I'm sure you all are becoming weary of my writing in
superlatives, but I can't help it. It really has been that exceptional a trip,
and today was no exception.
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| Hezekiah's water tunnel in Jerusalem |
We started our day walking the underground water tunnel
in the City of David. It was dug out of rock and soil about 30 feet
underground, about 2 feet wide and varying in height between about 4 and 7
feet. It was meant as a secure supply of water to the city, from a spring
to a cistern, hidden and protected from any enemy outside the city. It
was an engineering marvel, having to be carved out of stone with iron tools,
maintaining a constant slope and all dug with no visible guidelines and using
pitch torches for light, dirty, smelly and consuming oxygen. It was about
3-4/10s of a mile long and wading through it (the water level varied today
between ankle- and knee-depth) ended up feeling like doing water aerobics.
Next to the Jewish Quarter for lunch, wandering and
browsing. I can't tell you exactly why, but the hamburgers here taste
better than anything I've ordered or made at home, and this isn't just a
reflection of my thrall; others said the same thing.
Then on to the Kotel tunnels, another engineering
masterpiece. I have seen Roman ruins, Roman aqueducts, Greek ruins, Mount
Rushmore--big stones. It's hard to imagine how they quarried,
transported, lifted and secured these multi-ton blocks of stone. We saw a
movie about how it was done, but it was animation and you can do anything with
animation. These stones were HUGE, and carved perfectly, and placed
perfectly, and they're still perfectly in place after over 2000 years!
I've seen and built rock walls, but I don't expect them to last 2000
years, and the biggest stone I've ever lifted into place is probably no more
than 100 pounds. And the walls that Herod had built were embossed, to add
an aesthetic touch. Too much!
Then a brief walk through the Arab Quarter. Same types of
merchants, similar merchandise at the shops, same stone structures, but the
feel was quite different. We emerged at the Kotel for brief prayers, then
back to the hotel, this time quite tired.
Tomorrow we head north.
Till then...
Richard
To view all our pictures....click
here and don't forget to leave a comment...especially those who
were on this incredible trip -- please tell us your thoughts when you were
there!
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