Welcome to Pantufla-Pillowpharm...The Blog!

We begin our third week in Israel and so far we're having a blast, except for the first time trying to get to the Old City of Jerusalem. As you remember from my previous posting, for some unknown (although I'm sure karmic) reason, we were not able to get off the tour bus and couldn't make it into the Walled City. Now that Yom Kippur is done and we have a couple of days to ourselves, we're going to try and get there again.

This time we were accompanied by our new friend, Sarah Edlynn Frondoso-Ng, whom we met during Kaparot. She was definitely the good luck charm that made our trip to the Old City a success.

The trip from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is not far or long...unless there happens to be major construction on the highway. The average time is about an hour (67 km), but because of the highway expansion, it was a grueling 90 minute ride on a crowded bus...each way. Tack on the fact that MANY people were there for the High Holy Days, add another half hour to the journey. Did I mention the humidity?

WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

HUZZUH! We made it to the Old City of Jerusalem. We decided to skip the tour bus and take the metro light rail, as we were getting comfortable using public transportation.

Here we are standing in front of the North Gate, AKA Damascus Gate, AKA Sha'ar Sh'khem (Modern Hebrew). It was built in 1537 while Suleiman, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was ruling.

This entrance leads to the Arab bazaar and marketplace in the Muslim quarter.

The Arab bazaar is a lot like visiting Tijuana. The locals know you're a tourist and will pester you about buying something from them, even if you're already past their store. You need a stomach of iron and the mental stamina to say "NO!"

I personally found the energy in the Old City to be highly intense. Everywhere you turn, someone wants to sell you something or offer you a tour or just plain ask you for money. The "tour guides" (which are just residents who make a living taking tourists throughout) are pretty aggressive. They'll stand in front of you and keep you from moving until you either agree to let them guide you or just firmly walk away. Either way, it's a tremendous challenge.

We agreed to take a tour from an Arab gentleman. I can't remember his name anymore, but he did take us to some interesting locations. IMPORTANT! Determine the price before you agree to the tour, especially if you want to see specific landmarks, or they'll just take you to places you're not sure you want to see.

The first place our tour guide took us was to the Austrian Hostel of the Holy Family. In the lobby, we are greeted by a statue of Mary and the Baby Jesus sans the golden fleece diaper. It was architecturally designed to give Catholic European presence in the Old City. It was visited by Austrian nobility, who could afford the pilgrimages to the Holy Land. By the 1890's, it opened itself up to housing middle class pilgrims and eventually peasants. It's located on the Via Dolorosa.

Our tour guide took us to the rooftop, which is the highlight of the Hostel. You can't just walk into this place. That was the good thing about having the tour guide is that he knew the key code to the hostel entrance. He also knew where the bathrooms were, and these facilities were really nice. You can also see the Bab al- Ghawanmea Minaret (the tall tower to the left).

The Dome of the Rock. This is where the Holy Temple of Jerusalem, built by King Solomon used to stand. Much of the Crusades were fought over the land this mosque sits on. It is believe the "Rock" inside is where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac and where Muhammed was taken to see GOD in his vision. (CONFIRM THIS)

The next three pictures are a panoramic of the city scape. The old mixed with the new. Part 1

Panoramic Part 2

Panoramic part 3

Rooftop view of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We'll eventually make our way there.

Rooftop view of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer

Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center. This center was built in the late 1880's to accommodate French Catholic pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.

While Suleiman the Sultan was in Jerusalem, he had these water spigots installed for travelers who needed to hydrate. The plumbing is up to date, but the structure surrounding it is hundreds of years old.

Getting closer....

Smile Sarah Lynn, we're almost there.

It's very important to heed the instructions. There are armed guards that inspect your belongings while you pass through a metal detector and they do enforce these rules.

The entrance to the Wall...FINALLY!

Gasp! There she is in all her glory. The Western Wall AKA The Wailing Wall. In Hebrew it's called The "Kotel".

The area is split into 2 parts. The left side is the Men's side and the right is the Women's side. There is a table with men and women who inspect your attire before allowing you to approach the Wall. Luckily, Niel's shorts were long enough to get by. Many ladies in sleeveless clothing were told to cover their shoulders before being granted access to the Wall.

