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Tuesday, October 31 Our final day in Jerusalem began with a visit to Gordon's Calvary and the
Garden Tomb. This site was advanced in the late 19th century as the authentic
place of the Crucifixion. However, almost all archaeologists and historians
continue to hold that the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is more
likely to be authentic. Nevertheless, there is an early "rolling
stone" tomb at the location, and From the Garden Tomb we traveled to the top of Mount Scopus (the northern
most rises of the Mount of Olives). From this ridge top, looking to the
south-southwest you get a beautiful view of the bustling city of Jerusalem.
Looking to the opposite side of the ridge, however, reveals the "wilderness
of Judea" as it drops off into the Jordan rift valley. With that as a
backdrop, we took our final A last minute schedule change for lunch took us to Kibbutz Ramat Rachel (the
"Heights of Rachel"), which provided a view of the Shepherd's Fields
between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and the massive Herodion fortress on the
horizon. Then it was back to the summit of the Mount of Olives to take the Palm
Sunday Walk. About half way down the Mount of Olives is the Dominus Flevit
Church which commemorates Jesus' weeping over the city of Jerusalem. The view
from the Once we left the Garden of Gethsemane, our group tour was essentially at its end. John and Dottie Slavcoff were already on the way to Rome. The McPhies, Mays, Newtons and Connie Gordon were preparing for their trip to Jordan the next day. Likewise, the Lyles, Nobles and Parsons were getting ready for their extension trip to Egypt. For the rest of us, it was time to say our good-byes. After dinner at the Lev Jerushalyim ("Heart of Jerusalem") restaurant, we left for Ben-Gurion airport and our return flight to the United States. We will always remember our trip to the Holy Land and the lessons of life and faith that we learned there. |
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