There is a small area in the Holy Sepulchre called the Chapel of Adam. It is directly beneath a chapel upstairs called the Chapel of Calvary. Legend suggests that Adam was buried here and that the blood of Jesus trickled down to his skull. The reddish brown stain on the rock is said to be the blood of JC.
The line here was loooooong with people pushing and shoving like they were George Costanza from Seinfeld knocking over children and elderly people trying to get out of an apartment fire! Ha.
Jesse took pictures from a distance and that was good enough for us.
The Stone of Unction, also known as the Stone of Anointing. This is the place where Jesus’ body was laid down after being removed from the crucifix and prepared for burial.
It is customary for pilgrims to kiss the stone or rub it with oil and then wipe it with a handkerchief. Since we have learned so much about Buddhism and Hinduism on our travels- we decided we would also learn more about Christianity, so we all touched the rock for a chance at becoming a bit holy. 🙂
~Lennon has made up his own song called “I Gotta’ Hurry Up!” He sings it with a heavy metal type energy. Someone was telling him to hurry up and he just started singing his song. We have since added onto it. I don’t think he’d let us take a video of it- but it would definitely be blog worthy!
~We downloaded some songs onto our iPad: Indiana Jones, Jaws, Star Wars (main theme song) and The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s song.) It is incredible how these songs can help put you in a particular mood. You can not help but feel like being an adventurer when you listen to India Jones. (For my brother Jeff- it’s kind of like Mortal Kombat. Thanks for letting me listen to that a million times on our cross country road trip!! You are the best brother- hands down!)
~Speaking of songs- to avoid boredom during long waits (either waiting for a mode of transportation or in one) you have to figure out how to make fun! So- the kids put music on and make up dances. They’ve also done some synchronized swimming together. We should really take video to use as blackmail later!
~As time has gone by, everyone has become incredibly efficient. I can now wake up, shower, get dressed/ready, pack up my backpack and the kids’ clothes bags in under ten minutes. If no shower is involved- I can easily be ready to go in less than six. That explains my appearance in most of the photos! hee
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The site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is identified as the place both of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. The church is a place where many people who are on pilgrimages come to see where some of the major events in Christianity took place. You can see from the photos, that people were everywhere!!!
The Dead Sea is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are 423 metres below sea level making it Earth’s lowest elevation on land.
It is FREAKY! You walk into the water, it’s really warm and eerily still. I wanted to quick go under to get my hair wet. Bad move! My head felt like it was going to explode, my face was on fire and I thought my nose was going to fall off. When I stood up, a loud booming voice came over a loudspeaker saying “Mam, take a shower! Water dangerous!” Whoopsies. Crisis averted. I took a quick, cold shower and headed back out. So amazing. The extreme salt content makes you feel like a buoy. You can be totally straight in the water like you’re standing with your head above the water but your feet are not touching the bottom. You can sit- I bet you could even take a nap if you tried. We kept saying that it felt like we were on another planet! Afterwards, your skin feels fantastic. We had some cut and scrapes from hiking that quickly disappeared soon after our dip.
Man! Our kids can move! Lennon has some crazy, fast stepping, dancing feet. He was all over the dance floor, but had to take a break when he danced so hard- he cut his toe open. No worries! We bandaged it up, said ‘the show must go on,’ and he went back out to cut a rug! Maddux has his own style with lots of attitude. I think he’ll be like his Unkie Jeff and be in a band some day. Emerson shocked the heck out of us when Barakat pulled her out to dance and she showed us all that the girl’s got some rhythm! As soon as there was a lull in the music- she made a beeline to get off the dance floor. I was laughing so hard until the guy pulled me out there. He whipped me around so fast, my hair was all kinds of crazy! Fun night!
(If the pants I am wearing look filthy and baggy- it’s because they were! They were on day 6 or 7 of not being rinsed out after miles of trekking. Fashion takes a backseat when you’re living life on the road! hee. That’s my excuse now- I don’t know what my explanation will be when I’m back to living my normal life!)
The sand looked like big looming ghosts moving around above our heads! We loved it, but it hurt. The sand pelted our skin and eyes. When it subsided- we looked like someone had put powder all over us.
marschmadness 