We went on a full day tour of the whole city, and it seemed like we saw as much as we possibly could. Our excellent tour guide, David, showed us every nook and cranny and gave us all the history. For example, we sat on the steps that once led up to the Temple Mount itself (which are now blocked off by the mosque at the top). There were two sets of steps: narrow ones leading in, of uneven width and height (done on purpose to slow down traffic), and wide ones leading out, so that many people could leave at once. Mourners, however, went in the opposite direction, so if you saw someone going the other way, you knew he was a mourner and could offer your condolences. We love learning stuff like that.
The best part of the day was the tour of the tunnels under the Western Wall. We walked the full length of the Wall, almost 500 meters, most of it underground. There are streets, columns and stones from Herodian times (including the biggest stone in the Wall, 14 meters long and weighing 570 tons), and structures from Mamluke times and from the Hasmonean period (the time of the Maccabees). Most importantly, there is a small alcove/synagogue called "The Cave" that is the closest point that Jews can get to the Holy of Holies, directly underneath the Dome of the Rock.
Everything was so beautiful, so meaningful, so rich in history. We were sorry when the day came to an end.
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