls, the domes of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. We also saw the many grave stones of the Mount of Olives and the new Jewish settlements that have mushroomed there.

The Church of St. Peter of Gallicantu is constructed in Byzantine style—both inside and out. It has an arched entry way and a single side spire. Its doors are particularly interesting. Hewn of wrought-iron, there is a figure of Jesus (clad in blue) on one side and a figure of Peter (clad in red) on the other, surrounded by the other apostles. Because the church is built on the site of what was supposed to be the House of Caiaphas (where Jesus was brought to be sentenced after being identified in the Garden of Gethsemane), the main altarpiece features Jesus in ropes being jeered at by rowdy crowds on both sides—created through a mosaic in Byzantine fashion. I was struck by the fact that all the writing in the church was in French (Le Signe de La Croix—The Sign of the Cross, etc). It is possible that the church was constructed under the patronage of the French Catholic Church.

Visiting the Underground Prisons:

            When we had prayed in the church, Moti led us deep downwards through winding spiral staircases into the underground recesses which were supposed to be jails in which prisoners were held before sentencing. Modern-day interpretations of the space have led to the creation of light sconces in the shape of nails and thorns (in imitation of Jesus’ instruments of torture). There are also scraps of rope hanging from the ceiling to suggest where and how He might have been held during the night He spent on these premises. According to the Bible, He was first brought to Caiaphas, the high priest, by the mob. But because Caiaphas did not want to take a decision, he sent Him on to Pontius Pilate (who, as we know, also did not quite know what to make of the situation). Pilate said that he could find no guilt in the prisoner and, therefore, washed his hands of Him by turning the prisoner over to the mob. In order to appreciate the significance of this venue, it was important to envision exactly how Jesus would have been brought to Caiaphas and exactly what sort of night he might have passed on these premises. I was beginning to realize that if the church authorities believe that these sites were actually where Jesus spent time, they have built a church there to denote its importance.

On to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of the Agony (Church of All Nations):     

            The Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus retreated after sharing what we now call ‘The Last Supper’ with his closest friends, is today reduced to a small sand-filled grove with eight olive trees that date from the past hundred years—this is evident in the width of their trunks which are wider than I have ever seen on any other olive trees. Jesus is said to have spent hours praying while requesting his friends to keep watch over him. He is depicted in art as having knelt by a large rock before being betrayed by Judas. A church known as the Basilica of the Agony has been built upon this rock—in fact, the rock is part of the altar and is encircled by a beautiful wrought-iron barricade (to prevent worshippers from stepping on to it). Hence, visitors genuflect in front of the rock or kneel down to kiss it. The Church is also known as the Church of all Nations. There are mosaics all over the walls of the church and above the altar –the main one, appropriately, depicts the Betrayal of Jesus by Judas.

            When we discovered that Mass was about to begin, Cherie-Ann asked Moti if we had the time to stay for it. He did accommodate her request and we ended up sitting at the front pews awaiting the beginning of Mass. At that point, one of the nuns invited us to come over to the sanctuary and to take seats right up at the altar. We were amazed and thrilled to have been accorded such an honor. Although the Mass (sermon and last prayer) was in Italian and the prayers and hymns in Latin, it was still a privilege to be part of the Mass. To our amazement, the priest asked Fleurette where we were from and when she told him we were from America, he actually thanked us (in English) for participating and apologized  that the Mass was in Italian! Needless to say, we were quite delighted to have been singled out in that fashion. After the Mass, each one of us was able to kneel at the Rock and worship before it. This church is also said to be the Church of the Annunciation of our Lord and appropriately, there is a large mosaic outside the church (on the pediment) that depicts this Biblical occurrence.   

Happy Hour at Hotel Arthur and Dinner at Kohinoor:     

            By this time, night had fallen over Jerusalem and we had a chance to see the city all illuminated by lights. It was quite spectacular indeed!

            We made our way back to the hotel where we caught daily Happy Hour—a selection of snacks and fruit were offered with wine and juices. We then tried to find an Indian restaurant called Kohinoor—I guess by this time everyone was missing their desi khana! With much difficulty, we found the place (with a new name!), but that did not stop us from having a very nice dinner with Biryani and a couple of curries which we ate Family Style. Our dinners were always a great time to catch up on the wonders of the day and to indulge in some good-natured bantering. Right after dinner, we marched into a gelato parlor and had really great desserts before bed.

Cana, Bet Alfa SAynagogue, Bet Shean Roman Town, Bethlehem and Jerusalem

Nov 23, Wed:

Cana-Bet Alfa Synagogue, Beit Shean Roman Town, Bethlehem, Jerusalem.

