1/4 | My Last Full Day in Jerusalem

Today marks my last full day in Jerusalem.  Over four months after I arrived back in August, my time here at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is coming to an end.  Not wanting to waste precious time, I decided that today would best be spent wandering the city from the Machane Yehuda shuk to the Old City, ending at the Western Wall.  This proved to be a wise decision, as it allowed me to see everything I wanted to see before I leave tomorrow.

 This picture depicts Jerusalem at the center of a flower with Africa, Asia, and Europe as petals.

 This building is part of the city hall complex, right next to the Old City.

Safra Square--Kikar Safra in Hebrew--is a big plaza right in front of city hall.

 When I arrived at the Western Wall, soldiers were setting up for some kind of ceremony.  The red and black flags appear to be those of the IDF Artillery Corps.

Soldiers dragging a flag stand across the Western Wall Plaza. 

I could not figure out why a symbol of the Israeli Air Force (a sword with wings) would be included in a ceremony for the Artillery Corps.  Very intriguing!

The Western Wall.  I will miss the ease with which I could access the holiest site in the world. 

I also made a point to go back to HaKotel HaKatan.

 There was only one other person, a Hasidic Jew, at the Little Western Wall.  He was deep in prayer, occasionally screaming and yelling out loud to G-d.

A Jerusalem oddity: An Israeli flag flying over the minaret of a mosque right next to the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion.