Matt's Writing

This is a photo of the Christmas tree in the Petra Hostel in Old City Jerusalem that I've been staying at. I'm about to leave Jerusalem and go to Bethlehem for tonight's Midnight Mass next to the Church of the Nativity. I'll write with updates when I next have internet access.

After visiting the Western Wall, on Sunday, December 21, 2008, I visited many of the holiest sites in Christianity. There's a great view from the roof of my hostel of the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest site in Islam. It covers the rock where Muhammad lept into heaven. The dome used to be made out of pure gold, but currently it's made from anodized aluminum. It's quite an amazing building, and it really stands out in the skyline as you'll see later in this write-up with my photo from the top of the Mount of Olives. Next, I went up Mount Zion to the traditional place where King David is assumed to be buried. A Catholic priest I talked with after Sunday's Mass at the Notre Dame Center doubted that David's bones were actually there because the shrine was built by Crusaders in the Middle Ages, but nonetheless, it is a revered site, and it was cool to go to. There were a number of ultra-orthodox Jews standing in front of the tomb reciting prayers. The tomb was...

I write this from the Petra Hostel in Old City Jerusalem. My first hours in Jerusalem have been quite action-packed. I visited the holiest sites in Judaism and Christianity tonight. Being the Sabbath, thousands flocked to the Western Wall, the only remaining wall from the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. After I took this photo, I was told that photography is forbidden at the Western Wall on Sabbath. I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher tonight. Here is a photo of the spot that marks where Jesus was crucified: And this monument in the church is built around the holy sepulcher--the tomb where Jesus was laid for 3 days before his Resurrection. Here's the stone that Jesus was laid on in his tomb: The mosaics inside the church are quite incredible as well. I am surprised that the old walled city of Jerusalem where I'm staying the next couple nights is open at all times. You can visit the Western Wall 24-7, 365 days a year. I haven't felt the restrictions on movement in Israel...