Jerusalem Part 2

Well.....not much else to report on the trip because food poisoning took me out of commission for the 'free weekend'!!! Drats! Anyway- its no fun to be so sick so far away from home, I can tell you that. But I survived..'sigh'.


I was feeling a bit better by Tuesday, when we were done with our work and could run around a little bit. Suzanne and I went down into the Old City and then met the others for lunch. We walked from the hotel through an area called Yemin Moshe. It was developed in the 1800's (new for Jerusalem!!) as the first suburb outside the city walls. From what I read, it seems to have gone the route of all suburbs in the US- it boomed, then sank into ghetto, then was 'gentrified' in the 1980's. Now, its extremely expensive- apparently alot of American Jews have property there and use it as a vacation home. Very picturesque.



We met the others for lunch and I managed a few bits of a Falafel and some Schwarma. Good stuf! Then, we shopped!! The stores are a mix of leather goods, olive wood carvings, ceramics, jewelry (Roman glass or Eliat, which is a greenish stone). There were some nice spice stores that also had olive oil and soaps. Some people say the demeanor of the shopkeepers varies from quarter to quarter (The Old City has 4 quarters- Muslim, Jewish, Armenian and Christian. We were allowed in all of them, but the Muslim quarter can get a little rough and there's not as many tourists there.) I didn't really see a difference. They are all very polite (a few helped us as we became hopelessly lost.) and very insistent that you at least come in and see their stuff. A couple seem to have caught on that Americans aren't used to that- they would let you come in on your own and just say quietly 'I will let you look...'. But it is pretty fun to shop there.



We went to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. I'd been before, but I wanted to see if I could get some better photos. It wasn't very crowded, which is nice. For those that didn't hear my spiel the first time, the Holy Sepulcher is (it is believed) the final 3 (4?) stations of the cross are located- and where Christ's tomb is located. Golgatha is there- that is where the cross was built into the stone. You can get into the actual tomb through a 3' high opening you have to crawl through. Only 3 people can fit comfortably, so there's usually a guy at the door telling people to come out and let others in. Well, that guy was not there this time, and there were some very rude (Russian???) tourists who decided they would bully their way in to the front of the line. It's hard because you get pissed off, but then I realized where I was and I had to literally say to myself, 'Now, Erin....what would Jesus do?' Hahaha!!


We then took a cab ride up to the top of the Mount of Olives, which overlooks the city. The cab drivers are all expert at this and usually offer you a 'tour' of the sites out there. And I really only trust a cab driver to navigate the road up there- very tight quarters!!! It was freezing and windy, so we didn't stay long and it was almost impossible to get a photo in focus w/ the wind. But it really is neat to see the cemeteries (Muslim, Jewish and Christian) with the Old City and the new high rises in the background. Someone told me that that is the most expensive place to be buried in Israel, and I believe it. The golden dome of the Dome of the Rock is always the focal point. I'd love to get to see it, but we can't get anywhere near it. Literally. A guy who was traveling with us was raised Muslim and he tried to go- they told him he had to read from the Koran even though his passport shows he was born in Turkey. I guess finally his cab driver got him inside. Lucky dude!! It looks beautiful.

We then went to Gethsemene and the Tomb of Mary. Very quick visits, as we were trying to beat the rain!

The airport home was another fun adventure. I got stuck with a '5' sticker, again, which I knew meant that I'd get searched quite thoroughly. All my stuff unpacked, swabbed, packed again. Oy. I guess I should be relieved that they were that thorough, as it makes my flight safer. And they are really nice about it.



Anyway- good to be home! I'm now ready to rush myself into the Christmas spirit!! Merry Chrismtas to everyone!!!!

Jerusalem, Israel December 2009

Thursday

We finally got some time to relax a bit today! After lunch we went to a Christmas Bazaar at the American Colony Hotel that had all kinds of homemade gifts. Nativities, purses, ornaments, etc.. .. .. Suzanne and I both got photographs. They were old Reproductions from Glass Negatives that a family has had for generations. Most of the photos were taken in the late 1800's, early 1900's. I debated over 2 and ended up with one of the Garden of Gethsemane (I need to check how to spell that!) It is Sepia Toned and is printed on silver paper, so it has a gold glow and really has a lot of depth. Beautiful! I can not wait to get it framed. I took a photo of the 'Grandpa' who took the pictures, his son and his Grandson.

And here's a photo of my photo! Ha!

(It looks better in person ..) It was taken in the early 1900s before the garden was so 'Touristy'. Looks a lot different today! I really may go back and get another one. There was one with a shepherd, sheep over looking the Old City before everything was built up-gorgeous!

We did a fast pass through the Old City-in Herod's Gate (Muslim Quarter), out Jaffa Gate (Christian Quarter). I literally got kicked in the butt by a boy about 10 years old. He got me as I walked by him. I was so surprised I just turned around and yelled "HEY!" Which only made him laugh harder. I am now wishing I had grabbed him by the scruffy neck and given him what-for, but I'm glad I did not start World War 3! But after walking up the street this morning and having dirty floor water dumped on my foot by a shop keeper, I'm feeling a little beat up! I hope tomorrow is better.

Had dinner out with the group-really nice group, very fun. Its way more fun to be here with people than on my own!

Some random things I learned today:

1. never, ever call the Dome of the Rock "Temple Mount". It's Dome of the Rock unless you want to get a beat down or start WW3!

2. While walking around, everything feels very normal and you can almost forget about the undercurrents of hostility. No guns this time. Lots of kids walking around after school. Very few sirens, and I have not seen any police yet. Bethlehem (West Bank) is unstable and controlled by the Palestinians, so therefore not accessible for us, unfortunately.

4. Jerusalem has a McDonalds, but it is advertised with the tiniest golden arches I've ever seen. Only about 4 'off the ground and probably a foot high. So cute!

5. The Old City: Definite difference between the Muslim quarter and the Christian Quarter. The Muslim quarter was active, busy, Hectic, full of merchandise and kinda dirty. As soon as we crossed into the Christian quarter, the shopkeepers were more interested in us, the shops were more touristy, streets were clean and there were much less people. Just interesting to note-no judgments are being made!

.................more later!!!