Day 8 - Dead Sea/Jerusale.m

(Randy) We had a very busy day today. Since it was Mark`s last day so we tried to fit in all the best things. We walked down Mt Olives, walked through the Garden, (you need to see the picture of Mark), Traditional tomb of Mary, Grotto of Gethsemane, Dung Gate, Tunnels under the Western Wall, Temple Institute, went to the closed Garden Tomb. Then we checked into our hotel inside the Old City at Christ Church.

We are going to have a a short trip to get Mark on the bus for the airport later.

(Charles) We left Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea about 8:00 and got into Jerusalem about 9:30 and I drove directly to the Mt. of Olives and dropped Randy and Mark off. They walked down what is now a nice paved pathway down the Mt. of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane. This pathway is very near the path Jesus would have taken from Bethany into the city on the of entry into Jerusalem when He was honored (Triumphal Entry). It provides a great view of the Old City.

After leaving them I was able to take care of getting access through Jaffa Gate for our rental car and to arrange for Mark`s transportation to the airport tonight for his early (1:00 am) morning departure for Houston via Paris.

After leaving the Garden of Gethsemane Randy and Mark chose to walk to Dung Gate which is near the Western (Wailing) Wall making several stops along the way.

Mark had to improve his clothing from shorts to a more 'moderate" style at the Garden of Gethsemane and a couple of other stops. Happily there was a gentleman who was glad to help for a small fee.

Along the way they got some great shots of the Eastern Gate.

And beautiful flowers as they neared Dung Gate.

We linked up at the Western Wall.

After getting back together we took a tour of an underground tunnel that has been excavated along almost the entire length of the west side of the Temple plateau.

This tour that took about an hour where we could see foundations stones for the Temple mount plaza. Randy said later that he would enjoy spending hours studying this amazing feat from an engineering perspective.  Most of these foundation stones are massive with one estimated to be the equivalent of two loaded 747s. How did the ancients get this done?

The exit from the tunnel tour was very near the Via Dolorosa so we stopped at what is believed to be the first station of the cross. It is below today`s street level where the Antonio Fortress stood and was possibly where Jesus trial took place. On the rocks forming the floor is the outline of a "game board" for the game called the "Game of Kings." Could this be the game played by the Romans over Jesus` robe?

Our next stop was at the Temple Institute. An organization that has reconstructed all the furnishings except the Ark of the Covenant needed for a fully restored Temple. Everything could be moved to the Temple mount in a few hours if they only had the access.  When will it come?

(No pictures available> Google "Temple Mount Institute" to see pictures.)

The Menorah is on display on a plaza overlooking the Temple Mount. It is made of a brass support structure and ninety-five pounds of gold. Today`s technology does not know how to make the menorah with only gold as instructed in the Bible.

We wanted to end our day at the Garden Tomb so rushed to that site only to realize that it is closed on Sunday.

After a brief time of rest Mark went to the airport for his return to Houston. Our last report was that he was in Paris for the scheduled layover.