Initial tour of Jerusalem (AKA 4 mile run through)

Today we took a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem and wandered into the newer side which is West Jerusalem, and ended up walking over 4 miles in the hot sun. I wore my hat which was fun, it is a wide brimmed floppy hat which I love! (It will be previewed in the pictures to come!) But it was crazy to see all the white stone buildings and the cobblestone streets. During this quick tour we were broken up into groups of 8 with an adult couple from the Center leading the way. It was neat to see security men from the center walking ahead of us and between each group, talking on there walkie-talkies to keep us safe. It is so neat to see all the religions coming together here at the center, many are jews, muslim, and palestinians, but all work together in this special place. In the more eastern side of Jerusalem the streets were narrow and had garbage around each corner, with stray cats roaming around. There were vendors along the side walks handing out business cards to the students, the local shops know exactly when we are coming so they can prepare for the shopping. Unfortunately, and I know it was inspired or I'd be out of money, we were asked to not bring money today and to refrain from taking pictures or we would end up broke and in the city for days with so much to do.
We then walked to the Old City of Jerusalem and went through Damascus gate. I was somewhat nervous of going through because we were warned of the cunning ways of stealing that happens when we wear backpacks and also of the possibility of groping from others. It was so crowded through the Old City and it seemed like you were in a never ending tunnel because the vendors had stuff to sell on the ceilings and all around. At the center of the City we ran into a Greek Orthodox Celebration with many men and women in the traditional Muslim wear carring pictures of Mary back from the Garden Tomb (or so I understand). It was explained to us that the Orthodox Muslims will take all their pictures from Mary's home (or what they believe) to the Garden tomb on the 24th of August and bring them back on the 5th of September. There was alot of people singing and burning inscense. They also went to The Church of the Holy Sepulchre to kiss the stone where they believe Christ was laid after being crusified. It was amazing to see the devotion these people have to their religion and beliefs. Another quick side note, did you know they say prayers 5 times a day here? One prayer is said at like 4 in the morning! And it sounds like a song played over an intercom to the whole city. Sometimes the prayer is a recording and other times there is actualy someone saying it, how awesome is that!
After a quick runthrough of the Old City we came out of the Jaffa gate that led out of the Old City into West Jerusalem (opposite of where we stay) which is the higher end of Jerusalem. It was fun to see the wide streets and the clean space. There were parks for children and places to sit and enjoy the area. A fun thing to picture, until I actually have pictures, but in the park areas there are some regular park benches but there is also these places to sit that look like really comfy pillows and seat cushions stacked throughout the park. These cushions look so colorful and fluffy and after 4 miles you really just want to plop down and enjoy the shade, but don't go so fast! These cushions are actualy concrete and just resemble pillows, oh the jokes and videos we could make! Don't worry you've been warned for when you travel to the Holy Land ;) There was also an outlet shopping section that was referred to as the "Hollywood of Jerusalem" which is the really expensive clothing shops. Although all the shops in West Jerusalem were closed due to the Hebrew New Year holiday in which many Jews are celebrating today and over the past few days. Once again the workers at the Jerusalem center are so dedicated that they spend time here keeping us safe and running instead of with family which is really generous.
We were so lucky at this point for the buses to come pick us up for lunch so we didn't have to walk the 4 miles back to the Center, but that bus ride wasn't the easiest. Although it was a comfy bus with travel seats and a tv, which they played Jerusalem music videos which were pretty entertaining, it was a hold on to the handles kind of ride. The streets are so narrow and parking is everywhere possible, with no lines to guide drivers. Also the normal thing in Jerusalem is to honk whenever you are passing someone or want to go around, or even when you just want to stop in the middle of the road for random reasons. So this bus driver was honking away, driving way faster than I would have dared, and it really was an exciting ride! Also another thing I thought was interesting is that the traffic lights are still green, yellow, and red but the yellow doesn't mean speed up to get through. In fact one of the old professors (or so I was told) ran a yellow light in Jerusalem and since there are cameras at most lights he was ticketed. Guess how much his ticket costs? The story says it was about $1,000 in US currency, which is crazy! For your info, he is currently trying to appeal but another travel tip for the future to keep in mind. Also drivers in Jerusalem aren't afraid to get very close to other drivers, for example touching mirors close. So I am so thankful I don't have to drive!
Well it is getting late, about 1130 here in Jerusalem and classes start tomorrow.....Guess I should sleep some!