In the morning, we walked around the Jewish Quarter till almost lunch. Then we realized we were almost late for a guided tour that we were supposed to go to. So we literally ran most of the way, got sandwiches to go, and ate running on the way to the Tunnels, which start right by the Kotel (the Wailing Wall).
In the tour, we went through a bunch of tunnels that were dug by the Israelis to be able to see the full length of the western wall of the temple underneath the city. I thought it was really cool. First we walked along the old western wall, then the guide told us we were walking underneath the Arab Quarter and that actually the Arab Quarter had been built on old arches from the Ottomans' time. The tunnel also took us all the way down to the old streets from King Herod's time, and we were able to walk on the street and see the old shops that used to be there. And, at the very end of the street, there was a humungous stone blocking off the street: the guide told us that they were digging the street through the rock, but, when King Herod died, they just stopped digging. At the end of the tunnel, there was a huge cistern and aquaduct dug into the rock.
When we got out, we were in the Arab Quarter, and there were guards that were escorting us back. One of them had a machine gun, and the other one had a handgun with a folding piece that made it look like a rifle. Then we walked down to the Dung Gate and took a cab to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum.
We had found out that my friend Josh and I were too young to go in, so instead, John, Josh's father, "took us to the Caves". First we drove for an hour or two. By then, John thought we did not have enough gas to go there and back, so we looked for another hour for a gas station (which are very rare in Israel). When we finally found one, then we kept on driving for another hour. Then I fell asleep and don't know what happened. But when I woke up we were very close to the Holocaust Museum, and John said we did not go to the caves because it ended up being to late so we had to come back and pick up everyone else.
Right when we were about to leave there, Josh and I had to go to the bathroom. Then we finally were able to drive back to the hotel. That night we went to dinner at the YMCA, but my brother and my mom stayed home because my mother was sleeping and somebody needed to stay and watch him. We had a pretty bad dinner there, and brought some back for my mom and my brother.
2 comments:
Was I with you on that tour? I can't remember it, but I also can't remember what I would've been doing if I wasn't with you. Hm. My memory's not what it used to be.
Weren't there hitch-hikers involved in the never-getting-to-the-caves story?
AND I thought you just weren't hungry that evening, not that you didn't like your dinner. I remember they had pork on the menu, which I thought was super weird, even though it was the YMCA.
P.S. You've gots to change your profile to say Paris. You're no longer in Barcelona, silly! And I'm trying with all my might to get other people to comment on here, just so you know.
No Amy you weren't with me on that tour. And I have absolutely no idea of what you were doing then!....Oh yeah there were all those hitch-hikers. And you're right I wasn't really hungry there. I knew I didn't eat a lot I just forgot why. And AGAIN your right and I'll change it to Paris. Thanks for trying to get people to comment.
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