What I did was walk around the Old City to the Dung Gate (I think), skirt the Western Wall plaza and found myself in the Jewish Quarter. I walked the Old Roman Cardo went out side the walls again, passing the Mt. Of Olives. One day I'm just going to walk around the whole Old City.
Along the way I kept humming "Walking in Jerusalem just like John" - and thinking I bet he'd get lost too! And "Twelve Gates to the City" thinking that's too darn many.
I met a sweets vendor and his friend and had a pretty good Hebrew conversation - one of them thought I was a Messianic Jew. Then I went back in the city through the Zion Gate, took the Armenian Patriarchate Street to the Yaffo (Joppa) Gate. Then I went back outside the Old City (again) and walked to the Damascus Gate and caught the bus home. It was a lovely day. And I'll try the Rockefeller (again) after Shabbat.
The Damascus Gate has been partially renovated and they just took the construction wrapping off.
I almost forgot.
I almost forgot. When I got off the bus, instead of heading up the hill to Tantur, I went down the hill to Beit Tzafafa and had lunch at Shweki's Restaurant across the street from his gift shop. It was Juma and the restaurant was empty. I had a wonderful conversation about praying for peace in the Land with the staff, whether we would see it and a Palestinian State in our time. Inshallah. Whether peace here would put an end to conflict everywhere else in the world. And what it means to have faith and believe even though we see no signs of hope. Let us, all of us, of all faiths, pray for peace. Amen.
