We did make it to Jericho!

St George's Monastery

The plan had been to visit other areas in the West Bank today, but they are not considered safe, and we can now visit Jericho, so off we went. First stop was a view of St George’s Monastery from the hills between Jerusalem and Jericho. It was an isolated spot; close to an aqueduct that Herod had built to supply fresh water to Jericho… only 2000 years ago. It was truly in the wilderness, but had to be rebuilt more like a fortress after the Islamic invasion in the eighth century (not a good thing to be a cleric at that time apparently). We also saw a small flower in the desert that opens with water to take in the rain, and then closes again as it dries. A miracle of the desert.

We stopped for a short time at sea level... in the middle of the dry hill country. Of course there was a commercial opportunity as well as a camel photo op for those so inclined. 

The remains of the original Jericho consist of a hill (tel) which may be 200m across… not terribly impressive given some of the sites we have seen. But we went up the cable car to the Monastery of Temptation – reputed to be the site of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness before being tempted by Satan. The small cell high up on the cliffs is unimpressive, but at least not off-putting. The Orthodox monastery itself is modest, filled with icons and has a tremendous view. I am sure it does have a sense of serenity once us tourists disappear for the day.

The Monastery of Temptation

Looking from the Monastery over modern Jericho

We were treated once again to wonderful Palestinian hospitality and a lovely lunch that included kebobs – very tasty! We had the opportunity to thank Mossa, our driver and Ahuva, our guide for the wonderful time they showed us, not to mention keeping us safe from stones (apparently Jericho had been unsafe due to kids stoning cars a few days ago), and the traffic.

We arrived back at the hotel early to pack for our journey home tomorrow. I do not look forward to the long day and long flights, but I do think that I am ready for my own bed.