GG and Grandpa visit! (Part 1)

Shortly after we returned from Spain, we had our second visitors, GG and Grandpa!  They stayed for two weeks (sleeping in Liam's bunkbeds like CHAMPS), and we enjoyed every minute.  After a day of simple, close-by activity, Geoff and I got one of Liam's teachers to babysit the boys while we took GG and Grandpa into the Old City.  We did a LOT of walking that day and saw just about as much as folks can in one hot day.

Our first stop was the Muslim quarter, where we visited some of our favorite vendors. (As Geoff says to any want/need, "I got a guy.")  We got to show them Abu Khalid's fabric shop where the last of the damask fabrics from Syria is selling for $500 US a yard.

(This is not the damask, but GG's new table runner.)

And we got to introduce GG and Grandpa to Mr. Mustafa, 

who sold us some Roman glass jewelry...

 and tried ONCE AGAIN to convince Geoff to buy this $15,000 carpet.

We then walked down to the Church of the Holy Sepluchre, one of the purported sites of Jesus's crucifixion and burial.  Here are Janet and Jim at the site of the cross.

We did a bit more walking around the Old City, finding some cool things here and there,

before checking out the Wall and the views of Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

We then headed into East Jerusalem for lunch (which was a bit more challenging than expected because it was Ramadan and many places were closed).

After lunch we went back into the Old City and walked the Via Dolorosa before stopping at Notre Dame for a late afternoon drink while taking in the amazing view and this amazing wine.  'Twas a good day!