June 28, 2014 (continued)

If I ever complain about heat back home again, I hope someone slaps me… Really!

We started today at the Mount of Olives and continued our journey down to the Garden of Gethsemane. We visited (I honestly can’t remember the order without looking at my notes- or pictures- it’s all a blur) the Church of Dominus Flevit (where Jesus wept over Jerusalem), the Upper Room (site of the Last Supper), the church of St. Peter’s Denial, and the Church of All Nations (where we celebrated Mass today)- right next to the garden. The descent was very steep and it was the “Palm Sunday Path.” (Apparently it’s broadcast from Jerusalem every Palm Sunday… I’ll have to check that out this upcoming year…)

Church of All Nations (Garden of Gethsemane)

Garden of Gethsemane

Mass was beautiful, as always. The church was dark (thanks to the alabaster windows), and the altar was situated on the Rock of Agony. Once I got past the tourists taking pictures, I was able to focus on the Holy Thursday readings (and Father’s lovely homily).

Inside the Church of All Nations

Some of the aforementioned sites were after Mass, and then we had lunch at a lovely place called Petra. The dish was called Makloubah – meaning “upside down.” Chicken, vegetables, and rice are all cooked in a huge pot before getting turned upside down and served. The vegetables, yogurt, and pita mixed in well too! After lunch, we stopped at the Israel museum that had a model of Jerusalem and copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We also had an ice cream break – I definitely did not need more food at that point, but it was refreshing and delicious – definitely a good life choice!

Model of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus (scale 1:50)

Now I’m back in my room – clean and resting – and pretty much all packed (mom would be proud). Dinner awaits us soon… and then my bed will be calling my name… The 3AM wakeup call tomorrow will come too soon.

What a wonderful trip! I know that I’ll continue to appreciate it even more after I get home. I’ve learned a lot, but there’s so much more – we’ve only really scratched the surface… I’m looking forward to typing up notes and sifting through pictures.

Safe travels home to Chicago tomorrow, I hope and pray…