First day in Jeursalem

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This was our first day in Jerusalem, and we were on our own. After breakfast, we walked about 20 minutes or so to the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City. Jerusalem is, basically, in two parts: the Old City and the New City. Today, we visited only the Old City which is totally surrounded by a magnificent, very high stone wall dating back hundreds of years. Upon entrance, we immediately entered an Arab market and walked down to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is the thought-to-be location of both the crucifixion and burial of Christ. Immediately inside the building, we encountered an Orthodox priest cleaning a stone that some think Christ’s body was laid upon when taken down from the cross. After spending some time in the building, we walked along the Via Dolorosa (the route of Jesus carrying his cross to the crucifixion site) backwards. This entire route now is lined with many, many Arab shops selling everything that one can imagine. We also visited several of the stations (ie where Jesus was crowned with thorns, etc) and also the place where Mary was supposedly born. At one stop, we tried freshly squeezed pomegranete juice which was very refreshing and tasty. Following lunch in a street café, we toured the Armenian and Jewish sections of town. We ended our exploring in the Tower of David museum which has extensive archaeological digs showing the history of Jerusalem. From the tower itself, the view of the Old City is magnificent. As today was the Jewish Sabbath, many things were closed, including the Temple Mount. So, we’ll be back when more things are open. Later in the evening, we went to a café with good lattes and free internet to touch base with Mom, and recharge a bit. One quick observation, the presence of many security cameras and armed soldiers on patrol reminded us of the basic tension in the air here. The Old City is divided into several sections: Christian, Jewish, Armenian, Arab, etc etc. The lines are pretty clearly drawn and all are existing in mutual tolerance with an overlay of slight tension. Tomorrow, we’ll continue our exploring with our guide, Anat.

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