Many people have their special occasions at the Wall. Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and Torah readings just to name a few. We had the merit to witness a wedding, which was interesting. First we didn't realize it was a wedding since the couple were separated by the divider. The couple stands in the corner closest to the divider so they can be as close to each other while being separated. It wasn't until the ceremony was over and we saw the bride in her white dress leaving the area that we realized what had just taken place.

Yay! I'm finally touching the Wall. This is the closest I'll ever get to the location of the second Holy Temple, which was destroyed in 70 AD (or CE) by the Romans. I had the merit to touch this Wall and feel the energy of thousands of years and countless tears.

Our friend Sarah Lynn and her mini Zohar (Pinchas). We placed our Zohars onto the Wall so that we could bring this energy with us wherever whenever.

Here is Niel making his connection and supplications. When you go to the Wall, you take prayer requests on behalf of your family and friends. This allows those that you've prayed for to have a connection to the Wall, as well as granting us the chance to become channels of the Light (bringing the energy with us).

The walkway you see in the center of the picture is where non-Muslims enter to visit the Dome of the Rock. Visiting hours for non-Muslims are Sunday thru Thursday from 7:30am to 10am. You have to wake up early and there is a long line. It is regarded as a holy place, not a tourist site, thus the limited access.

Here is the Women's side of the Kotel (Wall)

Sarah Lynn and I capturing the moment.

I didn't know this until after we left that we're not supposed to turn our backs to the Wall until we pass a certain point. Maybe that's why the Wall is overexposed in this picture. Oops!

Being at the Kotel with my soulmate is something we've both dreamed about for so long. The dream has come true.

Sarah Lynn

Now she's just showing off ;)

Wow! How amazing to be in the Holy City. An experience I will never forget. I pray for continued visits to this special place for years to come.

Time for lunch. Walking on all that hard stone ground makes a person HONGRY! We stopped at a Turkish Doner Kebab restaurant. Delish!

An opportunity for Niel to blast the Shofar. He didn't really blow on it, but this is the closest he'll get to one as a non-Jew.

Now we switch gears from our Hebrew inspired pilgrimage to our Christian pilgrimage. The Via Dolorosa is the path that Jesus walked from the time he was condemned to death until his Crucifixion, burial and Resurrection. We dedicated our walk to our friend Joe DeVault, who always wanted to visit Jerusalem, but was taken to the New Jerusalem in Heaven before he had the chance to visit the physical one on Earth. We told everyone we met on our walk about Joe and his wonderful ministry. A quick history on Joe - he was a reformed biker who found Jesus while in prison. At one time, he had many reformed bikers in his ministry dedicating their lives to Jesus. He is a true example of Christ's teaching, "Be a fisher of men"

At this point, we were closer to the end of the Via Dolorosa than the beginning, so we decided to tour it backwards. We start here at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we houses Stations 10 thru 14.

According to the officials of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the 'T' and 'Φ' of the flag come from the Greek words "Φύλακες Τάφου", meaning "Tomb Guardians".

There are a couple of places in Jerusalem that claim to be the location of Christ's tomb. The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox believe Christ' tomb in inside the Holy Sepulcher while the Anglicans and Protestants regard the Garden Tomb (located elsewhere) is the true location of Christ' burial and resurrection.

Courtyard and entrance to the Holy Sepulcher

The Rock of Calvary in the Chapel of Adam. Tradition says that Christ was crucified over the place where Adam's skull was buried.

The crack in the stone is thought to be from the earthquake that happened when Christ died on the cross. Others maintain its from the constant quarrying.

The Holy Sepulcher is a giant building that contains 6 ecumenical Christian micro-chapels throughout. The different orders are Coptic Christian, Eastern Orthodox, Ethiopian, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Syrian chapels.

The Christ Pantokrator. A term and image mostly known in the Orthodox Christian world.

This is the Greek Chapel of Derision. The word "derision" meaning "ridicule" or "mockery". Zoom in on the paintings to see Christ's humiliation unfold.

If you look closely at the stone column behind the glass casing, it is said to be the stone column on which Jesus was stripped of his garments and tortured.

This is the Chapel of St. Helena. Helena is the mother of Emperor Constantine.

Tradition states that she found the True Cross of Jesus. The location is marked by this chapel.

This small square area is said to be the prison of Christ. There is another location later in the Via Dolorosa that also says it's the prison of Christ. Just up the stairs to the right of the picture are the toilets. This leads me to believe that this spot may not be legit for that very reason.