Day 2

Today we woke up at 6:30am and had a good breakfast at the hotel.  I think the best part of the breakfast was the bread with different spreads and cheese they had on the table.  We then got on the bus with our driver Eli by 8:30 and set out for Jerusalem.  After we picked up our tour guide we stopped at a few scenic lookouts to see the old city of Jerusalem and surrounding areas from a distance, there our guide began giving us a history lesson that lasted all day.  We went to see olive trees that were thousands of years old on the side of the mountain outside the old city where Jesus had traveled.  From there we stopped at the Israel Museum and saw their display of the Dead Sea Scrolls which are apparently the oldest holy writings found near the dead sea, they are thousands of years old  and somewhat reconstructed.  At the museum we also saw a model of what old Jerusalem used to look like before it was destroyed by the many battles over that land.
From there we went into Jerusalem and saw some amazing things from the crowded streets and shops to the tomb where Jesus was crucified and buried.  I also had my first authentic hummus for lunch with our group in Jerusalem.  We continued to the Western Wall of Jerusalem which I have heard so much about and we walked though the old city back to the bus.  I learned so much today and it is hard to believe that it all actually happened.