Sunday, November 4th

These first 3 pictures actually belong after the windmill picutre below but I missed uploading them. Above is the southern portion of the Old City where I plan on walking to. The grey roof in the middle is the Dormition Abbey. In case anything happens, the Christian cemetery is near there. They moved Oscar Schindler's remains there.
Below is the southwest corner of the Old City.

Below just south of the Old City is the Valley of Gehenna.

Below is the American Consulate.

Sometimes updating the blog gives me problems. The above photo should be down about 3 pictures. This is the Amercian Consulate in Jerusalem. You can see Old Glory to the left on the flag pole. There was absolutely no wind today.

These pictures were taken early Friday morning, November 2nd, on the way to work. Above is a sign at a bus stop which shows you which buses stop there. The trick is to know where they are going. Below is Jaffa Street early in the morning before rush hour. Usually the sidewalks are so crowded that in order to walk faster you bounce out into the street for awhile then come back to the sidewalk. For the 40th celebration of the liberation of Jerusalem, they hung $2.99 Christmas icicle lights like we hang on the houses in the US.

Now below begins Sunday, November 4th, again. It's been seven months to the day that Kay went home to be with the Lord. After dropping by the bank and Christian Friends of Israel briefly, I headed to the Old City cutting through Independence Park. It's a beautiful day for photographs before the rainy season starts soon.

The American Consulate photo should have been here. There's a real good shortcut right past the Consulate which dumps you at the YMCA and King David Hotel area. I nodded at one of the guards and said "how are you doing today?" He answered "Praise God, I'm good!" So I stopped and we had a good conversation. I told him about CFI and being a volunteer for a couple of years. He and his family actually have lived in Israel for 15 years. Get out of town.

The American Embassy is in Tel Aviv. Israel is the only nation in the world where other countries do not have their Embassy in the nation's capital. In the US, Congress actually passed a bill for the US to move the Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 1996. However, they gave the Executive Branch a "6-month clause" that says the move can be delayed or something like that. So for 11 plus years, both Presidents Clinton and Bush have exercised the option to "not" move the Embassy every 6 months. We are too afraid of the Arab reaction (oil).

Below are some flowers still in bloom in November.

Below is the entrance to the King David Hotel with the Stars and Stripes standing proud. Secretary of State Rice arrived (again) last night. She must be staying at the King David this trip.The little blue barriers on the left can be thrown together real quick to limit access.

Below is an olive tree just south of the King David. Olive trees don't grow tall but the trunks are always twisted and unique.

Below are some flowers on King David Street.

Below is some of the history of the King David Hotel. Before Israel became a nation in 1948, the Jews were known as "Palestinians". The Arabs were known as "Arabs" or even "Mohammadians". Then after 1948, the "Palestinians" in Israel became the "Jews" and the "Arabs" became the "Palestinians". The Palestine Post newspaper became The Jerusalem Post. Just a little confusing. The main thing to remember is that the Arabs turned down their own state in 1948 and chose war instead. Now 60 years later they still want the state they turned down back then. But that never comes up in the peace talks.

Below is a "double bus" in front of the King Solomon Hotel. When riding a "double bus" I usually end up standing in the middle where they are joined together. When those 90 degree turns occur, hang on, because the bus sort of "whips" like a snake. The King Solomon Hotel is just down the street from the King David. You would think the next hotel after that would be the King Rehoboam (Solomon's son) but it's not.

Below I noticed that they were starting to stop traffic at King David Street and Keren Heyesod the next intersection. I figured Secretary Rice and her entourage were getting to ready to go somewhere. This motorcycle cop was first and stopped that car from turning left.

Below is a limo that Secretary Rice could very well be in. It was following a couple of motorcycles with guys dressed in black and very big guns going very fast. Too fast for my camera to react.

Or she could be in this SUV.

Or this one.

