Ascension: Are we there yet? Yes, in fact, we are.

Yes, friends, we have arrived to Jerusalem. It really is an ascent! Coming from Eilat, it become quite apparent just how much of an ascent it really is. But it's a beautiful, if long, bus ride, through the farm country of Israel, up into the "suburbs" of Jerusalem. All is going swimmingly, until you arrive at the bus station. You realize you don't really have a clue what on earth you are doing. You wait for about 20 minutes for an elevator to take you upstairs to buy a ticket to the street the hostel is on, only to find out that you need to go back downstairs and catch the bus on the street (with all your luggage, of course). (Pause, I have to say that I'm laughing out loud because Sylvia just tried, and failed miserably, to snap me with her towel. Props to her for trying.) But we made it.

Then we got more plans settled (having to do some rearranging of schedules) and headed out to see the Old City. We entered Jaffa Gate, wandered around the Armenian Quarter, and made it to the Temple Mount, looking over the Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives. It was lovely. It's much cooler here than Eilat! I love it.

Our hostel is really pretty nice (I say that as Anny waits her 20 minutes for hot water for a shower), and is just down the road from a fantastic open market (called Mahaneh Yehudah, for those of you who know Jerusalem), where we had a delicious vegetarian meal for dinner. We're all tired and happy.

A few more observations (the timer just clicked! Hot shower for Anny!):
1. There are a lot more Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox here than I remember - but we are staying in the Jewish section of town this time.
2. The city is really very walkable - but my feet hurt after only about 4 miles. Am I going to make it through the Jesus Trail where we'll 10 miles every day?
3. It's somewhat strange being here with a bunch of theoretic and historic knowledge of this place, but really not very much "practical" knowledge. Everyone, but Amy in particular, keeps asking me questions that I can't answer. About the Jews here - why they dress and cut their hair the way they do (some of which I can answer, but not always for each group), what each church and synagogue is, etc. But I can rattle on and on about Zionism, the 48 War, the Conflict, etc. I need to do some more background research, I guess.
4. It's also a lot busier than I remember. Perhaps that was also because I was living on the Mount of Olives and not driving or riding buses.

Some fun pics from the day - and Shalom from Yerushalaim!