We started the day on a trip to the the Olive Columns for Peace Among the Nations and Faiths. We were shown the breat taking views of that Israel has to offer.
It was then off to the city of David to see recent excavations and get a feel of what the city was like 2500 years ago. We then half swam half sloshed through Hezekiah's Tunnel (aka the Shiloah Waterway) that was used to transfer fresh spring water to the city of David. It was built 2500 years ago by two teams digging towards each other and meeting in the middle. To this day it still flows with fresh spring water! This was quite a relief from the day's heat as the water was ice cold.
Next came the the Old City for shopping in the Cardo and exploring the Jewish Quarter.
Date(s): July 1, 2008. Album by Kristin and Will. Photos by Kris and Will. 1 - 131 of 131 Total. 305 Visits.
3 Cherry trees as far as the eye can see! Will and I got a chance to enjoy a box of these cherries since they were in season - yummy! "And US Customs confiscated the other..." View Comments...
4 Olive trees!
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7 Yes, those are live Olive trees up there folks!
8 Ken decides to sit in the shade for a bit... something we did the entire trip lol.
9 Will with the columns
10 Me :-)
11 It's a Rock! I took that rock home actually... and a few more as well. Jerusalem Limestone, you'll see it covering every building in Jerusalem, by law.
12 Dead Sea View Point
13 That would be the direction of the Dead Sea
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16 Bethlehem is over there.
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20 Oops, guess we all saw that a bit too late.
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24 Yoram, our guide, explains the Shekel system to us. It was very easy to understand :-)
40 Excavating more of the tunnel system and buried city.
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44 Still going down even further...
45 Will says you must be this tall to ride the ride... That shows how deep the water can get in the waterway.
46 It was PITCH black in Hezekiah's Tunnel. So this photo was taken without flash, just using the flashlights as lighting to show you just HOW dark it was in there.
47 And, here is a picture with the flash so we can see who was in the tunnels lol. Sarah in the back with Adele in the front.
48 Will thinks he's being creepy. "You missed the concept of taking a f..." View Comments...
49 Look how clear that water is! It was quite chilly at first, but once you got used to it, it was nice.
50 Just to show yo uhow small the tunnel was. Will never really had to duck down :-P
51 I, however did. I hit my head so many times, it still hurts in once spot lol.
52 Will laughs at me as I hit my head.
53 Everyone waiting up for the rest of the party. It is a 500 yard tunnel after all.
54 Sarah and Elana
55 My feet :-) It stayed at ankle depth for most of the time, it was above my knees in the beginning though.
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57 Now the tunnel gets really high up.
58 But narrower, at least we didn't hit our heads anymore, just our elbows.
59 Notice, my sunglasses are no longer on my shirt... they fell somewhere in the tunnel, oh well.
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62 A copy of an inscription found in the tunnel.
63 Fern, Barbara, and Richie catch up to the rest of the group :-)
64 Outside the tunnel
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73 Totally not taken on purpose this way... but look at Robbie, and look at the boy in the painting! Too cool.
74 The pool as it would have originally looked.
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76 The steps leading down to the pool (the area filled with trees to the right).
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80 An 'ancient' Roman coin a guy was trying to sell the us when we got out.
81 Makes for a cool photo though :-)
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85 Arab villages.
86 The walls of the Old City
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88 They are restoring parts of the walls, pulling out plants that have started to grow in the cracks and steady any loose stones.
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90 This gate wasn't designed with cars in mind lol. It was quite a sight to see the car coming out of this ancient gate.
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92 Bullet holes from wars past, these are being left un patched since they are a part of the history of the Old City. "1967" View Comments...
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94 View of the streets
95 We stopped for a falfel and shwarma lunch. Don't we all look tired lol. "Still not as good as Pick A Pita in ..." View Comments...
96 Robbie, Adelle, and Jackie waiting for lunch.
97 Will and Barbara :-)
98 The cardo. Built on top of the Old City, you'll be able to see parts of the walls and buildings in later photos.
99 The columns that would have once supported a grand roof.
100 The group listening to Yoram talk about the Cordo, we were standing where a shop once would have been.
104 Robbie looks tired, he didn't know I was taking his picture.
105 Will and the columns
106 Reproduction Mosaic Map of the Old City. "HAGIAPOLIS IEROUSALEM - Greek for &q..." View Comments...
107 The Cardo again, but this one is protected by a new roof to preserve it from the elements.
108 The original street.
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110 Will and I holding up a column together.
111 Arches in the Cardo
112 It's a column on top of a wall. The wall was built outisde of Harod's wall, and then later the column was built on top. These are the same columns from previous pictures.
