We have arrived in Jerusalem! Our flight was hilarious – millions of kiddies running around and most passengers standing up, walking around, chatting. It was a lot of fun.

As soon as we got here, our friend whisked us out to the famous Western (Wailing) Wall. Last night was the night before Yom Kippur, so folks were at the Wall atoning for their sins. Old Jerusalem was packed, generally quite boisterous and festive (despite the more somber religious reasons at play). There were also quite a few sacrificial chickens on sale, but the budget didn’t quite stretch to that. The wall was very impressive, quite moving.

We walked back through the old town on stones polished over thousands of years. Amazing to think of who might have walked before me …. and given the number of times Jerusalem has been sacked and/or razed to the ground, the wide variety of ancient army footwear that has stomped its way through.

Today we popped out to a market, before Jerusalem shuts down for a day of fasting. The horns sounded this evening, and the streets went quiet.