Some Things I've Done Recently

Stood in line at the Bethlehem checkpoint at 6 AM, to see what it's like for the Palestinian workers who commute to Jerusalem every day.


Saw the Mar Saba monastery, which is built on the cliffs of the Kidron Valley near Bethlehem. It was founded in the fifth century, making it one of the oldest monasteries in the world. It has survived several assaults, and in it's heyday housed four thousand Greek Orthodox monks. It is danged impressive.


Hung around the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock.


Visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum.


Saw the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built on the traditional site of Jesus' death and burial.


Walked through Hezekiah's Tunnel - the 500 meter, eighth century BC aquaduct that King Hezekiah dug in preparation for the Assyrian siege. Also saw some of the ruins of the City of David - the original city of Jerusalem on the hill next to the (ahem) modern old city.


Crawled around in ancient tombs under the Saint Onuphrius monastery. I've seen plenty of caves in Israel, but this was the first one that had actual bones in it. Creepy awesome.


I also took a walk around here:


Any guesses?

My leg is slowly improving. Emphasis on slowly. I've decided that farm work would probably be a bad idea at this point. I'm feeling alright about it though. I'm chilling out in Jerusalem, seeing the sights at a leisurely pace, and next week I'm going down to the Sinai to snorkel and sit on the beach. I call that "making lemonade".