            We had our last buffet breakfast in Hotel Galei Kinneret in Tiberius as we piled our baggage back into Moti’s van. We would be leaving the area to make our way towards Jerusalem where we would spend the next three nights in another hotel. However, we did stop at many places of significance before we arrived in Jerusalem.

Arrival in Cana and Visit to the ‘Wedding Church’:

            The first stop of the day was the small town of Cana where Jesus is said to have performed his first public miracle—the Changing of Water into Wine at the Wedding Feast. A church has been built at this spot and, to reach it, you need to park quite a distance away and find your way on foot to the entrance.

            Like most of the churches in Israel, this one is built of stone. Its façade is Portuguese in conception for it has a wide three-arched entry portico, a balcony over it and twin steeples that flank a statue of Christ at the very center. When we arrived, first thing in the morning, we found masses of people in the small front yard of the church. Inside, the altar is distinctive for two things: the lovely painted altarpiece depicting Jesus at the Wedding Feast being approached by his mother who requested his help when the wine ran out. The second aspect is the lovely stone jars that were and are still used to store wine in the Middle East that are placed high on the altar as decoration and as a means of recalling Jesus’ extraordinary powers.

            Downstairs in the crypt, reached by flights of stairs, we saw a wine jar of the kind that might have been used during the original wedding feast. It was enclosed in a glass showcase which leads visitors to believe that it might have been one of the originals that held the water that was converted to wine. However, there are no signs to indicate this at all. A few steps up, one comes across the ruins of the home in which the wedding feast took place—now preserved under a glass floor. We did not get to hear Mass in this church and we were amazed by the vast numbers of people that came and went as the morning flew by.

            All along the route to the church, there are wine vendors selling wine and other souvenirs that commemorate the miracle. Taking back wine from Cana as gifts is a common occurrence but surprisingly none of the members of our group bought any.

Off to Beit Alfa Synagogue and Hefzi Bah Kibbutz:

            Our next stop was at the Beit Alfa Synagogue which dates back to the 6^th century BC and which is distinctive for an incredibly well-preserved large mosaic floor. This treasure was unearthed in the 1920s when the members of the Hefzi Bah Kibbutz were digging an irrigation channel to water their plantations.

            We watched a really wonderful film that explained the finding of the mosaic and the history of its creation. Attributed to one Marianos and his son Aninas (Hanina), it depicts the bust of a central female figure surrounded by the signs of the zodiac—a deeply revolutionary idea for its time (being pagan in its conception). In other panels, the mosaic depicts the sacrifice of Isaac as well as other aspects of the Torah that were well-known to the Jews of that era.

            The Beit Alfa antiquities are smack-bang in the middle of the Hefzi Bah Kibbutz—which is a uniquely Israeli cultural concept of communal living. It was initiated in the late 19^th century in an attempt to bring members of the Jewish community together in shared labor. Mainly agricultural, kibbutzes still function all over Israel. They offer permanent or temporary stays for Jews who wish to contribute their labor in exchange for their keep. I was hoping that we could take a walking tour of the kibbutz, but all we managed was a short drive in and out of the place that gave us a glimpse of cows in the barn and the milking sheds through which the kibbutz keeps itself commercially afloat.

Exploring the Ancient City of Bet Shean:

            We next drove to Bet Shean National Park for more glimpses of archeological excavations in Israel and the treasures that they have thrown up. To my enormous surprise, once we passed by the entrance, I found myself in a whole excavated city such as the ones I had seen at Delos in Greece and Pompeii in Italy.

Known as Scythopolis and excavated in the 1960’s, the site offers a very good glimpse into the kind of thriving city that existed before Christ’s birth. Of particular interest was the main road or Palladius Way flanked by columns—all that remains of the grand forum which would have had shops doing thriving trade on either side of the thoroughfare. We also saw an excavated semi-circular amphitheater (similar to the one we saw in Caesarea) that has been retained in its original condition with no attempt made to refurbish it. The remaining columns on the stage and at the sides give indications of the lively theatrical performances that would have been held here. It reminded me very much of the one I saw in Taormina in Sicily recently. We then moved on to the Bath House—a very important part of Roman cultural life when baths were weekly communal activities. We saw the solarium (ingeniously heated by the presence of upturned terracotta pots which would have been filled with water and left to heat up in the sun), the frigidarium or cold pool into which bathers would take a brief plunge and then the sauna area in which they would sweat all the toxins from their bodies. The classical ruins offered wonderful photo ops—we took several with fallen Corinthian columns with their elaborate acanthus leaf motifs behind us—a result of the successive earthquakes that downed many of the ancient structures. Finally, one of the most intriguing parts of the ruined Roman town were the public latrines—we had been made familiar with the concept of public defecating in Caesarea and we saw the same concept here too. People sat in rows with no doors to offer privacy. At Bet Shean, they had running waters and an impressive sanitation system for we saw water faucets in the shape of lion’s mouths and stone basins into which the water flowed with waste taken directly towards the sea. Overall, Bet Shean offered a wonderful opportunity to linger in the vast acreage of an excavated city that would have been a prosperous thriving town in ancient times and which offered us a glimpse into the lifestyle and culture of the ancient Romans.

