A Visit to the Beauty Saloon and to See Marc Chagall

Who wouldn't want to go to the "Beauty Saloon"? I know a lot of people who would really enjoy that experience. Also, I'm a little confused since there are books inside...

So as you've probably noticed, it's been a few days since I've posted anything. It's not that I haven't wanted to, just that I haven't had ANY time at all! Which is weird, because I didn't go out and see lots of sights. I guess schoolwork is finally catching up with me. I went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Knesset, and saw the Dead Sea Scrolls (we weren't allowed to take pictures at the last 2 places though-sorry). The Knesset is the parliament for Israel. It was really cool to see, and there was tons of artwork by Chagall so I enjoyed it. We're leaving for Egypt on Sunday for 8 days, so my next post won't be until...Tuesday? I think it'll probably be around then. Until then, here are some pictures from that past couple of days to tide you over.This is a picture of what Jerusalem would have looked like during the Second Temple Period.

This was in a cistern underneath the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It was really cool because it's a huge cavern filled with water and it's really echoey ( I have no idea how to spell that).

Just a picture in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It's kind of blurry because it's so dimly lit, but I didn't realize it until I got back.

So Yeah, I Was on the History Channel!

A view of the Jerusalem Center

It seems like even though I post an entry every few days, so much happens that I have to catch everyone up. Saturday after church I went to the Orson Hyde Park and Garden of Gethsemane with some friends, and it was really cool, although not exactly what I expected. I was thinking that the Garden of Gethsemane would look rather like it does in the paintings with Christ in them, but it all looks relatively new. I'm not sure exactly why, but there's this separate little garden that's different from the main touristy one, and if you tell them you're Mormon, they unlock the gate and let you in. It was pretty cool to be a VIP, especially when I saw other people glancing in and wondering how we got in there.

The "Mormon section" of the Garden of Gethsemane

This cat just jumped up on my bench while I was reading my scriptures in Gethsemane. I guess we're buds now.

Today I had class until 12, but as soon as we were done, I headed out to the city. My group and I were looking to go to the Temple Institute, where the rather extremist Jews are showcasing all of the items they have ready for when the Third Temple is built on the Temple Mount. We did eventually get there, but as we were walking to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, we saw some people filming something, and so we stopped to see what it was. The History Channel was doing a special on Judas Iscariot and were interviewing passersby about their views on him. It was basically a debate between this guy who started a new religion worshiping Judas and whoever wanted to take him on. I am terrible at arguing, so I didn't attempt, but a girl I was with did, and so I'm definitely in the background of the shots for about 10 minutes. I don't know how much they'll use when it actually airs, but look for me sometime in the spring!

Finally! A picture of the Western Wall!

The Golden Menorah that the people at the Temple Institute had made for whenever the Third Temple is built. They're really prepared.

This was the TV show being filmed. The guy in the plaid pants was the founder of the Judas religion, and the people surrounding him were being interviewed. I was definitely in the background :)

Picasso! And Great Views of Jerusalem

The Tower of David

Amazingly, the Dome of the Rock has not been the highlight of my trip to the Holy Land thus far. On Wednesday, we didn't have any classes so we all went out in the city for the whole day. I went to David's Tower, which had a fabulous view of the Old City, a Jewish market, and my favorite part...I got to see famous art for free! Kind of on a lark some friends and I decided to walk around West Jerusalem, and there was this art museum called the Ticho House, where an artist and her husband used to live. Inside there were 3 Picassos, 2 Renoirs, 2 Matisses, and a Warhol as well as a photograph of Kate Moss. I was so excited to stumble across this unknown house full of original, famous art! That's my favorite part of traveling. After that, we went to an Ethiopian Church nearby. It was completely circular and had all sorts of interesting paintings of fanciful creatures.

The Jewish Market. All of those are spices!
The only Picasso I could sneak a picture of ;)
A street performer on Ben Yehuda Street

On Thursday, we had a field trip where the classes went out on mountaintops and saw Jerusalem from different angles. We were at the Augusta Victoria Tower and could see the Dead Sea and Jordan from the top! Apparently, it is highly unusual for you to be able to see that far away. We also got to sing hymns in the actual church, which was so cool. I saw Bethlehem from far away and the wall that surrounds it now, and as I was looking into the distance at one place I saw what I think might have been a rocket. After reading the news I came to that conclusion because Gaza is relatively close and they were having a feud yesterday. Don't worry though; I'm safe, and nothing has ever happened to anyone at the Jerusalem Center. It's just so weird to me that I can see a "war" going on just a few miles away from where I live.

