Ups, downs, and flying!

My wife Liz and I had a great day out yesterday.
We went cycling in the Glentress forest, near Peebles.

Cycle routes of several different grades have been laid out in the forest. Although it was hard work cycling up the hills, we had great fun swooping down through the twisty and bumpy downhills.

Some of the uphills were fun too, especially on the twisty switchbacks, and the sudden steep inclines.

As we were cycling along, looking out through the trees to magnificent views across the valley, I thought that our cycling experience was quite like life in general.

Often we have to push hard when we are going through difficult times, when our work experience is difficult or even non-existent. Or we might be suffering from relationship difficulties within our family, or amongst our friends. Or perhaps it is ill health that is making life difficult.

But at other times life can be an exhilarating rush. We might have just started a new job, or received an unexpected promotion. Or we might have formed a lifelong loving relationship. Or maybe that health scare has been turned round and now we feel marvellous.

God not only longs to share your joy at living when times are good, but He longs to help you through the pain and hardship when life is difficult. Even though we do not know Him well, or maybe not even at all, God knows each of us intimately. And He loves you, despite all your imperfections.

God has the resources to enable each of us to live life well, to know His love, joy, and peace. But He won't force Himself upon you. Give Him a chance to be a part of your life. Talk to Him. He not only listens, but responds too.

God is Great - and so was CLAN Gathering 2008!

We got back yesterday from this year's CLAN Gathering.
It's not a gathering of any one Highland clan.
Instead it's a conference for Christians Linked Across the Nation.

There were more than 3000 people at the conference, meeting in the big blue tent used for T-in-the-Park, which was on the weekend before.

The worship was great, one of the leaders being Brian Doerksen from Canada, who wrote Come Now is the Time to Worship.

The speakers were great, from England, USA, and Scotland. The conference theme was Grace, focussing on this character of God who gives us good things, even although we don't deserve them.

And as always at CLAN there was prayer ministry at various times where we saw God healing people of various conditions, including upper body paralysis that had resulted from a broken neck!

Another theme of the conference was the increasing number of churches and other groups who are taking healing, prophecy, and dream interpretation, out onto the streets of Scotland and other parts of Britain. As people experience the activity of God in their lives they respond by turning their lives around to serve God.

Once again people are experiencing the power of God in everyday situations just as the followers of Jesus saw in Biblical times. Such everyday activity of God was also seen in the life of the early church, and at various times since then down through the centuries.

God is great - and it is great fun to be one of his followers!

Winchburgh beckons too!

This week I've been planning some early involvement at Winchburgh church, where I will be starting my Final Placement officially on 1st September.

There are a number of events happening through August, like two Holiday Clubs, a Flower Festival, and a Blue Grass concert (whatever kind of music that is!). So I've made plans to attend these events and get to know some of the people in these linked congregations before I formally get started.

In some senses the path seems clear ahead now. However, it remains to be worked out just exactly what I'll be doing on Placement. So there's still a lot to discover and explore not only over the next few months but probably until the end of my 15-month placement.

As I approach this significant stage in my training I recollect other trainees whom I know from their times at the same stage. And I know others who are following on after me and hope to enter their Final Placements next year in 2009.

The Church of Scotland has vacancies for almost 200 ministers at this time. I and my other colleagues-in-training are working hard at doing our bit to fill the gap.

I'll be offline until next weekend, so you'll have to find something else to amuse you until then!

CLAN Gathering beckons

On Saturday some of us will be going to CLAN Gathering.
It's not a highland family party but a week-long conference for people interested in Christianity, and their families and friends.

It's held at St Andrews on a large site using the T-in-the-Park tent, and various other marquees, etc. It is organised by New Wine Scotland, and you can read all about it at CLAN Gathering.

Last Sunday I enjoyed being with the South Queensferry congregations for their morning services. It was great to renew friendships where I did my first training placement. They are setting out to find a new minister after the tragic death of Rev. John Carrie back in February. But I'm sure they'll find someone long before I become available!

Two weeks before that I visited Cramond Kirk who hosted me during the Church's selection process. They get off to an early start at 8:45am, but follow that short service with a very civilised hot breakfast, before the family service at 10am. I made it out to Winchburgh's 11:30 service (just!) and was pleased to meet some of the congregation where I will be on placement from September. The day was rounded off nicely by Davidson's Mains 6:30pm service.

Today I popped in on Gladys from South Leith church. She is a remarkable lady and we enjoyed a good chat about out times together and what lies ahead for each of us. She had been unwell shortly before I last saw her and I was pleased to see her in such good form.

I'm on holiday for these three and half months but no wonder I still feel very busy! No doubt the Conference next week will be very busy too, but also a holiday.

Israel - Time to go home

It was with mixed feelings that we came to our last day in Israel. We had enjoyed our time together as a group but many of us were apart from our families and looking forward to going home. We had enjoyed the hot and sunny weather but some of us were rather singed at the edges and looking forward to cooler weather at home. Our exploration of modern and ancient Israel had been interesting but perhaps some of us were finding it hard to be interested in yet another set of dusty ruins amidst the complicated Middle-Eastern social context.

So we packed our bags and left the luxurious Scots Hotel and boarded our bus for the third day in a row. Our primary visit today would be to the ruins of Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast to the North of Tel Aviv. On the way we passed through Nazareth and saw from the bus the 20th century Basilica of the Annunciation, and also from the bus saw the cliff said to be the place from where the townspeople were going to cast Jesus to his death.

Caesarea was built by Herod the Great between 22BC and 10BC as an expansion of an older Phoenician and Sidonian port. It became the Roman capital in 6AD when the Romans took direct control of Palestine. The first known Roman Governor was Pontius Pilate, who authorised the crucifixion of Jesus. The Bible is not the only source of his name, for when the theatre was excavated an inscription with his name was found.

Although the main harbour was rendered useless when the seabed lowered in the earthquake of 130AD the city remained important. The early Christian writers Origen and Eusebius lived here in the 3rd & 4th centuries. The port was restored by the Crusaders but fell into disuse after it was finally retaken by the Moslems in the late 13th century. The photo shows some of the Roman mosaic flooring and the sunken palace foundations in the distance.

After Caesarea, we drove to Tel Aviv for our afternoon flight to Frankfurt, and onward flight back to Edinburgh, arriving in the late evening. Back home!

Israel - Penultimate Day

We spent our last full day in Israel touring sites around the Sea of Galilee. It was another scorching day and we started off by heading up into the mountains to the foot of Mount Hermon. It's an old volcano rising to 2814m (almost 10,000 feet) that is often snow-capped despite its latitude at only 33.5 degrees North. The meltwaters percolate down through the ash and rock and emerge in springs that source the river Jordan near Caesarea Philippi.

The site of the springs is an ancient place of worship to the fertility god Pan, as well as a site of government for King Philip, son of Herod the Great. The area is also mentioned in the Gospels when Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah (Matthew 16:13-16). The water is very clear and I was pleased with this photo of one of the fish in the river. It looks like it is flying!

Next we went to Capernaum on the North shore of the Sea of Galilee. Here we visited the Catholic church located above the archeological ruins of the 1st century building that was probably the house of Peter the Apostle's mother, whom Jesus healed early in his ministry, It was awesome to see this ancient building in juxtaposition with the space-age church suspended up above the ruins. The church has an octagonal glass floor in the centre, the same shape as the ancient building underneath, so that those worshipping today, can see down into the place where one the earliest churches held its gatherings. It was at this site that I felt closest to the place where Jesus walked and talked.




After lunch we headed back to Tiberias and explored the hot springs that were the reason for Tiberias being built between AD17-20 by Herod Antipas, another of the sons of Herod the Great. They still work today although we didn't take the waters. The swimming pool at the hotel was far more attractive. And after dinner we spent our last evening in Israel talking late into the night on the rooftop patio under the moonlight looking out over the town, the darkness of the Sea of Galilee, and the lights on the top of the Golan Heights beyond.

Israel - Transition Day

Well if I thought Monday's was an early start then that was completely blown away by our 6am departure on Tuesday morning! Although our destination was to be Tiberias in Galilee we would start by visiting Masada and Qumran down in the desert beside the Dead Sea. Not only would it be a long way to travel by our coach, we wanted to get to these desert places long before Noon.

The journey began by dropping down from the heights of Jerusalem at 2500 feet (800m) above sea level, to the shores of the Dead Sea at 1250 feet (400m) below sea level. It would have been great to whizz down that long slope on my bicycle! The shores of the Dead Sea are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth. So much of the River Jordan is now used for irrigation that the Dead Sea is dropping by over 1m per year, up to 15cm/month. It could dry up completely during the next 40 years.

Our first stopping point was at Masada, the ancient fortress high up in the hills at the southwestern corner of the Dead Sea. It was built by Herod the Great around 20BC as a winter palace and as a final refuge in time of war. Not only were there luxurious palaces but also vast well-stocked store rooms, cisterns, and a defensive wall at the top of the vertical cliffs that surround the stronghold. At the end of Jewish revolt from AD66-74, the remaining rebels retreated to Masada where they were beseiged by the Romans. After several months, the 1000 rebels died in a suicide pact as the Romans breached the walls from the top of their massive seige ramp, which is still visible today. The fortress was destroyed and became hidden until archaeologists re-discovered it in the 19th century.


Most of our party chose to take the cable car to the top of Masada but three of us braved the early-morning sun to climb the 350m high Snake Path (because it is twisty, not because of snakes!). In the photo you can just make out the upper cable-car station, the black dot at the right-hand end of the cliff. It took us 35 minutes - 10 less than the stated average. Not bad for us 'oldies'! But we felt red-hot by the time we arrived at the top - and that was at 8:45am!


The excavated ruins at the top were mostly boring walls, but the Roman-style bath-house was impressive, with its hot and cold rooms and tubs. I was also interested to see the church from the Byzantine monastery that was occupied between the 5th and 7th centuries. The photo shows the original mosaic flooring and the red stone patterns inserted into the pale plasterwork.


We returned to the bus and retraced our route northwards to Qumran. The ancient rooms and waterways gave an insight into 1st century life, but I was surprised to see that the first cave in which the Dead Sea scrolls was so high up on the cliffs behind the village. You can just see the entrance to the left of the valley in this photo. The sign in the foreground that warns of the vertical drop behind it was very amusing since the cliff was obvious to anyone who could see the sign!

By now it was High Noon and long past time for a cooling swim in the Dead Sea. We zoomed northwards again and stopped at one of the swimming centres. It was a great experience although never let the water get in your eyes! I hesitated to include the photo below but decided I just had to let you see me bobbing about so high in the water and so far below sea level!


We had lunch in one of the most ancient cities of the world, Jericho. Unfortunately, the extreme heat was affecting some of us, so we cancelled our plan to walk around the city ruins, and instead got back on board our coach and headed farther North, all the way to our final destination of The Scots Hotel in Tiberias. It is a very splendid establishment and is a very popular destination for well-off holiday-makers. We were glad to get rid of any last vestiges of Dead Sea mud in the beautiful blue swimming pool, looking out over the Sea of Galilee.

The Sixth Day

Actually this will not be a review of Arnold Schwarzenegger's sci-fi cloning movie, The Sixth Day. So, continuing the log of the recent New College study trip to Israel, we have now reached Monday, the Sixth Day.

We again had an early start (considering that most of us were students!) needing to be at the Temple Mount (or Haram esh-Sharif, in Arabic) by 8:30am. We had an appointment with the Head Curator of the Al-Aqsa Museum, Mr Khader Salameh, who would show us around this ancient holy site.



The Dome of the Rock is a magnificent building, both inside and outside, as the above photos show. Although not formally a mosque, it does contain a place of prayer in the cave at the centre of the bulding. The main floor is also carpeted in the Islamic style, in rows facing Mecca, so that it can also be used for worship.

South of the Dome, in a direct line towards Mecca, is the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is huge! There must be space for over 1000 worshippers on its vast carpeted floor. Parts of the structure have been rebuilt several times following destructive earthquakes. The mosque is built at the southern edge of the Temple Platform and thus is raised up on a rubble foundation many metres above the solid rock below. The resultant instability makes the building very vulnerable to earthquakes, unlike the Dome which is built directly onto the rock.


During the Crusader period the Al-Aqsa Mosque was used as a church by the Crusaders. The photo to the left shows the round Rose Window in the Eastern wall of the Mosque. It was rather strange to see such a British-looking church window in these surroundings.

After looking at the ancient Korans in the Al-Aqsa Museum we left the Temple Mount and walked through the markets again, where I managed to haggle a good deal on a rams-horn Shofar. For lunch we went to the Papa Andreas rooftop restaurant. It was lovely to be eating out under the sunshade while the city round about us was bathed in the brilliant sunshine. However eneough of the sun got through the screen that my head got a little sunburned! But the food was excellent.

After lunch some of us went to the Israel Museum. There, in the Shrine of the Book, we saw the complete scroll of Isaiah that was found at Qumran as well as some other examples of fragments of the Qumran Scrolls. There was also a scale model of Jerusalem as the archaeologists think it would have looked prior to the destruction by the Romans in AD67. Unfortunately my photos from the Israel Museum seem to have gone astray, so if you want to see more then have a look at the Museum website here.

After a long day we were glad to head back to our accommodation for our last night in Jerusalem.

Day 5 - Sunday

As you might expect, this day began with worship in the local congregation of St. Andrews, Jerusalem. It must have been rather nerve-wracking for the Locum Minister, Colin Anderson. Not only was he preaching to 17 trainees for ministry, but to two Professors and a Doctor of Divinity. And as well as us lot, there was the local congregation. The service was very appropropriate and was relevant and accessible to both groups of people.

During coffee and refreshments after the service, I was pleased to meet one of the staff and his family from Tabeetha School in Jaffa. This school was founded by Jane Walker-Arnott, a Glasgow lady, in 1863. It is linked with the Church of Scotland, who appoint the Principal and Deputy Principal (the Principal's position is currently vacant).


After coffee we headed out to lunch at the Nafoura Jerusalem Wall Restaurant. We lunched here on several occasions and the photo shows the restaurant's courtyard dining area adjacent to the Old City Wall by the Jaffa Gate. Following lunch many of us went for a walk round the City Walls, although others in the party chose to explore the Suks instead.


From the city ramparts there were many fine views. The above photos look South from the Northern Wall, beside the Damascus Gate (to the left) and show the Dome of the Rock in the left image, and the twin domes of the Holy Sepulchre Church in the right image. The photo below, from below the Eastern Wall, shows the church at the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Mount of Olives, with its Russian Orthodox churches.



The Southeast of the City Wall is closed to walkers where it passes around the Temple Mount. Rather than continuing our walk around the walls, the rather smaller band now headed down into the ruins of the biblical city down the southern slope. Here Adrian and I experienced one of the highlights of the trip for me. We walked through the ancient tunnel between the Gihon Spring and the Pool of Siloam.

The tunnel was built by order of King Hezekiah around 900BC when the city was under threat of siege. The siege failed, but when the city fell 100 years later at the time of the Babylonian exile, the tunnel ends were destroyed. The tunnel remained hidden until it was rediscovered by archaeologists in the 19th century. The water was cold compared to the 31C air temperature outside but was warm once we got used to it. The water was up to 70cm deep and flows fairly slowly since it drops only 30-40cm along its 538m length. As you can see, we walked through in our street clothes and shoes, having emptied our trouser pockets first. Thanks to Adrian for his photo. The sense of history was very tangible - and we got wet!

Israel - Day 4 - Sabbath

Although this day was the Jewish Sabbath, for us it was a distinctly Palestinian day.

We were reunited with the coach and driver who had brought us from Tel Aviv airport to Jerusalem, which seemed so long ago, but was only 3 days previously.

We drove alongside the Security Barrier for part of the journey to Hebron and this emphasised the divisions between the communities that were to be so evident throughout the day. We passed through army checkpoints on several occasions, both on the bus, and in Hebron itself, on foot too.

Perhaps because of the tension in the air I did not take any photos in Hebron itself. We were accompanied by two Ecumenical Accompaniers from the WCC mission. They guided us through the checkpoints, and showed us some of the scenes where conflict had taken place. To provide a security buffer between one of the Jewish Settlements and the surrounding Palestinian community, one of the streets was closed to Palestinians. Those who live in houses on this street have to use the rear entrances to their houses. The street front was deserted, although previously it had been one of the main streets passing the most popular Suk in the town.

After passing along this eerily silent street, we exited the security zone and visited the Suk. Most of the shops were now shuttered or abandoned. But we did our best to give the shops that were open our trade. I bought a decorated plate showing the building which makes this town a place of pilgrimage for both Moslems and Jews. The Tomb of Abraham contains the sepulchres of Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebecca, and Jacob and Rachel.

But my plate is now symbolic of these two communities. It is fractured and divided into pieces. I did not adequately pack it in my suitcase. These two communities, once part of the same family, have allowed their cracks to widen into gaping fissures that seem beyond the power of man to restore. Let us strive to help both comunities to accept each other and to learn to live together in peace.

The Sepulchre has been divided into two portions, the Islamic part containing the tombs of Isaac and Rebecca, and the Jewish part containing the tombs of Jacob and Rachel. The tombs of Abraham and Sarah are in the centre, visible to both sides, but accessible to neither. The ancient wooden Islamic pulpit was made in Ashqelon in 1091, and is similar to the pulpit in Jerusalem that was destroyed by a deranged Christian arsonist in 1969.

As we left Hebron, the road was blocked by Israeli Army vehicles seeking to arrest a Palestinian. The road was covered with stones and bricks that the local people had been throwing at the vehicles. Our bus had to turn round and find another way to Bethlehem. Not only was the detour longer but we had to pass through another army checkpoint.


The doorway into the Church of the Nativity was easier for some of our party to enter than others! The varied stonework is evidence of the turbulent history of the building. Murphy O'Connor notes that the lintel shading the top of my photo is of the 6th century entrance, the doorway being reduced in size to the medieval arched entrance, and further shrunk to its present size in the Mamluk/Ottoman period.



Inside the building the ornate decoration of the Greek Orthodox tradition fronts remnants of elegant mosaic work on the walls and floors, with painted columns. To the left of the Orthodox dais is a portion of the sanctuary used by Armenian worshippers. We were there the day before Orthodox Pentecost and several Armenian Clergy were singing their way through the special liturgy for the day. The crypt and cave below the church was blackened with the soot of candles and could have been anywhere despite being venerated as the birthplace of Jesus for the past 2000 years.


On the opposite side of Bethlehem Square is the mosque. It too has had many alterations, its minnaret being repaired just a few years ago after it developed some rather ominous cracks.

On the way back to Jerusalem we stopped at Solomon's Pools. Although given Solomon's name, these reservoirs were built around the 2nd century BC. The area has the closest springs to Jerusalem at a higher level than the city. The reservoirs feed an aqueduct and tunnel water system running for 21.5km North to the Temple in Jerusalem. The aqueduct level drops only 30m over that distance, 1cm every 7.16m, an impressive feet of engineering.

And so we returned to St. Andrew's in Jerusalem, having in one day visited the Tombs of the Jewish and Arab Patriarchs, dating from 4000-3500 years ago, and the 2000-year old birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Israel - Third Day - Sabbath approaches

Our Third Day was Friday.
The Jewish Sabbath, or Shabbat, would begin in the evening.

It was a good day to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial, especially as we had visited the Palestinian Theology Centre the day before. Although I already knew a lot about the Holocaust it was sobering to be reminded of mankind's brutality to fellow human beings.

However, I was shocked to hear tour guides castigating present-day people from groups who had been associated with the atrocities. And some of these guides were speaking to school children.

It is right that we remember the atrocities that have been carried out in the past. How else can we remember the lessons needed to avoid these tragedies occurring in the future? But if such remembrance is used to promote hatred and distrust of present-day people, who had nothing to do wih the violence of the past, then such remembrance is counter-productive.

The conflict between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs is too complex to be unravelled in this forum. But one thing is clear - without forgiveness there is no future.

For lunch we went to the YMCA. I was expecting a low-class establishment, but clearly the YMCA in Jerusalem serves a different clientele from most YMCAs in the UK. The food was excellent and the outdoor restaurant in the shadow of the building was a very pleasant relief from the blazing noon-time sun. After several days of special Palestinian food, it was a delight to eat a good old-fashioned steak and chips - but don't tell my wife!

After lunch we had the afternoon off, for shopping, relaxation, or more exploring. Two intrepid members of our party were determined to go swimming. But the permission they received to use a nearby hotel's swimming pool neglected to mention the exorbitant price for non-guests. The lads had just waded in up to their waists when the price was made known - and they beat a hasty retreat. Swimming would have to wait until Tuesday. Until then the roof-top patio at St Andrews was the next-best thing.


We had a arranged for a late dinner so that we could return to the Western Wall to observe the celebrations at the beginning of Shabbat. In the 6:40pm photo above there are far more people at the Wall than there were at 9:45am photo in the First Day blog (below). Indeed six of our own party took the opportunity to enter the Wall Plaza and mingled with the Jewish worshippers.

Israel - Second Day

We had an early start on Thursday too.
Although at 6:30am not as early as the 5am of our First Day.
We had an appointment at 8:30am at the Ecole Biblique, one of the Christian Bible Colleges.


The College is located to the North of the Old City, so we walked across the city from the Jaffa Gate, through the Damascus Gate in the North wall, and then on to our destination. This is a picture of the present-day Damascus Gate, showing the same Gate in the wall of Herod the Great's city below.


We met with Jerome Murphy O'Connor, a famous New Testament scholar, who has been a student, teacher, and professor at Ecole Biblique most of the time since 1963. Here's a photo of him, and you can read more at Jerome Murphy O'Connor. Many of us had copies of the new edition of his book, "The Holy Land: an Oxford Archaeological Guide". He gave us a fascinating talk on his particular theories of New Testament history, such as the development of the Via Dolorosa, traditionally Jesus' journey carrying the Cross. O'Connor favours a different route beginning from Pilates' quarters in Herod's Palace in the Citadel beside the present-day Jaffa Gate, rather than from St Stephen's Gate as the present route does (see p.37-8).

