Ahoy! I pressed olives! I'm an olive presser... I press olives now.

There was an optional opportunity (which our entire group took) to go snorkeling down at the most southern city of Israel - a port city on the red sea named Eilat. It was a 4 hour ride there and back. It was quite windy and there were restraints obviously where we could go and where we could not. There were two bridges out to the deep water the wind was very strong so that if you just lay there the current would lead you there. Among the fish I saw were a Parrot Fish, a school of Sergeant Major (a white blacked stripped fish), a Trigger Fish, several Coral Groupers, many Suez fusiliers, and several fish who looked like Dory but I think were actually Yellowtail Surgeonfish (more I can't name after a bit of research). When you are in the deep section there is a coral reef blocking you from the shore of mostly that sandy dull color with the intermittent bright colored coral. Near the further bridge there was an excellent place to see fish around a circular reef further into the sea. Loved it!! I was doing freestyle with that snorkel on and had a grand old time - both on the beach and in the water.

Well here near the old city we had a tour of the City of David (the original settlement which is completely outside of the current walls) I found it very interesting. At the tourist sight there were harp signs everywhere which of course is an icon of David. We went to an outlook and saw how the mostly Arab settlements did have Jewish homes in there as well now which was interesting. We also saw the supposed sight of Solomon's Egyptian wife's tomb (although it's said the dates do not match up). The City of David was situated between two valleys which intersected below it namely the Kidron and Tyropoeon Valleys. It is at that junction that Melchezideck and Abraham are supposed to have met (Melchez. interestingly is mentioned by Josephus apparently as a righteous Canaanite holy man(?) whose people also had a temple on the current temple mount). We watched a 3-D movie there at the tourist site which was actually better than I expected. But as we walked through the City ruins we saw the Glaci which might have held up David's palace and a Nobleman's home there as well. Then we saw the grave area which is said to have held both David and Solomon's bodies for a time (however no visible graves are there as it was later used as a quarry). Also cool is that from the base of the valleys there upward it was considered more and more sacred as you went up culminating in Solomon's Temple area - sort of like steps of holiness as you ascend.

Next was Hezekiah Tunnel which was constructed to bring the Gihon Spring's water to a more secure area within further the city walls (also at a time when there were many Northern Kingdom refugees from when they were carried away coming to Jerusalem and as such an additional wall was created around that area to protect them). Gihon means "Gushing" or sent and that word has relation to that area unto this very day with the Arab community on the other side of the Kidron Valley. The Tunnel's constructors start from both directions tunneling and take a very windy path to do so and met at the middle. At times the ceilings are high and other times I had to crouch over like the hunchback of Notre Dame to get through. There are still water running through and at times it went up to slightly above my knee water level - but mainly it was ankle high. The width is about the same throughout fairly narrow but not uncomfortable. During the trip through Jared Maxfield was behind me and Katherine Redd in front and every now and again we would turn off all of our headlamps to have a blackout which was fun. As we got out after we took pictures where there was a pool that was fun. -- Later we saw the excavated section of the Pool of Siloam (featured in the wonderful healing John 9:6-11) It is here at this pool Lamps and lights everywhere that Jesus declares that I am the light of the world. Also the water was used from this pool to be brought up and sprinkeled on the altar. 

We went up and out of that area through a tunnel (which I later found out was a sewer type of area which was actually used as a hideout for some Jews during the Roman destruction) And then we were picked up by some buses. That was a cool trip and gave me plenty to think about. 

We have been engaged in the Olive Pressing process for a little bit. We picked the olives from the many olive trees in the center all together. We were climbing in the trees and using ladders to get the high hanging olives. There is much symbolism involved with the olive tree and the fruit thereof. The tree is called the tree of light for when the wind blows it you see the interchange between the dark and light sides of the leaf and the whole tree seems to shimmer. The Olive if eaten directly off the tree is very bitter I ate and swallowed a bite so I can attest to you it's true. However the Olive oil one separated is quite sweet showing that the bitterness of sin can be squashed out and what remains is sweet. We were engaged recently in the olive crushing here at the center they have all the necessary parts to crush (with a wheel beam mechanism) and then various forms of pressing oil out of the resulting mush (weighted press, and a screw press). You would fill shallow circular baskets full of the mush and place them under the mechanisms and when applied pressure the baskets bleed the olive oil from all sides. It was said that at the later parts of the construction of this Jerusalem Center that an general authority remarked this plot would not be complete without an olive tree - so one was transplanted here from Bethlehem that tree is 1200 years old. Since then there are many trees which spot the terraces here in the Jerusalem Center. How how I love it here! 

Have a Good one!