Day 6: Jerusalem!

After visiting Masada, En Geddi, and Qumron, it was time to travel to our much anticipated destination...Jerusalem!  My mind was flooded with images I have held in my heart since childhood about Jerusalem.  Would it be what I thought it would look like?  My heart could hardly contain it's absolute joy and delight as we could finally see The Holy City, Mt. Zion, The City of God, The City of the Great King, the Eternal City, The Spiritual Capital of the World...Jerusalem!

Our guide played "the Holy City (Jerusalem)" song for us as we reached Jerusalem.  I sobbed when I saw the Holy City with my very own eyes! And my visions from childhood of the city were sweetened with the amazing aroma of home.  It smelled and felt like home.  That is the only way to describe how I felt. 

We rode to the top of Mt. Scopus so that we could overlook the city...and it was breathtaking.  My heart kept crying out, "Glory to God!"  Naturally, we took a few pictures here too:


(Me, Rachel, Nonnie, Hannah, Poppie, and my Mr. Incredible)

You can tell by our Texas hair, that is larger than normal because it was windy and much cooler than when we were in the desert and Masada.  I was more than ready to be inside the old city walls of Jerusalem but that had to wait until tomorrow. 

Before checking into the Jerusalem Ramada, we visited the Nissan Brothers shop in Jerusalem.  They sell fine quality olive wood, jewelry, coins, antiques, and replicas.  We bought a few gifts there and some olive wood ornaments for our Christmas tree (we try to buy an ornament for our tree from every vacation that we are blessed to go on which makes for nice memories every year). 

My man was still outside the store and Hannah and I were shopping together.  Rachel was with one of the grandmothers.  George, one of the owners looked at Hannah and then looked at me and offered 2,000 camels and 200 goats for Hannah.  What?!  I laughed and quickly said, "No, no, no!" 

Later on, our family was shopping together, in the same store, when George approached Mr. Incredible, stepped between my man and I and exclaimed that he had beautiful sons for the 3 of us girls.  Strange!

After we had carefully selected our gifts, we were in line at the checkout when another man approached me and asked if I was the wife and if my man was the husband?  I of course said yes.  He looked at our daughters and asked if they were our daughters?  We both quickly answered yes.  The man looked at us again and announces, "Good factory!  You should have a dozen more!" 

I didn't know if that was a compliment or if I should be insulted so I just said thank you.  Oiy!  I've never been called a "good factory" before.  Ha!

My sleep didn't come as easily this night because I was so anxious to see more of Jerusalem!