Jerusalem

Hello! Dad and I finally got to Jerusalem yesterday. It was so amazing, I can't possibly explain it! We had to take a long bus ride to Jerusalem :( . When we got to Jerusalem, we went straight to the Old City. The Old City is filled with corridors of shops and restaurants. It is divided into four parts: the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the
Armenian Quarter. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages; such as that only the Jewish Quarter is fully equipped for wheelchairs, and so on and so forth.

There are many points of interest in the Old City, but Dad and I only went to see 1 or 2, since all we wanted to do was look around, and we could come back later. We saw the Western Wall, the western retaining wall of the Second Temple, all that is left since the Revolts against Roman Rule in AD 66. We also saw the Cardo, the "main north-south street of the Roman Aelia Capitolina and, later, of Byzantine Jerusalem. Part of it has been restored to what may have been it's original appearance, while another part has been reconstructed as a shopping arcade." That quote was from my history book.

Guess what? I, Rachael, have walked on ground dating back to the time of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago! Dad and I have seen some really cool stuff, like a hole in the ground that had a glass pane over it, and through the glass you could see a rusted metal ladder that went down maybe, 10 or 15 feet, it was hard to tell. The ladder led down to another level, which led down to another level, and another... it was from when the Romans ruled, and they just built up level after level, after LEVEL! Everything is made of stone, there. Seriously, everything!

Soon after we got there it was lunch time. We ate at a restaurant where the coolest thing happened. There was a kitten there, and when I crouched down and called it, it came running over and jumped in my lap! I had ordered a shwarma, which is a pita filled with turkey, sauce, and whatever else you choose from the array of vegetables. A felafel is like that, too, but it has mashed-up chick peas instead of turkey. I fed the kitten some turkey. (I know, I know, I'm rambling on about a cat instead of the history of one of the most holy cities in the world... but I like cats!)

After lunch, Dad and I walked around a bit more, and then we decided to go on the Ramparts Walk, which is a walk along the top of the wall surrounding the Old City. We didn't go all the way, though, because I was recently sick with strep throat, and was getting a killer headache. (actually, I'm still sick, I have a 101.8 fever today :P) Soon after the Ramparts Walk, we went home, and I went right to bed.

On the train ride home, I listened to a song called Jerusalem by Steve Earle on Dad's MP3 player. (You should go listen to it on YouTube or something, it's really nice.) One of the really moving parts went like this:

...And the lion and the lamb/will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem.

I believe that is true.