Day 9 - Thursday, July 16th

We planned a team trip down to Jerusalem today. We had a bus take us with a tour guide who was a Professor of History. Jerusalem was really interesting. Our first stop was Yad Vashem which is the Holocaust Museum. It's a must see for anyone who visits Jerusalem, Jewish or otherwise. It is a solemn place which really helps you understand the Holocaust and the atrocities that were committed during WWII. Some of the memorials and exhibits they have are just beyond words. It's a shame you can't take pictures throughout the museum.

We then went to the Old City area of Jerusalem where some of the most holiest sites for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are located. For Islam it's the Dome of the Rock, the golden domed mosque. For Jews it's the Western Wall which is the last remnant of the Great 2nd Temple.

At the Western or Wailing Wall as it's also called, Jews place a piece of paper in the cracks of the stones and say a prayer. It was interesting to hear the 6pm call to

prayers coming from the loudspeaker from the Mosque while we were standing there at the wall.

We also walked through the Jewish Quarter section of the Old City and saw some of the different ruins that are there. People still live and play amongst these ancient walls. You can also still see the remnants of the modern day fighting that took place with the bullet holes still lodged in the walls. And, you never know when a soccer game may break out.

Tomorrow we have our 3rd game against Argentina.