She could have been in 2 or 3 others that also went by. My camera could not take pictures fast enough to get them all. If I want to join the paprazzi, I'll need a better camera with a faster lens. I wish I had a poster that said "God gave His Land to the Jews". However, they went by so fast nobody could have read it. I wonder why they never stay in Ramallah?

After my fling at paprazzi, I continued my walk and went to Montifiore's Windmill (above) in the neighborhood of Yemin Moshe. Sir Moses Montifiore was a proponent of the Jews living in the land in the 19th Century. Yemin Moshe was the first neighborhood outside the Old City Walls and this windmill was built during that time.

Above and below are some photos of the Yemin Moshe neighborhood as I walk towards the Old City.

Below is a simple street sign in 3 languages.

The sign below is for those driving to the Western Wall. I'm walking straight uphill.

Below is a street sign showing you the direction to the City of David or Mount Zion depending which way you want to go.

Below is Yemin Moshe neighborhood after I climbed Mount Zion. The big square building in the middle is the back of the King David Hotel. The tower just to the left of it is the YMCA. The taller structure to the left is the King Solomon where I was sitting when all the politicians went by.

Below I am at the very southwest corner of the Old City. Here are the walls starting to run north.

After my heart starts beating so fast from climbing Mt. Zion, I'm going to walk up those stairs and down about 100 yards to Zion's Gate.

Below is Zion's Gate just ahead.

Below Zion's Gate saw a lot of fighting during the War of Independence in 1948. You can see the shell bombardments and bullet holes in the wall. One night the Jordanian Army would control the gate, the next night the Jews would. But eventually the Jewish Army could not hold the Old City in 1948. In fact, the civlian Jews in the Old City got totally cut off and were being deprived of food and water from the Jordanians. As part of the peace agreement, the Jews were allowed to leave. Once they did, all the synagogues and Torah Scrolls were destroyed. And now the Old City is again a major part of the "peace" discussions.

Below is a bougenvillea tree in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The cars actually belong to those who live and work in the Old City. If you go very slow, you can go through Zion's Gate in a car. However, it is probably easier to enter through the Jaffa Gate and drive around.

Below in the distance is the southern slope of the Mount of Olives. The white stones are actually Jewish graves. From the Tanach, the Jews see the Messiah coming in Zechariah 14:4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.

So the Jews know they want to be first to see the Messiah. It is interesting that they know Zecariah 14:4 but not 13:6. And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’

Below is the Dome of the Rock in the middle. The Western Wall is just below it. The gray dome on the right is the Al Aqsa Mosque. One of the many radical Islamic groups is the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade which is part of Fatah which is under the control of the current Palestinian Prime Minister. This is the mosque they chose to be their namesake. In the middle is construction leading to a door on the Temple Mount. Ariel Sharon went through that door in 2000 and the the Arabs used it as an opportunity to start an intifada. I went up there in 1997. The Temple Mount is 34 acres in size. I would imagine construction is slow just to prevent other provacations for intifadas.

Below is a sign describing the Western Wall Plaza. The "wall" is actually an outer portion of the 2nd Temple that Ezra & Nehemiah originally rebuilt. Then King Herod restored a lot of it during his reign but in 70AD the 2nd Temple was destroyed and the Romans left this portion of the wall for the Jews to "wail over". In 1967, when the IDF broke thru the Old City it was the Temple Mount and the Western Wall where they were headed. That's where all the famous photos took place. The Jews had finally re-captured the Western Wall for the first time since 70AD.

Below the Western (Wailing) Wall. Men to the left, women to the right.

Below on the left of the men's side, there is a synagogue through the entrance area. There were a an "ark" there with a Torah Scroll and a lot of Orthodox praying. I did not take a photo there.

Below I wanted to go to the southern steps of the Temple Mount but it was closed. This photo of the Mount of Olives probably looks a lot like one a few pictures ago. Only this time I am lower and on my way home.

Below is the Dung Gate that leads to the Valley of Gehenna. Enough said.