A hectic day. We got up at about 9.45 and I went for a crappy shower in the hostel. After that I climbed the stairs to get a good photograph of the Old City from the flat roof.
View from roof of Old City Hostel.
Our first job of the day was to visit the Garden Tomb near the city wall. The site is owned by a London association and admission plus a guided tour is totally free.
The theory is that the site was owned by Joseph and that Jesus was buried in a tomb in his father's garden. Hence, one of the attractions is a tomb cut into the rock. The other main attraction is a photo-taking stage with a view of Golgotha (speculation). Nobody knows for sure where Golgotha Hill (Skull Hill) actually is, but this particular hill has a cliff-face vaguely similar to a human skull, and the Bible describes Jesus being taken to Golgotha for his execution.
Golgotha?
After the Garden Tomb we attempted to confirm our flight to Nairobi. Unfortunately it is very difficult to 'phone Egypt from Israel, so after many tries we gave it a rest and set off to try and find fat bastard Maxwell's grave on the Mount of Olives. The trek around the Old City Wall and up the hill was quite strenuous; Jerusalem is a very hilly city. Despite the fact that we failed to find Robert's resting place, the trip was by no means a waste of time, as the view from the top of the hill was superb; we could see quite a lot of the Old City.
View from the Mount of Olives.
We then walked to the other side of Jerusalem to admire a very drab, modern building called the Knesset. It wasn't exactly Westminster Palace and the surrounding area wasn't exactly Westminster.
On our way back from the Knesset we bought some cans of Maccabees and some tomatoes and peanut butter to make our evening meal bearable. I wish we could afford to eat in restaurants in Jerusalem.
The Knesset.
Also on the way back from the Knesset, we found a camera shop and my birthday present came in the form of a magnificent tripod for only 55 shekels. Similar models sold for £20 in Watford.
On the way back to the hostel I was keen to test the new toy so I took a slow-exposure snap of a dimly-lit passage in a roofed part of the Old City. Like all my photographs, I'm sure the end result will look brilliant.
Old City passage.
View from roof of Old City Hostel.Our first job of the day was to visit the Garden Tomb near the city wall. The site is owned by a London association and admission plus a guided tour is totally free.
The theory is that the site was owned by Joseph and that Jesus was buried in a tomb in his father's garden. Hence, one of the attractions is a tomb cut into the rock. The other main attraction is a photo-taking stage with a view of Golgotha (speculation). Nobody knows for sure where Golgotha Hill (Skull Hill) actually is, but this particular hill has a cliff-face vaguely similar to a human skull, and the Bible describes Jesus being taken to Golgotha for his execution.
Golgotha?After the Garden Tomb we attempted to confirm our flight to Nairobi. Unfortunately it is very difficult to 'phone Egypt from Israel, so after many tries we gave it a rest and set off to try and find fat bastard Maxwell's grave on the Mount of Olives. The trek around the Old City Wall and up the hill was quite strenuous; Jerusalem is a very hilly city. Despite the fact that we failed to find Robert's resting place, the trip was by no means a waste of time, as the view from the top of the hill was superb; we could see quite a lot of the Old City.
View from the Mount of Olives.We then walked to the other side of Jerusalem to admire a very drab, modern building called the Knesset. It wasn't exactly Westminster Palace and the surrounding area wasn't exactly Westminster.
Whoops! Forgot to mention that, after visiting the Mount of Olives, we returned to the Post Office to reattempt the confirmation of our flight. This time we got the number of the London office (for EgyptAir) and we got through easily and sorted things out. It turned out that, shortly after our arrival at Cairo, our flight was cancelled there and then. Fortunately, as we 'phoned in plenty of time, London was able to reinstate our reservation.
On our way back from the Knesset we bought some cans of Maccabees and some tomatoes and peanut butter to make our evening meal bearable. I wish we could afford to eat in restaurants in Jerusalem.
The Knesset.Also on the way back from the Knesset, we found a camera shop and my birthday present came in the form of a magnificent tripod for only 55 shekels. Similar models sold for £20 in Watford.
On the way back to the hostel I was keen to test the new toy so I took a slow-exposure snap of a dimly-lit passage in a roofed part of the Old City. Like all my photographs, I'm sure the end result will look brilliant.
Old City passage.
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