Field Trip!

On Wednesday Jan 14 we had a geography field trip. We traveled to multiple hill tops and towers arround the city to get oriented and to learn more about our surroundings. I was on the Matthew bus, Eliza was on the Mark so we went to the same places but at different times. It was a rather brisk windy day and I was wishing that I had put an extra wind breaker on top of my jacket and sweater. We started at Seven Arches over-look (now I don't remember the relation of these sites to the old city, but give me a few weeks and I will;-). This was just a hotel with a great view of the city, there aren't even seven arches to be seen, somebody thought it would be a cool name. Then we went to St. Augusta Victoria Tower. It's one of the three towers on the East side of the city, which is the side we live on so where ever we are I can spot out these towers and make it back to the Center. This tower was built for Augusta Victoria, the wife of someone wealthy, because she wanted to have a good view of the city. It was built this century, but it was built in the same style as old mideval buildings. It was built to be a hospital, and it has a chapel which are still in use today. I liked this building because it was built by the Orthodox Germans, so everything is in German, and in the gift shop they have old books for sale that were apparently from the Holocaust. I met the gift shop worker, who was from Germany and came to Jerusalem to fulfill his government required service. He helped me translate some of the inscriptions on the walls. Then we went to Deir Elyas which is a hill on the Ridge Road or the Path of the Patriarchs, which is the road that Abraham and his posterity took when they came to Jerusalem. While we were there there came a shepherd family and their flock of sheep, and the sheep just started mingling in with our group as they ate the foliage. From this vantage point we had a great view of the kabutz where mom and dad stayed when they were in Jerusalem, though I here it looks nothing like it did when they were there, don't worry, I took a picture. We ate lunch at the Haas Promenade which is south of the city and it si supposed that on this Hill Abraham had his first view of Mount Mariah were he went to sacrifice Isaac. Then we went to Nebi Samwil north of Jerusalem where Samuel the Prophet is famed to have been burried. From here we were all frozen from the wind and sun worn as we traveled back to the center. I was really surprised at how close everything was. We could stand on one hill and see both Jerusalem and Bethlehem at the same time. I always imagined this area to be much bigger. It was a way fun day and I'm feeling much more oriented around here.

Me and one of my roommates, Emma, on top of the very blustery Nebi Samwil.

-Jecia-