We took a walk from the hotel over to the Mount of Olives. The area was just off of the edge of my Jerusalem map, and we weren’t able to find our way around. I think that the numerous people standing around trying to sell tours have successfully lobbied to prevent any kind of explanation to be posted about the many interesting looking artifacts.
We walked through a park that had a steeply rising path. A group of Arab guys had brought up a small grill and some food for lunch. They offered us to join them, but we declined since we had not brought anything. The top of the park path exited through a gate into a desolate area. Crushed bits of ancient computers littered the stony ground. In contrast to the park, nothing was growing. It seemed like there was a residential area nearby where some very poor people lived. The area was too foreboding for us, so we turned around and went back down the park path.
On foot, thirst can be a big problem around Jerusalem. The hot dry weather quickly drains your body of moisture. Around the Mount of Olives there were no water fountains and few places to get a drink. I was parched by the time we reached the bottom of the hill. Earlier, a vendor had been selling water bottles from a push-cart, but he was gone. We walked on and on, but there was nowhere to get a drink. I was getting a little worried, but finally we came to the edge of an Arab neighborhood that had several stores that were open.
At the end of the street was some kind of Christian facility. The signs here were written in English. Through the gate we could see some trees and a garden. It seemed like an inviting oasis, especially compared with the surrounding terrain with Arabic and no vegetation at all. We walked in and rested for a few minutes. The place was at the top of a hill, and it had a fabulous view. The area below was packed with houses made of dusty white Jerusalem stone. Small yards were separated by tall stone walls. A donkey was tied up in one yard.
We turned to leave and were surprised to find that the gate had silently swung closed and locked while we were admiring the view. Luckily, a car soon came to the gate, and it opened long enough for us to leave.
It seemed like it would be interesting to walk around the southern side of the Old City, so we navigated to a wide residential street that seemed to go down the hill in the right direction. It was a bit awkward not even being able to say “hello” properly to other people. There were children playing in the street seemed to react in a friendly if shy way towards us, so we continued on for a bit. The street, wide at first, gradually narrowed and became more intimate with the neighboring houses. Eventually it became too narrow for a car to pass. Although the street appeared to continue on it had come to feel entirely like a path to someone’s front door , and not at all a public street. In the States, there is never uncertainty about whether a place is public or private. The ambiguity here was very unsettling. We gave up the plan for the southern route, and we climbed back up the hill.
We walked through the Kidron Valley back towards a gate of the Old City.
Later, I found out that this is Absalom’s Pillar. It sits along “the last path”, which goes through an overcrowded graveyard that looked destroyed.
Worn by the long walk and hot sun, we headed back to the hotel.
