Check out our cool bus sign!

As we drove up to the Mount of Olives on our first day in Jerusalem, we were introduced to the many layers of Jerusalem, the ancient and the new. We passed the sixteenth century walls of Jerusalem’s Old City opposite beauty salons and pizza parlors; looking out over the city from the top of the Mount of Olives, the gold of the Dome of the Rock was foregrounded against the city’s highrises.

Rice Owls on the Mount of Olives

Climbing on the bamboo

After a delicious lunch of falafel and shwarma, we drove on to the Israel Museum. There we saw a model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period and some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We also had time to play on a gigantic bamboo sculpture.

Despite jet lag and exhaustion, everyone was in high spirits and enjoyed the day.  We’re looking forward to our tour of the City of David and the Old City tomorrow.