Jerusalem 3

Friday 29 May
Our last day of the tour and like all the others, it would be busy!
First stop:  Hezekiah's Tunnel or Siloam Tunnel
The Siloam Tunnel (Hebrew: נִקְבַּת השילוח‎, Nikbat HaShiloah), also known as Hezekiah's Tunnel, is a water tunnel that was dug underneath the City of David in Jerusalem in ancient times. Its popular name is due to the most common hypothesis of its origin, namely that it dates from the reign of Hezekiah of Judah (late 8th and early 7th century BCE) and corresponds to the waterworks mentioned in 2 Kings 20:2 in the Bible.^[1] According to the Bible, King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians, by "blocking the source of the waters of the upper Gihon, and leading them straight down on the west to the City of David" (2 Chronicles 32). (Thank you Wikipedia.)  

It is 533 m long (about 1,748' or a little over 1/3 of a mile) and was a true test of my claustrophobia.  I was very worried as this entire tunnel is very narrow and low in a few points and one walks through anywhere from 5-10" of water the entire time.  Roy opted out because of his knees and walked the long-way around.  Our new friends convinced me to go and were very kind to keep me talking and singing a few hymns.  I was fine as long as I didn't think about being a hundred feet (?) underground, and worse, the possibility of being trapped.  

L-R: Kathy, Jill, Fred, Deb, Kevin and Susan

Pool of Siloam 

We made it!  and came out right next to the Pool of Siloam where the blind man from birth, washed and his sight was restored by Jesus.  (John 9)
Now a bus ride of 30 km (19 miles) west of Jerusalem to see several Old Testament sites and I'm sorry I don't remember exactly what they are.  

pretty sure this is the valley where David fought Goliath 

Back on the bus for a ride to the City of Lehi or Khirbet Beit Lei excavations in the Judean lowlands currently on a military base.

Excavations began in 1961 with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The excavations at the site were renewed in 2005 under the direction of the Oren Gutfeld, on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with funding from a Mormon non-profit foundation. (Beit Lehi Foundation) Thank you Wikipedia.

dove cote (to sell for the Temple)

manger in a small stable

The hills were full of these caves.

The remains of a Church and beautiful floor mosaics from long after the time of Christ.