A Visit to….Jerusalem and the Holy Land

I took a "Girl Trip" to the Holy Land for five days with two wonderful church friends. Not only was it my first time to go to Jerusalem, but my first time going on a "girl trip" to another country, without Mark or family.

Once I decided to go, I was excited and just a little hesitant…only because we had just a month to plan our trip. We did not participate in an organized tour that would be traveling in a large group.  We would be on our own…though joining small tours once we arrived in Jerusalem. 

We did individual and group planning and all worked in our favor…we were safe, had excellent weather, were healthy and amazed each day that we were really in Jerusalem and the Holy Land!

Reflecting on this trip…I learned much, saw many historical places, and each day was glad for the experience.

My daughter Melissa took an organized trip to Jerusalem with other young adults from the D. C. area 3 years ago.  Since her trip, she has said over and over again how Mark and I needed to take a trip to the Holy Land…especially since we were living so close (only a 4-hour flight from Warsaw).  It was never on my "bucket list" to travel to Jerusalem…but I am so glad the opportunity came up and I said "yes" to going here with friends. 

A few of my favorite experiences on our trip to the Holy Land….

The Garden Tomb
Attending church at the BYU Jerusalem Center
Seeing the panoramic view of the city of Jerusalem,
Riding a camel

I enjoyed ...
 Being in or near places where Jesus Christ walked and taught
The archways, doorways, foods
Seeing people who live, work and visit this area
So much to experience in just 5 days!

The Garden Tomb

On Friday afternoon (our 4th day) we went to the Garden Tomb.  It was an absolutely beautiful day with blue skies, cool breezes, and warm sun. 

The Garden Tomb was a short walk (10-15 minutes) from our hotel.  The garden is filled with beautiful flowers and trees, stones and benches.  It is a beautiful setting…quiet, peaceful, and reverent. 

I liked being here.

The Garden Tomb is where many people believe Jesus Christ was buried and resurrected.

Nearby, and pictured below, is the area known as Golgotha where Christ was crucified.  Golgotha means "the place of a skull" in Aramaic.  About halfway down the hill are two indentions in the rock that looks like eye sockets, with a rock structure in between the indentions that looks like a nose….perhaps the source of the name Golgotha.

The Garden Tomb area is thought to be the location of the tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathaea….the tomb where Jesus Christ was buried and resurrected.  I loved this spot!  It is truly a beautiful, peaceful area.

My friends and I each took turns standing or sitting in front of this doorway. It was not always easy to sit or stand without other tourists in the picture.…but we were patient.

The inside of the tomb is quite small….

….I was expecting something much larger.

The flowers and plants were absolutely beautiful…so much color….which we have not seen in Warsaw for quite a while.

My two traveling friends…Rebecca and Cris.

Our afternoon visit at the Garden Tomb was wonderful!

Riding a Camel in the Judean Desert

I thought the Holy Land would be filled with sand dunes….

 ….and that we would be seeing camels daily.  This was not the case, but on our tour drive to the Dead Sea we did see many sand dunes and hills….and our tour guide stopped for each of us to have a camel ride!

The camel was quite docile….no sounds at all….but I wondered how much it really liked kneeling on the hard pavement.  His caretaker was kind and patient….we each enjoyed our little ride on a real camel!

The BYU Jerusalem Center

On Saturday we attended church services at the BYU Jerusalem Center. This center is a satellite campus of Brigham Young University. Students attend semester classes, study and take amazing weekly field trips.  The center also offers free musical concerts and tours of the surrounding area, including the nearby Garden of Gethsemane. 

As with most Christian churches, we worship on Sunday.  In Israel however, our church's services are held on Saturday, the same day as the Jewish Sabbath. 

The grounds were lovely, and after the church service we were able to take pictures and walk through the gardens of the center.

Behind these large archways are large full length windows in the chapel.

The main worship service was held here.  During the service the sheer drapes are open and the panoramic view of the City of Jerusalem is striking.  Worshiping while looking out at the general area of the Gospels is an amazing experience!

The organ and the acoustics in this room were fabulous! The singing, whether by a choir, the congregation, or the soloist were wonderful!

We enjoyed taking pictures of this beautiful sight.  A few university students also took our pictures!  Being at the BYU Jerusalem Center on our last full day was wonderful!  It was a great culmination of 5 days of touring, learning and seeing this beautiful area. 

I thought that attending a worship service on a Saturday would feel quite different….but attending church here on this Saturday felt just like the Sabbath Day to me. 

I am so glad we were at this place on our last full day in the Holy Land.  Attending church, singing hymns of our Savior, Jesus Christ and looking out over the land that he lived and loved…was most humbling. 

One of the songs we sang was "Jesus of Nazareth…Savior, and King".  The words took on a new and deeper meaning as we sang, overlooking this beautiful and historic city.

I enjoyed walking around the grounds of the Jerusalem Center….

….the archways were beautiful….

….I loved the details on the grounds….

….and the pathways and stairways were so picturesque.

The campus grounds inside and out were beautiful.…

….but I especially enjoyed seeing the beautiful view of the hillsides of Jerusalem.

Now I would love to return to visit the Holy Land one day…but this time to share the experience with Mark.

Winter Lingers into April….and Gives Way to Spring

The first week of April was another wintry week for us….we looked forward to the arrival of spring weather, but have seen over and over again how beautiful the snow can be in our yard and neighborhood.

One would not even know Mark had worked hard to clear the bushes, steps and walkways just a day or two before.…because the snow returned again!

I have to think that with so much snow….spring and summer should be very green when they eventually arrive in Warsaw!

