Thunderstorm

In the Jewish Religion they have many holiday's like Passover, Hanukkah, etc. One of my new found favorites is Sukkot. They build temporary shelters in front yard to be a family room-eating area for 7 days. It is to remember the Exodus out of Egypt and how temporary their lives are with out God's help. Traditionally it goes along with the harvest as well and on the 8th day they pray for rain. Tradition has it that it will rain within 2 weeks of these prays. And last night it did! It wasn't a ton of rain but lots of thunder and lightening. I still can't believe I was able to get a picture but I guess that goes to show how much lighting their really was! It is a little blurry but still cool!

lost in the city

After classes and lunch Katie, Whitney, Rachel, Greg, and I went out to the city.

Stop 1: Aladdin “the money changer.” This great crazy man who loves BYU because our business. I have never in the states been able to write a check and not show my drivers license let alone in a foreign country. Yep! Just write out that check and they gave me shekels. I wasn’t planning on spending them but as always when you give me shekels or any kind of currency I won’t hold on to them for very long.

Stop 2: Omar. Another BYU lover because we are his livelihood. Beautiful, beautiful olive wood! This man has been making olive wood for years. Two of his children even graduated from BYU and he has pictures with Steve Young, Spencer W. Kimball, and President Hinckley. Although expensive in my opinion his work is much better than any others I have seen in the old city. I didn’t spend my shekels here. Katie did. But I will be back.

Stop 3: The post office. I have only been in there one other time and it was packed. But today there was not a soul there. It was nice. I mailed something off to my EFY girls and bought stamps for post cards that I have yet to by. Some shekels spent.

Stop 4: Cardo. We let some one in our group take charge who didn’t really know where they where going. Bad idea. So we wandered through the Armenian quarter being lost into the Jewish quarter. We stumbled upon the Cardo; the ancient market road that was build by the Romans which a small portion is excavated. This proved to be very cool because we got to see some Succots that where still left from the holiday.

Stop 5: The Syrian Orthodox Church: The Upper Room. We wander more trying to get back found some boys playing soccer and the church where the Last Supper had supposedly happened. We went in but they wouldn’t let us down (not up to the upper room but down because the real old city is 20 feet below). No shekels spent.

Stop 6: Armenian pottery. Katie is one-fourth Armenian so we went to find her some cool hand painted pottery to celebrate her roots. She decided to wait and send pictures back to her parents to know which ones to buy. In the end no shekels spent.

Stop 7: Small street vender by Jaffa Gate. So I was walking by and boom… there goes my eye. That is how I know it is a “must have.” You see in my family we have what we call a “must have” which is exactly that. No matter what it is it is just something that you just have to have (doesn’t matter price or size or how in the world are you going to get it home). A beautiful vase. Hand painted and old. So the merchant said. Green with blue flowers a half circle with a small opening on the top. He wanted too much. Then I saw the other one. Thought of my mom. Taller and blue and white. I was in for. He wanted a ton. But I have learned that silent staring is the best way to bargain. He dropped the price over half.. $$$ Shekels spent! Mission of not spending any Shekels in the old city that day: FAILED.

Stop 8: Church of the Holy Sepulture. Very cool I had never been inside. It is the spot the Christ was believed to have died and been buried. The most sacred place for most of the Christian world. Will be back with my Jerusalem book to learn more. No Shekels spent.

Stop 9: Damascus gate: We could barely move. I have never seen so many people. Ramadan. We turned around and headed out Stephens gate instead.

Stop 10: Lana’s. The Local 7-11. Shekels spent.

Stop 11: The JC. Arrival at 4:56pm. Hungry.

Egypt

Well after a crazy amazing week we are back from Egypt. It was incredible!! We drove across the desert that just seemed to go on forever and crossed the Suez Canal and went into Cairo. It is amazing once you hit the delta area because there is such drastic difference. One side has sand sand and more sand and then boom! the delta and fertile green land. Some one once said that Egypt is the gift of the Nile and it is so true.

Cairo was huge. It was amazing to see farm land in the middle of great building. They are building up on top of their fertile soil. It was also so amazing to see how dirty everything was. They don't have a trash system and it was sadly piles everywhere. Men and woman dressed in their customary robs. It was crazy to see for the first time as well a women fully veiled with just little slits for her eyes.

Our first night there 15 of us piled into a little van and our taxi driver took us around Cairo. Because it is Ramadan (the Muslim fasting holiday for the entire month...only during day light hours) at night the city was packed! I honestly couldn't believe that so late in the night and even in the early morning hours people everywhere and shops open. But that is what they do during this time of the year. Are relaxed and fasting during the day and eat and party at night!!

The Giza Pyramids where amazing. I couldn't believe how enormous they are! Still standing so tall. It was a huge adrenaline rush to be able to go inside the middle one down this little tunnel and into the King's room. One of the coolest things I have ever done by far!
We then went to Luxor and to the Valley of the Kings. I couldn't believe of all the 62 tombs there 61 was raided. King Tut's tomb was built under another kings so it was never found. We went inside it and it was so small. Then we went to the Cairo museum and saw a huge floor of all of the amazing treasures inside. It was unreal how much stuff they packed in there for him and he wasn't even an important Pharaoh. I can only imagine the big wigs and what must have been in their tombs. In Luxor we also sailed on the Nile and took a carriage ride through the town at night to see what the Egyptians do. It was so neat! After our sleeping car train to Luxor we flew back to Cairo. We saw a few more things in Cairo and went to a sound and light show at the Pyramids! Then took a bus to Mt. Sinai and with 2 hours of sleep got up at 1am and hiked to the top for sun rise. WOW! It was so rocky and rugged. I cannot imagine the Israelites surviving in this desert.
The trip was so cool and I learned so much about such an important culture and people. I will never think of the Egyptians or read the Bible again. I didn't realize how connected we are to this ancient people. LOVED EGYPT!!!

I have uploaded pictures on my facebook because they upload faster. Here is the web site to see them:

http://byu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24259&l=6c655&id=514195147

Enjoy!

This is in the streets of the old city!!









And then inside an Armenian church that we attended. It was an interesting service. The priest came up and talked to us afterward and loved us so he took us all around and showed us a bunch of places.

Overlooking the city. Just below me is the old cemetery where Melchizedek and other great prophets are buried. This is one old city! It dips down in the Kidron Valley and then goes back up again to the old city. Down the valley to the left was the City of Melchizedek and the in the upper left was the city of David. Interesting how over time the city kept going North west.

The beginings

So I have been getting harassments on all sides to see pictures. So I decided to start a blog. Kinda fun. Jerusalem is amazing and I cannot believe all the amazing history I am learning. It is so intense. Today was Yam Kipurr for the Jewish religion. It is the day of Atonement. Anciently it was the day that they would take their sacrifices to the temple to be forgiven of all their sins the previous year. But it has become something very different, especially without their temple (that they believe will one day be rebuilt.... only problem is that the Dome of the Rock sits on the temple mount. It is the third most sacred place to Muslims.) Anyways because it was this holiday we were not aloud to leave the center because of potential danger. There where police camera blimps above the old city to watch and make sure nothing happens. Well tomorrow we are off to Egypt! CRAZY!! I will keep you posted!