1st taste of the Old City

Ok so it has taken me a few days to catch my breath and find some time to write everything down! on Thurs we had breakfast at 6 am, dont worry though I had been up since 4 when the Jewish Call to Prayer started. We had some more orientation meetings and then went on a walk/tour of Jerusalem and the OLD CITY!!! You guys it is so cool! The roads are all paved from huge rocks that are so worn they are a little slippery. You walk down a hill into Kidron Valley and up the other of the little valley (its seriously like 50 yards across) they call them Waddlys they are actually dried up river beds. So we climbed up the other side of the valley and from the West Wall of the Old City (the Old City is what Jerusalem was during the time of Christ) across the valley on the Mount of Olives you can see the Jerusalem Center, Orson Hyde Garden, the Mary Magdeline Church, and the Garden of Gethsemane! It's amazing that everything happened so close!
We went up the wall and through some of the city outside the wall and than went into the Old City through Jaffro Gate. Inside is crazy! Its pretty similar the Canal Street in New York with all the venders except they are Arab instead of Asian but the allys/streets are super narrow! They sell everything there like a giant swapmeet! It is like stepping back in time like Aladdin with the overhangs and little kids running around. Mixed in with all the vendors are old churchs! Like the place they say Christ was prepared for burial and the Dome on the Rock. Apparently the city is kind of divided like what dominations worship where... Well our walk was about 4 miles long it was awesome! I wish i could show you pictures! We came back to the center and had lunch and I've been doing homework most of the afternoon. on the top floor of the Center there is some grass that overlooks Jerusalem so we sit up there in the sun and read. I didnt think that the classes were going to be too strenuous but you know what, I was wrong... It is going to be crazy busy!