I have been to Gerthsemane. Some of the standing olive trees are over 2,000 years old. The garden is abloom in rosemary- the fragrant but thornlike herb of remembrance.
The Middle Ages Church built to straddle the large flat rock on which Jesus prayed prostrate and bled through his pores from mental agony, is illumined by deep purple stained glass windows, and the interior effect is one of sorrow, like a bruise on the souls of all who enter to see the rcok and to contemplate what occurred there.
There are many places in the Holy Land which are questionable in their claims to be the locations of Biblical events (including the Church of the Sepulchre), but Gethsemane is the real deal.
Outside the Garden, our steps were cautious to avoid the rock throwing youths of the intifada who lay in wait to ambush Israeli vehicles heading up the Mount of Olives.
Thank you for sharing...
Thanks for sharing your experience of the Garden. What a wonderful trip that must have been!