The morning led us to a crowded bus heading out of the city to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Actually, it's just a garden with olive trees.... What has become clear to us in Jerusalem by now...especially at places like this, everyone tries to be a part of it. Here a Catholic church, there are Protestants present. Around the corner, you can find Greeks, and at the end of the street, there is an Ethiopian Church. It is important for everyone to be a part of Jerusalem, after all, it's the promise. So, it's not surprising that when climbing the mountain above the garden, you can see a huge cemetery, where not only Israeli Jews are buried but also Jews from all over the world.
We make our way back, cross a few streets, and finally end up in the neighborhood of the Temple Mount. After briefly visiting the Bethesda Pool (which is missing a lot of water ;)), we went to the Western Wall.
The sun is shining again from the sky, and we try to find an appropriate entrance across from the Temple Mount. Problem: Three out of four entrances are exclusively for Muslims.
When
we found the appropriate entrance, we had to wait.
Security checks and here, too, a Shalom bag was inappropriate
(no, obviously I don't learn from this). But everything is fine, and once inside, we watch eagerly to see if Kenan can catch a glimpse of the mosque. Unfortunately, he wasn't equipped with the Arabic declaration of faith, so it didn't seem very believable... too bad, I thought his 'Salam alaikum' was convincing... at least we still have this nice view from the outside ;)
As mentioned earlier, all imaginable denominations are present. The other day I reported about the path to Golgotha... well. there seems to be another one :D (so Jesus did perform many miracles, but being crucified in two places that are four kilometers apart...? - Christians, make up your minds). The second conceivable location of Jesus' burial site is called the 'Garden Tomb'. Historically speaking, the Catholic site seems more logical to us. Nevertheless, let's remain impartial ;).
Perhaps this sign was the confirmation from above? (oh, today is Sunday)
So our afternoon ended sooner than expected, but there was enough time to buy some souvenirs at the Jewish market :).
At 4 p.m., we went to the King of Kings Church to listen to a lot of music and a sermon on the topic of Spirit of Grace. It was a very nice church service :) (and which church can claim that four pastors are participating at the same time). At 6 p.m., we were back at the hotel, pondering over dinner, which we started 1 1/2 hours later.
Having a beer outside the house, we look back on the journey and welcome the last night in this beautiful country...
