June 16

I arrived in Israel and to Jerusalem without any problems - except jet lag, of course. In the last 50+ hours I've gotten about 7 hours of sleep. This was not a problem until this afternoon when I was in a classroom with no A/C for about 4 hours. Fortunately I got leg cramps from all of the walking we did in the morning. That kept me awake.

Today we did an Old Testament tour of the area around the Old City. It was fascinating to see some of the sites we have all read about in the Bible with a real appreciation for the terrain in Jerusalem.

NOTHING is flat! And everything was uphill - both ways.

Probably the most fun event was to walk through the Hezikiah Tunnel. In some places it was very low and narrow.

Here are some pictures which may interest you.

Jaffa Gate, where we are staying and where the University is located.

Here is an Jewish graveyard with the Mount of Olives in the background. The most amazing

part of the picture is the tomb in the front which was hewn out of solid rock where it sits.

Here is an example of the conflict here in Israel.

The site of the "City of David" - Violence disguised as culture.

This is a picture of the Kidron Valley from the City of David. It is impossible to describe how far down this valley is and how sharply it drops off.

And finally a "royal throne" - a toilet unearthed in the City of David.