Blogs from Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel, Middle East - page 15

The Temple Mount is one of the holiest sites in the Abrahamic religions. This was the site of the First Temple, built by King Solomon around the tenth century BCE. This temple was built on top of the location of the Foundation Stone, believed by Jews and Moslems to be the spiritual junction of heaven and earth. The temple stood for 410 years before being destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II. The First Temple contained the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Today, the Dome of the Rock stands on top of the Foundation Stone. This is also considered to be the place where Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice before being stopped by an Angel of the Lord. This story is mentioned in the Koran, as well ... read more

I had heard many stories about the added security screening people face when going to Israel. El Al’s pre-flight security checks are legendary, and I had read horror stories about getting though (or not getting through) Israeli Immigration. There is good reason for these precautions, and I certainly understand the Israeli’s caution. I wasn’t particularly concerned. My point of departure was a small regional airport in California, where getting through security took all of three minutes. I wasn’t flying El Al, I am a near-sighted, middle-aged, reasonably pleasant woman with a US passport, and I am registered with the US Global Entry and Trusted Traveler programs. I connected in Newark to my flight to Tel Aviv. Even though I had already gone through security at my departure airport, I had to go through security again in ... read more

Welcome to the Old City We bumble our way to one of the main bus stations in Tel Aviv and after asking strangers, ascertain the correct bus to Jerusalem. They leave regularly, multiple times within every hour, so our chances are good. A young man, who looks nearer my age than not, tells us in clear English what we need to know as he’s boarding the same bus. We take a seat in the back and I start re-poring through my Lonely Planet guide, underlining the sights that I think will be feasible. We’re headed to one of two hostels within the Old City. Henry only had a bare couple of hours within the place, mostly at the Western Wall and he’s hankering to go back. Considering this small acreage is the site of so much ... read more

New York was windy, and after a bouncy landing, we found Dianne's friend, Julie, and our ride with Percy began. Percy is some sort of UN Ambassador At Large Extraordinary Plenipotentiary (I don't make this stuff up)and his driver whisked us into the city to meet Dianne's other friend, Toby. Toby was waiting with cosmos in hand - I could have kissed him, I was so excited! We walked a few locks in the oh-so-gorgeous city to eat Italian, then back to the airport... El Al airlines believes in safety and security- and that takes time. We were all questioned separately before being allowed to stand in the check in line. For what ever reason (maybe I do fit the profile!) I got more questions than the others, but finally I joined Hagit and Dianne. next ... read more

This morning I took a taxi to the top of the Mount of Olives. I climbed the 278 steps of the belltower of the Church of the Ascension. There are great views from there of Jerusalem in one direction and the Judean desert in the other. Afterward, as I walked downhill from the church, I came upon an olive grove with a view of the Old City that I liked even better than the view from the belltower. (See picture) Next i visited the Church of Mary Magdalene which is unique in Jerusalem for its gold onion domes. (See picture) Also, the grounds have a lovely garden that is reportedly part of the Garden of Gethsemane. From there I walked back into the city and sat and rested awhile in the shade of St. Anne's churchyard ... read more