My Three Runs Around Jerusalem
by Steve Ray on January 11, 2010
First Run on First Day:
Arrived at 3:30 AM and got to bed at 7:00 AM Monday. Got up in the afternoon and took a run to get back in the swing of things and acclimated. If I run the first two days it seems like I adjust better and get over jet lag sooner. Anyway, here is the link to my run at EveryTrail.
James Hetzel from www.CatholicCompany.com joined us here today. I am taking him to Bethlehem tomorrow to check out the purchasing and shipping of olive wood products to the US to help the Christians here in the Holy Land. He and I will run around the walls of Jerusalem before leaving for Bethlehem.
Janet and I also have dinner with a Palestinian Christian family tomorrow for lunch. Our group arrives on Thursday and I am again blessed to show this incredible land to a new group of excited pilgrims. I will be posting daily videos here. Busy times!
Pictures taken with my iPhone (more at EveryTrail): Top: Hassidic Jews walking through Mea Shearim, the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood; Below: One of many Muslim mosques with the lit up minaret where the muezzin calls out the Islamic prayers five times a day — including waking us up at 4 AM.
Second Run with James Hetzel on Tuesday:
James Hetzel is the president of www.CatholicStore.com and he came to Israel to join us on our pilgrimage. He came early so I thought he would like a quick running tour of Jerusalem to get him oriented.
We took off Tuesday morning around the Old City walls to give him a preview of what we will see on the pilgrimage. It also gave him an overview of the city so he can walk around on his own later today and tomorrow.
We ran from the Notre Dame Center where we are staying an around the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is about 2.6 miles. He decided to stop at the Notre Dame on the way back around.
I decided to go another mile and a half to explore the new outdoor Mamilla Mall.
Great weather, like a nice fall day in Michigan.
You can see the run here on EveryTrail along with more pictures.
Third Run the Other Way Around with Pictures of Each Gate
Here is the link to Wednesday morning’s run heading north around the Muslim area first. Beautiful day, perfect for running. Now we go to Bethlehem to meet friends, take care of some business and to plant an olive tree on a little piece of land I am buying 🙂
I have enjoyed reading about your trip. I find it odd, though, that although you validly present the persecution that the Moslem population presents to the Palestinian Christians (Catholics), you do not speak of the murders and other attrocities perpetrated upon the Palestinian Christian population by the Israeli government.
NOTE FROM STEVE: THANKS FOR YOU COMMENT AND FOR VISITING MY BLOG.
I AM CURIOUS THOUGH, WHAT MURDER ARE YOU REFERRING TO? THE JEWS GET A BAD SHAKE FROM EVERYONE BUT I UNDERSTAND MUCH OF THEIR PROBLEM. I TEND NOT TO BASH THEM TO THE EXTENT OTHERS DO SINCE I SYMPATHIZE IN SOME WAYS. HOWEVER, I DON’T HAVE MUCH SYMPATHY FOR MUSLIMS. CHRISTIAN PALESTINIANS WOULD MUCH RATHER BE UNDER THE STATE OF ISRAEL THAN UNDER PALESTINIAN RULE. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THE JEW ARE ALWAYS FAIR OR RESPECTABLE TO PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT.