We arrived in Jerusalem in the afternoon and promptly drove to the top of the Mount of Olives. It’s a mountain ridge that is east of and adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City. In ancient times, it separated Jerusalem from the Judean Desert. It was named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes.

Our group had a sparkling wine toast on the Mount and said the blessing, “Shehecheyanu” while overlooking the Old City. It’s a Jewish prayer said to celebrate special occasions. It is said to express gratitude to God for new and unusual experiences. The blessing is recorded in the Talmud, indicating that it has been recited for over 1500 years. Welcome to Jerusalem.

This is a wide view of Jerusalem with the Old City in the center.

In the second photo, you can notice several things. First, the Mount of Olives has been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years. It holds an incredible number of graves, some of which you can see in these photos. You can also notice the seven golden domes of the Russian Orthodox Church built in 1888. Jerusalem if full of all sorts of churches of many faiths and denominations.

This is a more closeup photo of the Temple Mount, an elevated plaza within the Old City. The Dome of the Rock, a golden domed Islamic shrine, is one of Jerusalem’s most prominent features and one of the Muslim’s most holy places.

This is a closeup of the Dome of the Rock, though the sun was behind it so not the best photo.

This view is the southern end of the Old City with the end of the Temple Mount in the lower right. You can see the old city wall, still in place. The Old City has seven functioning gates, and the Dung Gate is near the center of the photo. Vicky and I exited the Old City by the Dung Gate on my second time inside the Old City.