Walking in the Garden of Gethsemane

Walking in the Garden of Gethsemane
[Thurs., June 22nd, 2006]. Today we took a short trip out of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives where we walked down the (rather steep) Hill to the Garden of Gethsemane, visiting a series of holy sites. (1st pic)
(1) At the top of the 'Mount' is the Dome of Ascension (2nd pic.) which marks the spot where Jesus was taken up into Heaven (Acts 1: 9-12). The rather unremarkable freestanding dome is only used during Pentecost when it will be decorated and used by Christians to celebrate the Ascension.
(2) Next stop on our Journey is the Monastary of the Pater Nostre (3rd pic.), where Jesus taught his followers the Lord's Prayer. This partially rennovated structure features hundreds of large tablets with the Lord's Prayer inscribed in 1350 languages and dialects. http://www.christusrex.org/www1/pater/index.html
(3) "Dominus Flevit" (4th pic) offers visitors a panoramic view (5th pic) of the City of Jerusalem, and is where Jesus is said to have wept for the fate of the city. Jerusalem was leveled by the Romans 35+ years after Jesus was crucified.
(4) The Russian Orthodox Convent of St. Mary of Magdalene is noticable for miles by its majestic golden onion-dome spires (6th pic). The grounds around the basilica, and the iconography inside were simply beautiful.
(5) The Church of All Nations is located in the grove of ancient olive trees known as the Garden of Gethsemane. These trees (7th pic) date back to before Jesus prayed amongst them, and are the only living witnesses to Jesus' prayer to have 'this cup' pass him by, and where he was bretrayed by Judas Iscariot. (Matt. 26: 36-56; Mark 14: 32-52; Luke 22: 39-52; John 18: 1-11)
(6) At the bottom of the Mount is the Tomb of the Virgin Mary where the Orthodox Church has ornately decorated a grotto that leads to a deep underground tomb. While the stairs that lead into this tomb are steep, dark and treacherous, most of our team ventured down them to visit the tomb. As we drove back up to the gates of Jerusalem, we could see the walls of the "prison-town" of Bethlehem no more than 2-3 miles away (8th pic).
(7) After lunch, we visited the Dormition Church located on Mount Zion just outside the Zion Gate of the city, following which we visited the (8) Upper Room (8th pic) where Jesus and his disciples ate 'the Last Supper', and then (9) the Tomb of King David. This whirlwind tour of these major holy sites also caps our last full day in Jerusalem and Israel. Tomorrow, we leave the Holy Land begin our long trek back home. --Paul