2005.04.22
*Pilgrimage Day 13*
Day 13
OK, now I’m finally up to speed. For those just tuning in now, you’ll see that almost all recent posts are from the past days (since day 1). This is not speed blogging. It’s all thanks to Ecto, the software I use to manage my blog offline. Today I finally get to post all the journal entries I’ve made over the course of this pilgrimage. Here’s a linked list that should make it easier if you want to read everything from the start:
NOTE: they’re probably a day late since my blog takes Filipino posting times
Places visited
Old Jerusalem
Surrounded by a Turkish wall built by Solomon the Great… but I don’t think this is the Jerusalem of biblical times. We just passed it actually, on our way to Bethlehem (which has it’s own border/checkpoint)
Basilica of Justinian
Also called the The Church of the Nativity, which obviously is what is believed to be built around the birthplace of Jesus. If you’d look at the picture above, the lower left is the place where the manger was supposed to be, and the right was the actual birthplace (where Mary did what only a woman could do).
We’re lucky to be in Jerusalem during these times, since the paranoia generated by the bombing of that same Church. We couldn’t walk around freely and there are police-cum-army officers at every corner. And though I thought it was good that they had a 911-ish paranoia since you could be assured that this time is the safest time to be touring! Plus, Fr. Vic told us that before the whole bombing occurred (when Bethlehem was a “normal” tourist place), you could only see the birthplace and manger for a few seconds: usually in line – pass by, kiss it, get up then leave so the other tourists can do the same.
This time, we took a bunch of minutes, discussing, singing a song, taking pictures, kneeling, kissing, taking some more pictures… etc. We basically had the luxury of time. And I believe this will continue as long as the paranoia is there… so if you plan to do a trip to Jerusalem, better now than later. Don’t wait for the bombing hype to die down.
Church of St. Jerome
Part of the Justinian Basilica, The Church of St. Jerome, is where the Bible (or Torah, or whatever the hell you want to call it) was translated to Latin. In a very informal sense, you can consider St. Jerome, as the person who enabled the world to partake of the knowledge (The Word) written in Hebrew ages ago.
St. Katherine’s Church
This is said to be the “Catholic” side of the Justinian Basilica. You see, Jerusalem houses all three of monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) There is a Mosque opposite the basilica for the Muslims (Islams), but the Basilica has provisions for communing for all of christianity (The main church is for the Greek Orthodox, etc.) It’s rather wonderful how that despite Christianity being separated into sects, that there are places like the Basilica that reassure us that we are still brothers and sisters in Christ, and that there is always sanctuary if we look hard enough.
A Small World
We had lunch in yet another shawarma place (called shewarma here, unless those signs were just typos, which is quite understandable). Here I saw Tor, a friend of mine, and part of the Ateneo Chamber Singers
Places visited (continued)
Not much to talk about for the following churches/places so I’ll just bullet
- Sheperd’s Field – The place where the Angel announced to the Pastors that the King of Kings has been born.
- St. John Ba Harim – The birthplace of John the Baptist
- Church of the Visitation – Self-explanatory
The Olive Tree Hotel
I was quite thrilled to find out that Tor’s group was also stationed here. Unfortunately I don’t remember her room number, but hopefully in breakfast tomorrow, I’ll get to jot it down and we could hang out before returning to Manila.
And of course, this hotel is awesome. Free WiFi, amazing new technology integrated into such beautiful architecture – this deserves a photo shoot of its own. There are so many picturesque shots within the hotel itself, the walls, fixtures, layout, etc. It’s quite breathtaking… and of course internet is free. Bummer that our room is at the edge, so the signal isn’t quite reaching it – I have to go down to the lobby (where I am as we speak) to do my ‘netting.
Well, that’s it for day 13… looking forward to tomorrow.