Bethany barred

I went to see where Mike works (Luther compound on Mount of Olives, to the East of the Old City). There's a really tall church tower (223 steps) from where you can take really hazy photos. Then a 20 min walk to the Mosque of the Ascension. Here's where Jesus footprint is still in the stone and here's where He ascended. Hmm. But hey it must have happened somewhere hereish.

Turning west towards Bethpage (where Jesus' donkey came from and the Palm Sunday procession started) I shook the gate until they let me in. What I really really wanted to find was the Tomb of Lazarus in Bethany where he lived with Mary and Martha. So past the demolished home, (see above) up a path marked Ancient on my map but signed "For military vehicles only". My map says just go straight but there's The Big Wall here now and it would take me miles to go round it. Miffed. But then I'm not Lazarus trying to get in to Jerusalem.

Later I walked down the dusty Kidron Valley, listening to the call to worship coming from the Dome on the Rock to see the Tomb of Absalom (no it wasn't) and then up to Akeldama (where Judas hanged himself and maybe this is the spot). Four wild dogs came charging at me barking furiously, stood my ground and growled back, Mike says I should have picked up a stone, if I was really calm I'd've taken a photo. There's a monastery here that closed at 12noon but I wonder which day that was.