After our early-morning lecture we headed farther North by bus to Sabeel. This is an Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center working amongst Palestinian Christians and others. We were given a talk on the work of Sabeel by the prime mover and founder, Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek. It was very interesting to hear the Palestinian perspective from this Christian Arab man. It was quite a contrast from the Jewish point of view that we had known best before.
Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek, founder of Sabeel.

We shared in Sabeel's weekly communion service and then we were given lunch by the Centre, finishing with aromatic Arabic Coffee! We had to rush to get on the bus back into the city centre, and I was nearly left behind. When we got off the bus to walk up the Mount of Olives, a quick headcount revealed that we had actually left someone behind! Fortunately we had told Sabeel where we were going and they put Peter on the next bus and he arrived about 5 minutes after us - a rather anxious wait for us all - although even more anxious for Peter!

The walk up the Mount of Olives was exhausting in the blazing afternoon sunshine. But the views back over the Old City across the Eastern Wall were well worth the effort. We passed part of the Jerusalem University, the Lutheran Hospital and Church, and then looked down over Gethsemane on to the Temple Mount, or Sharam esh-Sharif as it is in Arabic.


This is a good view facing the Eastern Wall, showing the Dome of the Rock and the El-Aksa Mosque to its left. The Southeast corner of the Temple Mount is clearly visible looming high above the Kedron Valley below. This highest corner of the walls was known as the Pinnacle of the Temple, due to the height of the walls, as referred to in one of Jesus' 40-day Temptations. Note the Jewish graveyard in the foreground, and the Arabic graveyard across the valley up against the Eastern Wall.


We walked down the ancient path that was the normal route between Bethany and Jerusalem, passing by the Garden of Gethsemane, and visiting the church there. After that we walked up through St Stephen's gate and visited the ruins of the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the man who had paralysed for 38 years, see John 5:2-9.










It now being 4:30pm we felt like our feet had been walked down to the bone! We were glad to get back to St. Andrews for a well-deserved dinner, with yet another special Palestinian menu. Our nightly Reflections were an Oasis of Peace.

Israel - First Day

Our party arriving at the Jaffa Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Our trip to Israel was organised by New College, where I have been studying for the past 3 years. It was funded by a trust that supports Church of Scotland trainee ministers. There were 17 trainees, 1 spouse, and 4 members of staff.

Our first day began very early with our arrival into Jerusalem at 5am on Wednesday 11th June. We left Edinburgh at 6pm, and travelled via Frankfurt, with a 2 hour flight from Edinburgh, followed by a 4 hour fight into Tel Aviv, and a further 1 hour coach ride to Jerusalem. Needless to say, we were all shattered by the time we reached Jerusalem.

Since our rooms were not available until the afternoon, after breakfast we set out to explore the Old City. The Suks were a fascinating maze of markets that hopelessly confused my sense of direction all week. The traders were divided into the four quarters of the city - Arab, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian.


We took some photos from the famous viewpoint over the ancient Western Wall of Herod's Temple, with 10th century Islamic Dome of the Rock to the left, and the Mount of Olives to the rear, with the Church spire of the Russian Orthodox Convent of the Ascension at the summit (see above and beyond the Western Wall). The whole visit constantly switched between these three religious cultures, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic, ranging from ancient Old Testament history into the present-day.

On this first morning we also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of Jesus' Crucifixion and his Empty Tomb. The anonymous rocks at the centre of the multiple layers of building surrounding them did nothing for me. It seemed like we were looking at a manmade edifice that conveyed nothing to me of the original scenes in the time of Jesus. I was disappointed - although maybe this was due to my tiredness.


After a pleasant lunch by the city walls, we left the Old City and were greatly relievied to see our accommodation appear across the valley. We stayed in the St Andrews Hostel, part of the Church of Scotland complex in Jerusalem, located to the Southwest of the Old City, across the Valley of Gehanna. You can just make out the St. Andrew's Flag flying from the church tower.

After a rest some of us walked down the Valley of Gehanna to the Kedron Valley to the East of the Old City and then walked up through site of the Old Testament city of Jerusalem, up to Herod the Great's Temple Platform, before heading back home for dinner.

You can see some of the ruins of the city just below the Southern wall of the Temple Platform. We visited the Temple Platform, including the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, on the Monday of our trip - Day 6.