Geoff had returned to Sydney and I boarded a bus for a 12 hour day visit to Jerusalem. A 3 hour bus ride and we had our first sight of the city.

Our first stop was at Mount Zion situated on a hill overlooking the old city.

We visited the Room of the Last Supper.

… the Tomb of King David

… and the Dormition Abbey

After lunch we drove to the Old City where we walked past old Roman columns …

… through crowded bazzars and narrow streets …

… to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

This church is built over the site where Jesus was crucified …

… the anointing stone where Jesus’ body was laid when he was taken down from the cross …

… and where he was buried.

We then walked along the Via Dolorose, the “Way of Sorrows”…

the final path Jesus walked on the way to his crucifiction and marked by the 14 Stations of the Cross.

We then proceeded to the Western Wall (the “Wailing Wall”), a sacred site for Jews.

Then it was back to the bus and a quick stop for a view over Jerusalem and the golden dome of the Dome of the Rock before the long ride back to the ship.

At times a very moving experience. The day was very hot, it was very crowded and I was quite nervous about losing the tour group, not to mention the presence of armed security all over the place (… no photos of them, of course!!!)