From this picture, you can see the path the Jesus took on the last day of His life. It starts on the left, where it is thought that He ate the Last Supper with his disciples, and then ends up on the right at the Garden of Gethsemane.

The view from the Augusta Victoria Tower. The white that you can see underneath the mountain range is the Dead Sea, and the the mountain range is Jordan!

The Temple Mount!

When I was watching a documentary on Jerusalem with my family, Dave told me to look at the top spire of the Dome of the Rock so I can compare it in person . I saw it Dave!Me and my roommate Lisa. We wore head scarves to increase our chances of getting into the Dome. However, it was to no avail. I guess my blonde hair and blue eyes gave me away.

After wanting to see the Dome of the Rock pretty much ever since I've seen pictures of Jerusalem, I finally went today! It was astounding to see in person. The guards are very careful about how many people they let on, and they have specific hours for visiting. I walked up the scaffolding to the top of the Temple Mount (which is located above the Western Wall), turned the corner, and there was the Dome of the Rock! It was so cool to see it in real life. The tiles are so ornate; the mosque is beautiful. We tried to go inside, but they wouldn't let us because we haven't converted to the "true religion".

Busy Days...

This picture is kind of compliments of my family because they got me an awesome camera for Christmas which takes panoramic photos. Not too bad for my first one, huh?

My days in Jerusalem are jam-packed with activities. Every morning we wake up at around 6 because we have to eat before classes, which start at 7:30. It's really tough because I'm not really a morning person. On Saturday (the Sabbath), I went to the Garden Tomb, where Jesus was buried. I went on a tour there, and the tour guide pointed out what scholars think is Golgatha-it's right next to the Garden Tomb! As you probably know, Golgatha means the “place of the skull”, and I always assumed that just meant that’s where they put the people they were crucifying. However, our tour guide told us that the rocks are actually in the shape of a skull.

This is Golgatha. You can kind of make out 1 eye, but the other one crumbled after construction of a nearby minaret (where they do the Muslim calls to prayer) and a bus depot. Also, the mouth is no longer visible because of the bus depot below it. It's crazy what they do to the historical sites here.

On Sunday, we had classes, which was so weird. After class, I went out and walked around the walls of the Old City. The views were amazing. People actually live right up to the walls, so as we were walking, we would see people on their roofs and talk to them. We walked by a school, and there were some little boys sitting on the steps. As I was walking up the steps, one of the boys pinched my butt! I was warned about this in my orientation, but I didn’t really expect it from 10-year-olds. After we got done walking the walls, we ended up right by the entrance to the Temple Mount, where Dome of the Rock is located. We talked to a guard who said that it’s open for a few hours every day, although not when we were there. I’m so excited to be able to go up there because it’s been closed to visitors since 2000! I’ll definitely be taking a ton of pictures.

Today I started my Arabic class. I won’t be learning much in the way of writing the language; the class is only 1 credit hour so it’s more about learning conversation and customs. My teacher is amusing so I’m sure it’ll be an exciting semester with him. I also went to the Rockefeller Museum, which has artifacts from ancient Jerusalem and the surrounding area. There were all kinds of sculptures and frescoes, and the best part-there was gorgeous jewelry! I wish I could have taken pictures but it was prohibited. Tonight we have FHE, and I’m a the “mom”, which means I’ll be in charge of the activities. Anyone have any ideas?

The Old City Walls and part of the view. Amazing!

My First Post!

This is the view from my room...Aren't you jealous?

Well everyone, I decided to make a blog so you can check on my progress in Israel. After traveling for over 24 hours, I finally arrived in Jerusalem at 5:15 pm (their time). The Jerusalem Center is on Mount Scopus, which overlooks the whole city. It's an amazing view of the city. So far we have toured around the city and have seen (from far away) the Mount of Olives, the Garden Tomb, and Orson Hyde Park. We'll actually go to them later. Today, we went to the Western Wall for Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. There were hundreds of Orthodox Jews dressed all in black with their hats and long locks of hair at the wall praying and welcoming the Sabbath. To them, the Sabbath is a celebration, and they sing and dance. It was really fun to see. I would have taken pictures, but Jewish law prohibits any work on the Sabbath, which includes electronics working (my camera would have to "work" to take a picture). When I go back on a different day, though, I'll take some pictures. Ok, well I WAS going to post some pictures, but the internet up in this joint sucks so it's taking forever. I'll do it tomorrow when I don't have anything else to do (Saturday is the Sabbath here for us too!)In America, vending machines sell candy. In Vienna, they sell rocks...

My closet is so small, it's sad. What's even sadder is that I don't even have enough clothes to fill it up! I don' t know how I'll survive 4 months with a week's worth of outfits.

The courtyard leading into my room