Jeanne and I went back to Jerusalem today and walked up the Mt. of Olives. On the way, we were pestered by a Arab street vendor, and unfortunately I let my guard down. In a thoughtless moment, I had left my camera in the side pocket of my pack, and after the vendor "bumped" into me, I discovered minutes later that my camera was gone. Luckily, I had downloaded all the pictures I had taken so far, and the camera was probably on it's last trip (Eric, I am so glad I didn't buy a new one like we had discussed). Plus, our Smart Phones take digital quality photos and videos, so we will not have to replace our camera while on our trip.

After beating myself up for being careless, and some soothing from my wonderful wife, I enjoyed spectacular views of the old city and the Dome of the Rock from the mount. From there, we descended back down the mount, and were spellbound by the Church of All Nations, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the centuries old olive trees in the garden. As we sat in the Church, Jeanne and I tried to imagine the night of Jesus' passion,  betrayal, arrest and desertion of his disciples  over 2000 years ago. Our time there was worth the extra effort of traveling back to Jerusalem, and even the loss of a camera.

Tomorrow morning Jeanne and I will depart for the north, and will be touring for the next 3+ days. I will post pictures of today's trip and descriptions of our adventures in the North as time and connections are available.

Until then,

Mike