The picture above is of our street the first week of April, and below is a bush that Mark passed on his walk to the tram one morning….its branches coated with a delicate sheath of sparkling ice.

On April 4, Mark turned the corner to walk to the tram, and saw a road of snow.

When he got to his office, he took this picture of the park grounds across the street.  Most of this fell overnight from April 3 to April 4.  When would it stop?

Little did we know….April 4 was the last snow of the prolonged winter.  It remained cold for a few days, but then the temperatures started to creep higher.  At first, the daily high temperatures began to be above 32F / 0C, but the low temps in the morning will still below freezing.

The view on April 7….

….the snow is gone from the walkways and streets.

On April 8 it starts to recede from the grassy areas….

….and on April 9 large sections of grass are free of snow.

On April 10, only a few small patches of snow remain….

….and on April 11, one week after the big storm on April 4, the snow is gone.

By now, both the high temperatures during the day, and the low temperatures during the night are above freezing.  That hasn't happened for months!

Then, on April 12, Mark got off the tram 2 stops early so that he could walk through the park, and saw a sight that he hadn't seen in months….the water in the pond, not covered with a layer of ice.


An even more striking sign of spring on April 13, just nine days after the last winter storm…these yellow and purple flowers emerging from the ground, but not yet opened up.  Spring had sprung!

But winter had one last desperate gasp later that afternoon….a hailstorm with marble-sized hail….but it was too late for winter because….

….the surest sign of spring was on April 16, when outdoor tables were back on the patio, and people filling them even though it was still brisk.  The Poles love to gather outdoors….

….and who would blame them?  An unusually long winter was over, and it was time to celebrate the spring and relish being outdoors again!

April Days Begin in Warsaw

Our date night for the first weekend in April was Friday….we went to an opera at the The Grand Theatre in Poland. Also known as the National Opera House…Teatr Wielki Narodowa.  This theatre is over 170 years old and is considered one of the largest and very best in all of Europe.

We were looking forward to it because as Mark had never been to an opera, and I had only been once as a university student. We were ready for a new cultural experience.

Oh, and by the way….notice the lingering snow in April.

Last year I had a tour of this building with the International Women's Group.  It was a "behind the scenes" tour and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how an opera is created and all that goes into the production. 

This building is grand and is like a small city inside where there are many rooms, including workshops of all sizes where workers create scenes, costumes, etc.  I had always wanted to return to see an opera here as I had heard that all of the performances were very good.

We purchased our tickets online, so we went a little earlier to pick them up.  Funny story….the lady at Will Call couldn't find any tickets for us.  So we pulled out our receipt and to our dismay, saw that we had purchased tickets for the previous night, Thursday….but it didn't seem like a funny story at the time.

Oh well…since we were all dressed up and nowhere else to go, we purchased another set of tickets and attended this night's performance.

Before the opera began, we walked around the theatre…these blue and white glass light fixtures were placed throughout opera house. They were attractive as well as quite interesting.

After entering and looking around the performance hall, we were awed by its splendor.

Photographs were not allowed during the performance, but this is the stage before the opera began.  

The opera was "Halka", written by the Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko in 1858.   It is regarded as one Poland's finest operas.  During the week we prepared ourselves beforehand by reading as much as possible about it online.

"Halka" is a romantic four-act opera, with no spoken dialogue….only singing. The story is of the tragic love of the peasant girl Halka for the noble Janusz, who abandons her to marry the daughter of a wealthy landowner.  We knew that operas often end tragically….as did "Halka".

This performance was modernistic version of this popular opera….we left with many questions but also with an appreciation of the story, acting and especially the singing.  We think a traditional performance of this same opera would be easier to follow and more enjoyable.

The first performance of an opera was in Florence, Italy in the 1600s.  Just twenty years later the first opera was performed here in Warsaw.…

….so going to the opera is something Polish people have been doing for quite a long time…and yet we just experienced it for the first time!

Departing the opera and our cultural experience, the taxis were all reserved so we boarded a bus, then the subway, then a tram, and were home in about 30 minutes. 

Twice a year, on the first weekends of April and October, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints holds a worldwide conference.  The conference is broadcast around the world from Salt Lake City in the U.S.  This was the weekend of General Conference, and there would be five sessions over Saturday and Sunday.  

It's possible to see the broadcast on the internet, but I enjoy going to the Wolska Chapel to experience it  along with other church members.  In the main chapel, the conference is broadcast in Polish.  Those of us who don't speak Polish watch the English broadcast in another large meeting room in the building.  

Since we are eight hours ahead of Salt Lake City, it is evening here when the morning sessions are broadcast.  We listen to replays of the afternoon sessions, which occur late at night here.

General Conference is like a spiritual feast for me….I watch, listen, ponder, and take many notes.  I absolutely love this experience and I'm so happy that I can participate even from another continent.

Below is a picture of The First Presidency of the church…Presidents Eyring, Monson, and Uchtdorf.  They conduct the sessions of conference and also speak. I love their inspiring and hope-filled messages.

On Sunday morning Mark and I returned to the Wolska Chapel so Mark could hear the broadcast for the men's session. Mark is pictured with a group of men who attended. 

During the time between the sessions I visited with other members and senior missionaries. 

I watched three sessions of the conference at the Wolska Chapel, and the last two sessions I watched and listened from our home.  It was a great weekend…from attending the opera on Friday night to watching General Conference on Saturday and Sunday.  It has been a great first week of April for the Picketts in Poland!

Add-on….while I was in Jerusalem during the 2nd week of April, spring returned to Warsaw.