Mount of Olives

Here we all are at Mount of Olives, which is just East of the Old City of Jerusalem, and is so named because it used to be covered with olive trees.  There are still olive trees on the slopes, but it is mostly a residence for some of the 200,000+ Palestinians that live in Jerusalem.  The views are magnificent.  If you look carefully, you can see the gold Dome of the Rock in the distance.  This is considered one of the great Islamic sites, built in 688-91 AD and housing the "rock", which is variously described as where Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac, where Muhammad left the Earth, and the holy site of the Jewish Second Temple.  In any event, as non-Muslims, we are unable to visit this sacred rock.  Immediately below us is the world's largest Jewish cemetery, which is so full that only prominent Israelis are now buried there.  This was our first stop in our tour of Israel by our veteran tour guide Michael.  Michael was born at a kibbutz some 60+ years ago, and told us that it's not so much that he knows Israel, but that Israel knows him.  He also seemed to know every third person in the city, calling out greetings in Hebrew to acquaintances throughout the day.