Free Day number one: Exploring Jerusalem

This was actually from a Sunday, which is our free day here, but I haven't had time to post it until today. We all left in the morning to go the Rampart walks, which is where we get to walk on top of the Old City walls around the city.

Me and Kenzie hanging by Damascus gate waiting for the rest of our group.

Lauren, Natalie, Jay, me and Sarah at the beginning of the Ramparts. The walk started underneath the city walls, where it felt like a scene out of Indiana Jones, but less spider webs. I also just wished I could have had a firey torch to light our way through the ancient Roman like tunnels.

McKenzie, Jon and I under one of the arches on the Old City Walls.

 After the Rampart walk with the big group we broke off into smaller groups. We went over toward the Western Wall (incorrectly called the Wailing wall) but we didn't go in this time, but we did hang out in the Jewish quarter of the old city for a while. It's actually quite amazing to see the stark difference between the Jewish quarter and Muslim quarter of the city. The Jewish quarter is much cleaner in comparison and where we were at least had a larger walk ways.

In the Jewish quarter we sat outside this synagogue to eat our lunch. In corner of the square there was a  man playing guitar which Bekah and Jon were able to show off their ballroom dancing skills.

After wandering the Jewish quarter a few times over, we pulled out the map and decided to pick a location to go to. I got to choose and so I pointed to the tiny landmark sign on the map that said "Pool of Siloam" and so that's where we went! The Pool of Siloam is not exactly a happening tourist spot so we're wandering through these neighborhoods, where all the people just star at you as we walk by. The map was somewhat vague about its locations, but everytime we asked for directions, people said oh just keep walking. Down through the neighborhoods, to our right was a narrow staircase we walked down and found some what sketchy signs that say "Pool of Siloam". There we met a wonderful shopkeeper named Abraham who brought us into his shop and showed off many antique pots and coins.

The Pool of Siloam may sound familar to you from the scriptures! In John 9:1-11, we hear the story of a man blind from birth where people were questioning who was at fault--the man or his parents. Jesus clarifys that neither have sinned, but it is an opporunity for the miracles of God be shown. Jesus spits on the ground and makes some clay places it on the blind man's eyes and directs him to wash in the pool of Siloam. After the man went and washed his eyes he was able to see! I am so grateful that I've had the opportunity to visit a site of one of Christ's miracles. I know Jesus Christ walked these same streets and has provided me with map of how I can direct my own life in order to follow him.

Susan, Jon, Bekah and Jay all around the Pool of Siloam.

Me by the pool of Siloam. This spring is no longer in its former glory but is still very cool to see. It is also the exit for those going through Hezekiah's tunnel--which I haven't done yet, but I believe we are doing on a fieldtrip.

 After our excursion to the pool of Siloam we hiked back up the hill and we knew we had a couple more valleys and mountains to cross before we made it home. So when we saw a nice stone pathway in the valley running along side of us, we decided to trek our way down the side of the hill along a trail that was not as nice as the one we were headed towards. It was only half way down we started to run into some thistle filled bushes that we thought to worry about snakes. No worries. This time no snake encounters, and I hope to keep it that way, but those thistles did attempt to take a number on my legs.

Anyway once we made it to the nice path, we're walking along and see these ruins that you see in the photo below. At the base of these ruins we met a guy named Mordecai who was playing a traditional Turkish stringed instrument called a saz-- it only had two strings! You should know that this path had absolutely no one on it, but all the sudden we round this corner and here's this man playing his little Saz. Jay became buds with guy and took over the Saz while Mordecai pulled out another Turkish instrument (I don't know what the second one was called) and they had a little jam session in the middle of no where.

Jay, Susan, Bekah, and Jon (and me not pictured) by the Pillars of Absolam where we ran into Mordecai.

Anyway, that basically concludes my days highlights, but as you can see...this is why my life is an adventure.