Jerusalem and still no room in the inn

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Jersusalem seems to have been one of those destinations on my list of 'must sees' during my lifetime probably because I had had all these stories etched into my brain from my Catholic upbringing. Therefore, it was a really amazing experience to actually be at the scene of so many different biblical events. It was also a relief to actually arrive in town as we had a very stressful and awful border crossing into Israel from Jordan. I had been warned that it was a tough border but I really didn't think it would be as bad as it was. We had come from Syria that morning so we knew they would have a few questions to ask us however, what we got was a full on interrogation.

My travel companion Simon and I were both interrogated separately and then again together. In the end I was granted entry but Simon's passport was taken away and he was told to wait to be called. This was to take maybe 10 minutes or 10 hours. We were not impressed especially since there was no reason given but you wouldn't dare question the fierce Israeli customs officers. After about 3 hours he was finally granted entry with no explanation for the delay and in total the whole ordeal took us about 6 hours of the day. We were exhausted and to top things off the stress caused me to get a migraine!

Once we got to town though we also encountered difficulty in securing a bed. Yes that's right - there was no room at the inn! What amused us most though was that there were two reasons for this, one was that Simon and I were not married and therefore this meant that we could not share a room in many hostels and two, we were not Jewish. Mmmmmm Jerusalem was proving to be testing...

Once we got a bed though we were keen to get exploring and walk through the lanes and souqs of the old town. It was kind of what I had imagined with little alleys and cobbled streets. It was very easy to get lost. The main attractions are of course the Temple Mount which is sacred to all three major religions - Christian, Muslim and Jewish. The Wailing Wall was also very interesting and a real buzz with barmitzvas taking place and people praying everywhere. I also enjoyed visiting the garden of Gethseneme just outside the old city wall which houses the Grove of Olives - there are 8 ancient olive trees here believed to be still standing from the time of Jesus. Security was very tight - there are xray machines everwhere you go so this is something we are used to here now.

The old city is enclosed by an old wall with giant ancient gates and from within this you can see the many different churches, mosques and synagogues popping out from over the rooftops. It really lovely to hear the call to prayer followed by church bells - though I know this is a major cause for tension and it's those tensions that are not far away. It was also terrible to see the 'other' wall that the Israelis are building to divide the West Bank from Jerusalem. There's a lot to sort out here and it's so so complicated.

Nevertheless, Jerusalem was a bustling town and one that I would recommend people to visit. There's just so much to see here but be careful not to be taken for a bit of a ride as religious tourism is very much alive and well. There are pilgrim tour groups at every corner, some hard core religious freaks and there's even a tour that allows you to hire and carry a cross so you can re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus. Everyone to their own I guess.

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Photos

The Wall
Built to keep the Palestinians out