April 10, 2001

The door to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Since we had given short shrift to the Holy Sepulchre yesterday, today we gave it the time it deserves. From there, we made an aborted attempt to visit the Protestant Garden Tomb and the Mount of Olives. Between car troubles, closed roads for Passover, road construction, and an inaccurate street map, we decided we were better off hiring a taxi and leaving the car at the hotel. The Old City was closed to cars for "security reasons," but Marthame managed to argue his way past the police.

Ancient olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Our taxi driver then took us on a rapid-fire visit to the sites on the Mount of Olives. We marveled at the 2000 year-old olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, witnesses to whatever happened that fateful Thursday night so long ago. The Churches (one Catholic, one Russian) and Mosque (!) of the Ascencion were all closed, unfortunately, as was the sanctuary of Pater Noster (the Lord's Prayer) - though their courtyard was open.

The Old City view from Dominus Flevit church.

The church of Dominus Flevit ("The Lord wept") was open, though, providing a spectacular, unparalleled view of the Old City over the altar. Somehow, the words Jesus spoke here seem more relevant than ever - "If you had only recognized the things that make for peace. But now, they are hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19: 42)

The domes of Mary Magdalene Russian Orthodox Convent.

We finished our tour of the Mount at the Russian Orthodox Covent of Mary Magdalene, with its beautiful golden onion domes, meeting one of the sisters who was born and raised in Zababdeh. Returning back to the Old City, we stopped at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to visit with friends (Marthame's mom's reply on meeting the Patriarch himself: "Wow!") and to see the cathedral before giving ourselves a chance to rest. It's supposed to be vacation, you know.