Photos of our Days in Jerusalem and Coming Home

The 4 days we spent in Jerusalem were most precious. I really enjoyed the tour ending with our time spent here. We began with standing on the Mount of Olives then walking down the Kidron Valley and up into the Old City of Jerusalem. Walking the streets of the Old City, going through the markets, seeing the churches and singing in some of them, learning the history of the Old City of David and how he conquered Jerusalem at the very beginning, walking through King Hezekiah's water tunnels, viewing the Southern Steps and the Western/Wailing Wall, standing on the Temple Mount and later seeing the model of the New Temple that some Jews envisioning being built - as told in prophecy.....and the list goes on of the many many highlights of being in Jerusalem. Imagining the Jerusalem that Jesus Christ will reign from for 1,000 years when he returns....hmmmm....the Bible just comes so alive here in the Holy Land. Each and every step and place of the Holy Land is a highlight......but there's just something about being in Jerusalem.  I know you'll enjoy the pics~
Closer to the end are photos of us on our way home and in the airports. What a fun tour we had!!  :)

standing on the Mount of Olives

Arie always had so much to teach us

Connie and Danielle always listening
intently so nothing would be
missed...so much information to
contain everywhere we went

I loved the view from here...just
imagining Jesus stepping foot on this
mount and walking down through the
Eastern Gate below and up onto the
Temple Mount to a newly built Temple
for Him....love imagining that!

walking through the Garden of Gethsemane

beautiful Lillian by an Old Olive Tree

Valerie and Karen S.

Lillian, Judy, Karen B. and Kara

Connie

Karen S. and Lillian, good friends

having a snack and taking a break :)

standing outside the Church in the
Garden of Gethsemane

wooden cross standing near
the door to the Church of the Holy Sepluchre

at the open square where Jews will often pass through
on their way to the Western Wall

inside the courtyard at the Church
of the Nativity in Bethlehem

beautiful painting in the
Church on Shepherd's Field

standing on the Temple Mount...envisioning the
New Temple that will someday be rebuilt here

buying Pomegranate Juice in the market.....yuuuuummm! :)

taking a break from walking.....lots n
lots of walking! :) but it's good!

on the Southern Steps where the public, including Mary
and Joseph with baby Jesus, would have walked up
into the Temple Mount area when going to worship
God and dedicate their children to God.

in the Old City of David where David
would have first captured the city
of Jerusalem, it was too the south
of the Temple Mount area.

standing by the Pool of Shiloam

Kyrstin feeding the birdies :)

beautiful sunrise over Jerusalem

I could see the Jaffa Gate and the Dome from my balcony

you see this man with his donkey
in many photos :)

beautiful Kerri

walking down the Palm Sunday Road where Jesus may have walked. We wanted to experience walking down this road, through the Garden of Gethsemane down through the Kidron Valley and up into the Old City of Jerusalem to envision Jesus here on a donkey as the crowd walked before Him and laid palm branches on the road for Him....incredible!

continually taking in all the info Arie had to share with us

yes, Frances having to shop again :)

a typical view of a side street

I enjoyed the experience of wearing a robe and walking these streets

walking along the Via Dolorosa

many shops on all sides as we walked along the market

loved the stone walkways we walked on in the Old City

an old wooden cross we sometimes saw one carry

love the big old wall of the city

lovely ladies....Frances, Kerri and Karen

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beautiful painting at the church
on Shepherd's Field in Bethlehem

another beautiful sunrise
over Jerusalem

love love love the colors!

on the Temple Mount

standing on the Temple Mount imagining the Old Temple here and envisioning the New Temple that will someday be rebuilt and standing here in this place

so incredible to be walking these
steps going up to the Temple
Mount, envisioning the many
times Jesus would have walked
up and down these steps

I never tire of walking these
stone streets

beautiful people filled the streets

in the middle of the hustle and bustle came a man carrying a cross...made me think of Jesus carrying His Cross down these streets when daily life was happening so many years ago.

a mother holding a sick daughter, hoping for some change....an
endearing moment, I wish I could've spoken with her.

vendors always trying to sell you something :)

loved all the doors
and windows that
we walked by

very moving to see men praying
at the Western/Wailing Wall

Judy praying at the Wall

I was so moved by the
earnestness of their
prayers and the passion on
the women's faces

hearing the prayers in another language was very
moving for me. The devotion that so many have to
come pray at the wall every day

many Orthodox Jews in their prayer shawls
many come pray at the Wall 3 x a day

it was incredibly moving for me to watch, especially seeing
young children at the Wall and also soldiers coming to pray

the woman had to sit at the black table as she was
eating a dairy product and the man had to sit at the
white table as he was eating a meat product. In a Kosher restaurant/eating place, they will not serve dairy and meat together.

we passed this man many times and finally a couple of us did buy some coated nuts from him...very good

in the Old City market

waiting patiently for Frances to return from shopping.  We
were all on time and just waiting for her as she decided
to shop longer than the rest of us. :)

watching a 3D movie of how David captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites

walking through King
Hezekiah's tunnels

Frances loved the stone
on this house

everyone is trying to be in the sun :)

walking through the streets

I just couldn't stop taking
pictures of these quieter
side streets  :)

smile ladies!!  :)   we had the pleasure of meeting a woman
Val knew who lived in Jerusalem

the 3 K's...Kara, Kerri and Karen :) ...not sure why these
two always ended up in pics...I guess they're just so
photogenic.  :)

we went to the Temple Institute
where they have begun to rebuild
the artifacts for the New Temple

so very interesting to see the paintings
of the Old Temple and what they envision
for the New Temple

very interesting to hear the vision for the New Temple

the beautiful model of the New Temple 

inside an old Protestant Church in Jerusalem

loved the simple stained glass

enjoying the sunshine

loved the old bell

at the Garden Tomb

near the Empty Tomb

AMEN!!  Yes, the tomb is EMPTY!

the beautiful empty tomb

our last time together right in Jerusalem, great time for communion

the beautiful garden at night

reading the crucifixion and the ascension from Matthew

communion

viewing skull hill

lovely quiet garden that may be the place Jesus was buried

a few more laughs before getting home

more lovely ladies....  :)  Kara, Lisa, Valerie

Danielle is catching a snooze :)

Frances and Kyrstin making faces
cause they're a little bored :)

keeping up the smiles in the long airport waits :)

Kyrstin and Danielle keeping busy

I think Frances is pouting cause she wants to shop some more :)
Lillian is keeping her company

we took up a bit of space in the airport :)

we didn't really be wanting to look out to the snow

my face is funnier than yours!!  :)
I wonder who laughed the most?
These two or those of us who
were watching their funny faces! :)

Karen S. had a dessert wine she had
gotten in the Galilee and all these
ladies finished it up before I
got to the room :)

waiting for our bus in the lobby

The whole gang...including Albert our bus driver and Arie our tour guide.....such great guys to take us around Israel :)

our last supper together before heading to the airport

the food was GREAT

we're all 'fed up' :)

at the airport at last....yup, we had more luggage now. :)

bye Arie, thanks for another great tour!
So cool that you got to meet all of my
family...all 3 kids at around the age of 15
and my wonderful hubby too!  How
special is that!!  :)  Love ya! Hugs!