We had a great day yesterday. We attended church at Christ Church, the oldest Protestant church in the Middle East. It was a wonderful service. The praise singing was uplifting, the message, from a visiting Pastor from England, was spot on, celebrating Communion, then meeting the other believers after the service, was all an amazing experience.I was sitting next to a couple from New Zealand, who were volunteering in Jerusalem, for two years. They were interested in the college course we are taking, for their son.

We all stopped at an ATM to get some shekels, then explored for somewhere to eat. We did split up after a while. I started getting tired, and have learned from long walks on the beach, you have to walk back too. We had a good lunch then went to a park, where there was a wading pool, huge aloe vera plants, and a tomb. I think it is a tomb I saw a picture o in one of the books we have for the course.    

Many left later for a walk to St. Anne's Church. We walked oudise the walls for a quicker trip. A lady way behind us screamed, she was robbed, and the young man was running away across the grass. No one tried to stop him. It reminded us to be wary. St. Anne's has excellent accoutics, so some of the group were going to sing (not me.) We unknowingly passed the door and walked quite a ways trying to find the entrance; we finally did, to find it closed on Sundays. (sigh).

The walk back was exciting. We went down Via Dolorosa, the street which is a giant open market. The men sitting ouside try real hard to get you in their shops and sell you something. It was fun to watch some of us, as they tried to bargain with them. We were at one intersection when one of the vendors pointed to a restaraunt and said "this is where Jesus ate his first piece of pizza". We all had a good laugh at that.

There are a lot of stairs in the old city, and we walked a lot of them. Did I mention it was sunny and hot? I am glad for the light hiking clothes I bought, and especially for the hat. Gotta go, another adventure waits.