Lunch at Café Café and Entry into Jerusalem:

            We stopped en route at a small café called  Café Cafe where we ordered coffee, cool drinks, salads and sandwiches for lunch before we undertook the long drive to Jerusalem.         

            We had a whole lot of traffic when entering Jerusalem after a fairly long drive. It was quite difficult for me to look at the miles of barbed wire barricades everywhere and the walls snaking their way throughout the city—aimed, of course, at keeping out Palestinians who are perpetual terror suspects. The scenario was especially ominous for us, in the US, as we have just elected a President whose platform was the building of a wall between Mexico and the USA. There was not a lot of time to linger in the city (where we would spend more time in the next three days) as we were dodging traffic to get to the Palestinian-controlled West Bank where Bethlehem is situated. This was our next port of call and Moti was keen to get us there before it turned dark.

Entering the Palestinian West Bank to visit Bethlehem:

            Being an Israeli, Moti cannot enter the West Bank (in the same way that Palestinians are not allowed to enter Israel). Hence, he drove us right up to the border and then handed us over to a group of Palestinian guides who would escort us through the main points of interest in Bethlehem. Our group was divided into two: some of us went in one van and the rest went into another. Moti stayed behind at the border crossing and would reunite with us later.

A Visit to an Olive Wood Carving Establishment:

            It rather annoyed me that having just arrived in Bethlehem and being eager to get to The Church of the Nativity and given the paucity of time, the first place the guide took us was an olive wood carving establishment so that we could buy their wares. The rationale for this illogical move was that we could buy items from the shop and touch them to the spot of Christ’s birth which would render them ‘blessed’. Needless to say, prices in the shop were absurd—as the mark-up is usually 40% that goes directly to the guides who escort groups to these shops. Apart from buying magnets and postcards and other small items, none of us brought anything large. I guess we were too eager to get to Jesus’ birthplace and felt impatient at the unnecessary detour. Furthermore, the expected olive wood carving demonstration, that we were to receive as part of this detour, was not offered and did not occur—so, in other words, a sheer waste of time.

            As getting to the site took longer than expected, we felt rushed through the entire visit to Bethlehem, which was really one of the highlights of our travels as it was the site of Jesus’s birth. According to the Bible, Caesar Augustus (the same emperor after whom the city of Caesarea is named) called for a census requiring every man to get registered in the town of his birth. Since Joseph came from the house of David, it was towards Bethlehem that he made his way from Nazareth, on a donkey. But Mary was close to labor and it was in the midst of a town in which they were strangers that they looked for a room so that she could deliver her child. As the census had brought large numbers of strangers flooding into town, there was no room at the local inn—and Joseph found a kindly person who directed him to the stable where Mary had her baby.

Inside The Church of the Nativity:

            The exact spot of Jesus’ birth is now to be found in a church known as The Church of the Nativity. As in the case of all ruined places of significance that we had seen, two thousand years of construction history places these spots today deep underground (as so much building has occurred on top of them). So, to access Jesus’ birthplace, you need to enter The Church of the Nativity—which is really three churches: one is a very ornate church, decorated in the Greek Orthodox style (as the prelates of the Greek Orthodox Church are the custodians of Christian sites in the Holy Land), the second is in Russian Orthodox style and the third is the small Roman Catholic Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Egypt.

            Our first stop was the manger which is in the current Greek Orthodox Church. The entrance was a very low and narrow door which, we were told, was deliberately created to keep rampaging Muslims out of Christian holy places during the Crusades. It was under heavy renovation (which, I have to say, completely took away all charm, solemnity and spirituality from the venue for me). Imagine going into a superbly elaborate church that stands over the actual spot at which Christ was born—and imagine it covered with ugly scaffolding, its walls, murals, statuary, chandeliers, everything enrobed by awful sheeting. I was terribly disheartened by this scene. The female guide (whom I thought was simply the worst guide I have ever had) spoke a smattering of words, so fast and so hastily and so briefly and without the slightest emotional involvement as to leave me feeling even more dissatisfied. She explained that the renovation has been undertaken for the first time in a hundred years and is expected to continue until the end of the year. However, being that the condition of the renovation was far from complete, she was almost certain it would stretch way into 2017. At any rate, the grandeur of the building was completely lost on us as everything was shrouded in cloth or in scaffolding. I felt bitterly disappointed as this was supposed to be the piece de resistance of our travels.

