Day 5

It's sad but true. The Temple Mount is a much more peaceful place than the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It's a huge space that looks and feels like a park! What is really amazing is that the Israeli's have allowed this space, sacred to Jews as well, to remain under the control of the Muslim religious authorities.

When you look at pictures of the Western Wall it's not immediately clear that it extends to the left beneath the Arab Quarter. We walked through a tunnel that traces the wall all the way to the north-western corner of the Temple Mount. Amazingly you can see the Herodian stones and the first century street the length of the structure. FYI, the Western Wall is NOT the western wall of the Temple, it is the western wall of the Temple Mount retaining wall Herod installed to create extra space for Jews to worship on.

On the south end of the Temple Mount we visited the steps Jesus would have taken to enter the temple. Pretty well preserved, these steps were constructed in such a way as to slow temple visitors down so that they approached in a reverent manner. We also paused to reflect on the huge stones that the Romans threw down from the top of the western wall onto the street below.

As if all this walking wasn't enough we finished the day by walking on top of the walls of the old city. We started at Jaffa Gate and ended at Lion's Gate. It's a great way to see the hidden parts of the city that are out of view.

All is well.