Jerusalem: Part 1 יְרוּשָׁלַיִם

I made my first trip to Jerusalem this week. 

This city is beautiful, intricate and completely captivating. 

Raz and I caught an early bus from Rishon Lezion to Jerusalem. This was the first time I got to see Israel’s landscape outside the city and I was blown away by the beauty and the green. The vegetation reminded me of many of the arid mountains I’ve been in New Mexico and Utah; hillsides covered in dark and dusty greens, browns, and grey. 

We arrived in time to join a free tour group that took us around the whole city. It was a wonderfully interesting, our guide took us to all four quarters of the city (Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian) and told us a lot of interesting things I never knew.

On the tour we briefly stopped at the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall. The Dome of the Rock is the gold dome in the background and in this photo a large portion of the wall itself is blocked by the wooden walkway up to the entrance of the Dome. 

This area is unbelievable. The Muslim mosque is located upon the same spot that Solomon's temple was originally built. And rebuilt. This is the same spot where Jews and Christians believe Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac, for Christians it's the spot where Jesus ascended into heaven after his resurrection, and for Muslims it's the spot where Mohammad ascended to heaven. This small area holds so much meaning to all three religions, it's amazing. 

The Western Wall is the only remaining structure from the temple and is therefor extremely sacred to the Jewish community. The wall is divided into two sides, one for men and one for women. I got to touch the wall surrounded by other women praying and reading their scriptures and prayer books. it was a surreal experience, something truly beautiful, this human experience to connect me with all the others who have visited this spot. 

We visited a small Ethiopian village where monks live on the rooftops, this was in their courtyard. 

After the tour Raz and I wandered around the Muslim markets for a few hours. These markets are unlike any I've seen before. There's booths selling pastries, antiques, souvenirs, ceramics, all kinds of spices and foods and really just about anything you could want or need could be found and bargained for. If you don't move past the stalls quickly enough, or if you accidentally make eye contact with the vendors they will eagerly invite you in to look around, offer you good prices, or say things to catch your attention (I was called princess by one vendor and another complemented me on my scarf... don't worry, I didn't let it go to my head). It's amusing, but gets a little old if you really want to just look at something for a minute.  the streets are crowded and tour groups pass by regularly blocking the paths entirely. 

Guns N'Moses T-shirt....

 Many of the Christian tour groups fill the Via Dolorosa (In Italian 'dolore' means pain), the street though to be the path Jesus took as he carried the cross to the crucifixion. There are nine stations along the road where it is 'traditionally' (I use quotes are because only 2 of these nine are actually in any of the gospels in the Bible) thought that certain events occurred. These stations represent places where Jesus fell, gave sermons, met with his mother, and where Simon took the cross and carried it for Jesus. Today you can rent a wooden cross and carry it along the street to reenact this epic journey. For me this was a little strange, a more morbid side of Christianity than I'm used to, but it's clear that this experience means a lot to those who complete it.  I also felt sorry for the guy who's job it was to carry all the crosses back down the street for the next pilgrims, but I suppose you've got to earn a living somehow...

Lunch was fabulous. This is our falafel/humus/pita heaven. There was the humus, thick and creamy, rich with oil and tahini. The falafel deep fried and oh-so-comforting. The salad of cucumber, tomato and cilantro that came after this picture that was actually very healthy but couldn't counter how rich everything else was. I enjoyed this falafel to the fullest extent, and it was so satisfying and filling I didn't need to eat another meal for more that 24 hours. I'm not kidding.... I wasn't hungry again until late the next afternoon. now that's comfort food! 

stray kitty. 

this is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We briefly stepped inside but I have not done my research on this site and was immediately overwhelmed with my lack of understanding. We came to the consensus that we needed to read up on this site so we can appreciate and understand it before returning.

this is the Stone of Anointing, where Jesus' body was supposed to be places while preparing him for burial. When we entered the building there were groups surrounding this stone singing, people placing crucifixes and other small items on the stone, and people praying and kissing the stone. At the time I didn't know what this site was and the emotion in the room added to my confusion and feeling overwhelmed. I'm reading up and we'll head back here hopefully on our next trip. 

Western Wall

Our second day we started with a visit to The Dome of the Rock. This building is beautiful. We weren't able to go inside because only Muslims are allowed to enter the building, but walking around the outside was such a wonderful experience. The tiles are so colorful and intricate, almost hypnotizing. The gold dome is delicate and fascinating, and the history of this site is almost unbelievable. Religious beliefs aside, the building and destruction and rebuilding and destruction cycle on this site is baffling. so much has happened here, it's amazing standing in front of this place and trying to comprehend all the emotion, love, hate, joy, sorrow, peace and tension that has been experienced here. 

yeah, that's me. 

This is a pool with seats and spigots around the base for people to wash their feet and hands before entering the mosque. 

After visiting the Dome of the Rock we made our way thought the city to the eastern facing Lion's Gate and continued outside the city to the Mount of Olives. On the hillside there is an enormous Jewish cemetery that has been used for more than 2000 years and is still active today. The grave yard was captivating. so peaceful compared to the busy bustle of the center and so mesmerizing because of all the history hiding inside it. Unfortunately for me the gravestones are all in Hebrew, even the dates of births and deaths are written with Hebrew characters representing certain dates, so Raz had to translate whenever I wanted to know more about a grave. There's been quite a bit of vandalism in the graveyard by the Muslim community in the area, yet another reminder of the tension that constantly rests in this land. 

view of the old city from the Mount of Olives.

When we reached the top of the mountain we were met by a beautiful view, and a camel. 

On the walk down the mount we stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane. The trees in here were phenomenal. The trunks were enormous and gnarled, and the silvery green leaves gave the garden a quiet glow. These trees are so very beautiful. 

By the time we got back to the city we were finally ready to eat again. On our way to the bus station we stopped and got schwarma, a delicious compact of meat, roasted on a skewer and shaved off into your pita after you order. it was fabulous, but messy and I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of it. trust me, it was good. 

We also stopped at the Mahane Yehuda Market  (שוק מחנה יהודה ). I love markets. there's so much to see, so many smells and tastes floating in the air. i love the bustle and the connectivity of community it brings. I was tired by this point and only snapped a few pictures. These spice and herb shops are the best. that and the pastry and bread shops. mmmm....

after this we caught the bus home and I promptly fell asleep for the whole ride. 

Jerusalem was wonderful. I'm so excited to return and see more of the city, explore the history, go to some museums and explore the markets.  There's an energy in Jerusalem I don't think could be paralleled anywhere else. There's so much history, so much faith, so much tension, and so much beauty. I'm so grateful for my opportunity to experience such a wondrous place.