Blogs from Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel, Middle East - page 11

Advice to anyone coming to Israel anytime soon....spend as much time in Jerusalem as possible As we're sitting on the roof of our hotel/convent on our last night in the Holy Land, we are realizing how hard it will be to leave such a spiritually and historically packed place. We've spent two full days touring around Jerusalem and have one more half day before heading back to Tel Aviv to board our plane to the states. Not only will it be hard to leave behind all the cities and sites we won't be able to make it to, but we'll also miss out on the endless information that naturally flows from every place we've gone. But we've come to terms with the fact that there's always more to see, learn, and experience! We are going to ... read more

Yom Yerushalayim in Jerusalem is the anniversary of the June 1967 reunification of Jerusalem, when Israel gained control of the Old City of Jerusalem at the end of the Six Day War. We had seen many Israeli school and teen groups by the Wall on the eve of this day, Tuesday night, when we were visiting the Western Wall Tunnels, but when we arrived back around 4:30 pm from Masada it was even more incredible. Huge groups carrying dozens of full size Israeli flags (not the little ones on sticks the way we Americans do on Fourth of July) were headed up the avenue past our hotel to the big rally at the top of King George Street from where a march would happen in the early evening down from West Jerusalem to the Old City. ... read more

29thApril Haifa, Israel Haifa is surrounded by Mount Carmel and the city is sometimes described as where ‘Carmel touches the sea’, it is Israel’s third largest city and he entry port to the Holy Land. As we had lost our visit to Egypt because of the troubles there we had an overnight in Israel as the alternative. There is plenty to see and do in Haifa, which is divided into three main parts, banking & commercial, Hador Carmel a residential area and Mount Carmel the main residential area. We hoped to explore Haifa on our own the second day if we had the time and energy. Our main focus on the first day was a visit to Jerusalem & Bethlehem. You obviously cannot do all the regions with only a two day stopover, other areas the ... read more

Geo: 31.7738, 35.2252After leaving our morning tour, we boarded the streetcar and rode down to the Damascus Gate, which marks the entrance to the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. Our afternoon tour -- of the Mount of Olives -- was to depart at 2:30 pm, and we had just enough time for a little shopping and a repeat lunch at Luna's Restaurant from the day before. We did not think it possible, but the Old City was even more packed than the day before. We had to walk along a good portion of the Via Dolorosa, and being Good Friday, there were throngs of pilgrams walking the Stations of the Cross, including some people carrying large crosses. The police and soldiers were everything. Our restaurant was along the Via Dolorosa, so it allowed us to ... read more

Geo: 31.7738, 35.2252Still soaking in the news of the promotion and adjusting to the new crowds of the Tel Aviv airport, we headed outside and secured a shared taxi (Nesher) which would take us to our hotel in Jerusalem. The Nesher taxis are 12-passenger minibuses which deposit people door-to-door. You tell the driver your destination, and once the bus is full, he is off. It should have been a 30-minute ride to Jerusalem, but we encountered very heavy traffic on the way, which extended the trip quite a bit. I noted earlier that we were visiting due true high season, with passover and both the Orthodox and Latin Christian Holy Weeks lining up together. Passover is a huge holiday in Israel, with most people off for the week. We also learned soon enough that during passover, ... read more