The next day we got on our bus and drove through beautiful irrigated fields of crops and truck gardens to the Jordan River, the border with Israel. Crossing over Jordan is not what the spirituals make it out to be! The Jordan River was about six feet wide. These was not milk and honey on the other side, but barbed wire, sand dunes and Israeli machine guns. The city of Jerico was a green oasis we could see in the distance. How the ancient Hebrews figured out this was the promised land, I don't know, as it is totally barren until you get to the top of the mountain range- about 20 miles. From there to the sea, there is enough rain so that trees grow and everything doesn't have to be irrigated. But from Jerusalem down to the Jordan River, it is pretty
bare.

We crossed the Jordan on the famed Allenby Bridge. The Jordanians call it the King Hussein Bridge. It is a metal truss bridge of one lane with a wooden deck just large enough to hold one bus. We passed through Israeli Customs and then boarded our Israeli Bus. We met out tour guide Barak, and our bus driver Benny, who was a real character! They would accompany us for the next three days.

Barak

Benny

That day we went to Bethlehem as saw the Church of the Nativity, built over the spot where Jesus was born. Then back to Jerusalem, where we got a panoramic view of the city, then into the city's Jewish Quarter where we visited the Siebenburg Museum. This was an excavation in the cellar of a modern house. The Siebenbergs dug out underneath their house and found all sorts of stuff!

The next day we got the grand tour of Jerusalem. Barak led us through the old city:

Much of the city is a gigantic flea market.

We donned togas and wreaths to have an authentic ancient Roman feast at Cardo Culinaria.

Here is the ancient Roman street about 20 feet beneath the modern streets.

And here is the famous Western Wall, the only part left of the second Temple, built by King Herod.

On top of this wall is built the mosque "The Dome of the Rock." From this rock, the Arabs say the prophet Mohammed flew up to heaven on his horse. However, the Jews say that Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Koran, and that Mohammed never visited Jerusalem. I believe the truth is that these two faiths, plus numerable Christian denominations, all want to cash in on the lucrative tourist trade.