            Eventually, we joined vast groups of people who entered the sanctum sanctorum of the church and descended down a few steps—again through what seemed like a concealed secret door. When the steps ended, we found ourselves in a dark and narrow room where the focal point was a small white marble niche whose importance was emphasized by the presence of a multi-pronged silver star surrounded by silver altar lamps. In order to worship at this spot, we had to bend in the niche, one at the time, to kiss the glass disc in the center of the silver star—which was the spot on which Christ was born.

            As might be imagined, this setting was deeply solemn and since there was no indication of any refurbishment in this area, it evoked all sorts of emotion of deep reverence. Needless to say, many of us were so deeply moved by the sight and the act of kissing the spot that we were in tears. As if this were not enough, just a few steps away was another low altar which, we were told, denoted the spot at which Jesus’s mother Mary laid him after he was born. These parts of the building used to be stables and it was here that Mary created a manger for her child after wrapping him in swaddling. In this portion of the church too, Greek Orthodox design is very plainly evident. I must add that our guide did not come down with us into this part of the church but stayed rooted upstairs—so we were very much left to our own devices at some of the most important sites in our travels—another deeply disappointing aspect for me.

            I would have liked to linger longer in this room, but we were rushed out by the guide who wished to usher us off to the next-door Church of St. Catherine. On the way out, I managed to get a couple of pictures of the massive silver chandeliers in the sanctuary, as the guide pointed out a part of the original mosaic floor of the Byzantine church that was constructed on this site before the current grander one that was built in the middle of the 19^th century.

Visiting the Church of St. Catherine:  

            St. Catherine’s Church is beautiful. It is built around a cloistered courtyard of sand colored sandstone. In the center, on a high pedestal, is a statue of St. Jerome, who dedicated himself to the intellectual life. He translated the Bible and spent 35 years in a cave which now forms part of the crypt of the church. There is an altar dedicated to him in a small shrine in the crypt. There is also a stained glass window that depicts God inspiring him from above as he produces the long scroll which formed his manuscript. Once again, it disappointed me that we did not get the services of our guide in this church. She sat with her friends and waited outside for us. I found that all the other groups entering the crypts were accompanied by their guides. I do believe that we missed out on noticing a lot of significant details because our guide did not go along with us to these important venues.

Exploring the West Bank:

            By this time, it was getting dark outside and our guide was keen to move us along. Vasanti protested and said that she wanted to walk around the town of Bethlehem a little bit and get a feel for the place as she did not believe that she was receiving much of an impression from merely seeing the churches. The rest of the group agreed with her, but the guide was concerned because Moti was waiting for us at the border. She called him to find out if we could linger and, eventually, we came to the conclusion that we should have about 20 minutes on our own to wander about a bit and then return to our vehicle. Llew and I used the opportunity to go out and buy some small souvenirs from the local shops. The others made their way to the main street outside the church and also did some shopping. At this point, Llew handed over the sun of $100 to be shared by the three guides. Needless to say, some of us found this amount (recommended by Moti) to be far in excess of what was deserved by them.

            This was the only time we would spend at the West Bank and it would have been nice to have a while longer here. The atmosphere was remarkably different from anything we had noticed in Israel. As far as my observation went, it was decidedly Islamic in its ethos. Crowds (mostly men) were dressed quite differently—in far more traditional Middle Eastern garb than we had seen in the rest of Israel. While I did not feel unsafe, I did feel a bit uneasy—simply because we had no escort with us. The center square had just seen a Christmas performance of some sort and the entertainers were leaving. A huge Christmas tree filled the square but it had not yet been decorated.   

            We met Moti as planned at the border and got out of our temporary vehicles and into Moti’s van. He then drove us to our new hotel in Jerusalem—a rather long drive filled with traffic snarls. However, we did reach our hotel called Hotel Arthur which we found to be right in the midst of a most ‘happening’ area—surrounded by shops, gelato parlors and loads of restaurants, it was easy for us to find a place to eat. We chose a Middle Eastern restaurant where we ate grilled chicken and kebabs for dinner. Just a short while later, we walked back to our hotel and called it a night.