This place was packed! And of course, being the religiously ignorant people that we are, we had no idea why. After some research afterward, we learned that is the site where Jesus was both crucified and also buried. More information here: http://churchoftheholysepulchre.net/

It is also, we discovered, a popular pilgrimage destination for Christians. It certainly felt that way. There were groups everywhere, and poor group leaders trying to corral their followers while also allowing them to explore. It seems that in Israel, similar to what I have observed in Europe and South America, group leaders adopt the policy of holding an object very high in the air so that even the shortest tourists can find the leader at all times. It found this amusing, considering that these tourists have probably traveled a very long way, and paid a lot of money to stand in this building. Was it then also necessary to hold a yellow umbrella ten feet in the air? Maybe, I don’t know, just keep it down while you’re in the church? All of the groups had personal headphones and could hear the tour guide through this interface, removing the need for everyone to be within a three foot radius. It was interesting to see the majority of the visitors acting really excited when they were entering the tomb, and honoring the crucifixion site. In a day and age where practicing religion is on a downward trend worldwide, it’s nice to see people with a little passion [of the christ] (sorry, couldn’t help myself).

After the church we were worn out, the old city can be quite exhausting as it is but the heat and dust added another layer of fatigue. We got lost (again) and after finding our way out took a bus to Baka for lunch.

Photo credits:

“Altar of the Crucifixion l” by Glogger – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Altar_of_the_Crucifixion_l.jpg#/media/File:Altar_of_the_Crucifixion_l.jpg

“The Church of the Holy Sepulchre-Jerusalem” by http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlascar/ – http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlascar/10350972756/in/set-72157636698118263/. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre-Jerusalem.JPG#/media/File:The_Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre-Jerusalem.JPG