Adventures with Abby and Joe

I try to get Abby excited about sightseeing with me in the stroller by telling her we are going on "Exciting Adventures." Yesterday when I picked her up from preschool, she said with a big smile "Hi Mommy! Are we going on an Adventure?" So I guess she doesn't totally hate them.  Joe, on the other hand, is perfectly happy just to climb stairs, slam doors, or sweep the apartment.

One of our first adventures was to see the Mary Magdalene Church on the Mount of Olives. It was built in the late 1800s so it's quite new inside. The grounds are beautiful, with long winding stairs up the hill to where the church sort of jumps out of the trees at you.

These golden domes are visible from all over East Jerusalem and the Old City.

Here is the view from the church across the Kidron Valley to the Old City:

Apparently Abby didn't think Joe should be allowed inside the church.

After that, we walked about 100 feet down an incredibly narrow road to the Garden of Gethsemane. The garden itself is small but well-kept, and the olive trees are incredibly old. The religious importance of the site aside, we were somewhat fascinated by a lizard climbing one of the trees. Can you find it?

We also explored the Hebrew University Mt. Scopus campus (just around the corner from the BYU Center) and checked out the library to see if I could get circulation privileges (no luck). The interior of the buildings are a little run-down, but the grounds are beautiful. Abby explored them all climbing, spinning, and wiping out.