Quote "Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own"........ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
One of our first views of the Dome. Magnificence at its finest
We have lots of fun on the bus. Here is a youtube vid I took of us Andy teaching us how to sing an Arabic song.
1st disclaimer...I am an experienced video maker- 2nd disclaimer...English speaking people can't quite pronounce Arabic perfectly!
- 3rd disclaimer....The tour participants are so wonderfully agreeable to not protest me posting this vid!
- Ignore 1st disclaimer and click the link below :)
Arabic Song of Joy
The Temple Mount
Our day started with the usual wake up call that for me personally instills a sense of ..where am I feeling. We have now learned the routine which is to quickly get yourself as presentable as possible and down to the dining room so that you still have ample time to pack the provisions you may need during the day outing. Today our itinerary consisted of The Temple Mount, The Crusader Church of St. Anne's Catholic church in the Old City and The Israeli Museum.
Our bus dropped us off in close proximity to where we were to begin our queueing up for the Temple Mount. We entered through the Dung Gate.....one of the gates in the walled City and nearest to the Temple Mount and The Western Wall. I have to admit when I first heard the name, it definitely had a negative association in my mind. It was the gate that refuse such as that from a butcher shop was carted outside the city to be burned. Today masses of tourists and devoted pilgrims bulge through the gates on their way to The Western Wall and The Temple Mount.
There was a sign indicating that the opening for the Temple Mount was 7 AM. It was a little after 8 AM when we arrived to find a rather long line up and upon reflecting back, I would estimate that it took us 45 minutes before we arrived at the metal detector.
Our view of the Western Wall in the Men's section from the queue up above. Somehow I felt as if we were invading their sense of prayer and privacy.
St Anne's Church Crusader Church in the Old City
St. Anne's church was built between 1131 and 1138 to replace a Byzantine church that had been destroyed. The earlier church was built around 450 and destroyed in 614. The church is beside the Bethesda Pool where Jesus healed a sick man. The church is designed for Gregorian chant so that the church in itself is like a musical instrument to be played by the human voice. Anyone of any religion is allowed to sing a song, but only religious songs are permitted. The acoustics are amazing when used by a solo soprano or a tenor voice. St. Anne's is located in the Muslim Quarter, near the Lion's Gate. The church was donated to France in 1856 by the Ottomans. We were told by Nadal our tour guide that the church is run by a Catholic order of priests called the White Fathers who were named that because of the colour of their skin and robes.
What touched me the most is that this marks the site of the home of Jesus' maternal grandparents, Anne and Joachim, and the birthplace of their daughter the Virgin Mary. I immediately felt the huge contrast of the bustling streets and alleys of the Muslim Quarter to this beautiful courtyard that took my breath away. The courtyard is could almost be called an Oasis because this is next to the Bethesda Pool where the gospel of John records that Jesus healed a sick man. With the warm temperature and the serenading of birds, this truly seemed a modern day healing location for the modern-day traveller to find a place of peace and tranquility. While our group was singing what sounded to me like angelic harmony, I stole away to meditate by the statues of Anne and Mary and stood by the votive memory candles. I felt an intense comfort along with emotion while thoughts of my son Andrew who we lost three years ago flooded my mind and overwhelmed me. It was perhaps the memory candles along with my Catholic connection.
Memorial Votives.....stirring up emotional thoughts
during the time the 34 beautiful people on our
tour were singing so sweetly.
The statue of Anne and Mary. I felt such a connection
here while the voices were reverberating echoes of
such kind and wonderful people.
We had lunch at Shalizar Restaurant in East Jerusalem where we had a beautiful Arabic meal. The restaurant is quite exotic inside with colourful walls and decor. A friendly guardian parrot greets us at the doorway and only slightly squawks after getting the paparazzi camera clicks from our gang. We have been told that dogs are not popular in Jerusalem but cats are everywhere including a white one that seemed attracted to me. Luckily Andy rescued me and got his cat fix at the same time. I think Brian was relieved too as he is allergic to cats! Brian and Karen joined us at our table. They live in Ontario where he is a minister in Acton.
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Andy removes the cat from the table for a cuddle.
Friendly guardian greets us at the door!
Richard has selected some of the most wonderful locations/meals during our trip so far. Today we had kebabs with two different kinds of lamb (ground with yummy Arabic spices and tender pieces of meat) along with kebab chicken. We had the ubiquitous hummus, tabouleh, fattoush, eggplant salad, tahini and other yummy salads. Of course no meal is ever served without pita. We finish this delightful meal and go through the usual ritual which is the women filing into a long line up for a washroom or two. While running out to meet the bus, we meet a Jewish lady who encourages us to run faster to catch our bus. She asks if we have had a good meal and that she is glad for us. She also wants us to know that she cannot eat there because it is not Kosher.
For those who are interested.......here is the Shalizar website.
Hi. Just one of the Trip Advisor folks enjoying your blog. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteSandy, I would respectfully note two things in this last post that are in error.
First, no modern scholar really believes the story that Anne and Joachim lived where St Anne’s stands, nor that Mary was born there. The legend comes from a document named “The Protoevangelium of James”. It was probably written about 150AD by someone who had no knowledge of early first century Jerusalem or Temple worship practices, but wanted to create a story that supported the “perpetual virginity’ of Mary.
Equally, there seems to be no evidence of residential occupation on this location near when Mary would have been born. It was outside the city walls. This is not to say it’s not an amazing church building; it’s the best place in the world to sing Amazing Grace, or How Great Thou Art.
Second, the Lithostrotos, under the poorly named Ecce Homo Convent, is not where Jesus was tried. That pavement comes from the 2nd century AD Jerusalem, re-built by Roman Emperor Hadrian. To be fair to the good sisters there, if you read their interpretive signs there, they do make this clear, but this is a legend that has been around a long time.
Most scholars now believe the “Lithostrotos” of John 19:13, where Jesus was tried, was at Herod’s Palace, then occupied by the Roman Governor Pilate, by what is now the Jaffa Gate (probably under the modern police station).