Medīnat Yisrā'el part 2 of 2: Jerusalem, Nazareth/Galilea and area

---

Shalom! This is the second and last blog about my visit to Israel.

Jesuralem is the capital of Israel, but not recognized as such by the United Nations. It's the largest city in the country with approx. 700.000 people. Jerusalem is considered a holy city by Christians, Jews and Muslims and is the most visited city in Israel. It felt to me like an open-air museum with so much history, so much to see. Of course it all depends on what you want to see. The population of (ultra-) Orthodox Jews here is very big and is something you'll notice as soon as you arrive. Most sites are within the walls of the old city, which is divided into an Armenian quarter, Christian quarter, Jewish quarter and Muslim quarter. The Jewish quarter was destroyed in the war of 1948 and remained under Jordanian control until Israel won the Six Day war in 1967 against Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The Jewish quarter was completely rebuilt again.

There are tensions in Jerusalem (also between Jews themselves) but as a tourist you wouldn't feel a thing. It's normal to see soldiers with their automatic guns everywhere. Israeli boys are obliged to join the army for 3 years, girls for 2 years. The Arab citizens of Israel are not obliged to, neither the orthodox Jews. During my whole stay in Israel but in Jerusalem in particular, many things went through my mind...about all the political and ethnic problems and tensions and tensions with Iran (which would like to see Israel literally "disappear"). Many times I was wondering "how and when will this issue be solved"? IF it ever will?! I also saw the controversial wall between West Bank and Jerusalem and I just kept looking at it....again many things went through my mind!
I took a bus to from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem which takes just about 1,5 hours. At the bus station in Tel Aviv I was sitting next to a guy who is also serving his 3 years in the military and had a little conversation with him about the military. Once I arrived in Jerusalem I went to my hostel and went to the old town to start exploring. Here I joined an interesting free walking tour (tip-based) through the city. The whole old town is almost inaccessible for cars because the streets are narrow and consist of many stairs. There are markets and shops all over the place.



The holiest place for the Muslim is the "Temple Mount" with it's stunning Dome of the Rock where non-Muslims are not allowed to enter. As a non-Muslim you are allowed to wander outside around the place but because there were Muslim Holidays when I was there (Waqf Al Arafa-Hajj and Eid-al-adha), therefore I couldn't get near the place. For the same reason it was too complicated to go to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus which lies in the Palestinian Territory. The holiest place for the Jews is the famous "Wailing Wall" or "Western Wall". This wall are remnants of an old Jewish temple which they start building more than 2000 years ago. To approach the wall it's mandatory to have a cap or hat. If you don't have, free Jewish caps (kippah) are available. The cracks of the wall are filled with tiny pieces of paper where people write their wishes and prayers to God. To access the area you have to go through a short security control with metal detectors.
The holiest place for the Christians is the "Church of the Holy Sepulchre". This church is built on the place where Jesus was crucified and buried. A small hill used to stand at the site in the past. The church is crowded with visitors, some getting very emotional especially when approaching the site where the tomb used to be. I found it fascinating to see. Via Dolorosa is the name of the street where Jesus carried the cross. There is one spot on a wall where it is believed that Jesus put his hand to rest. The site where he started carrying the cross can also be visited, where there are still some sections of an old Roman road visible. Other interesting places I visited were the house where Maria (virgin Mary) was born and Maria's tomb. Outside the old city walls I visited Mount of Olives, a hill with a slope covered by graves of the old Jewish cemetery at the place. From the top of the hill you have excellent views over Jerusalem and over the Palestinian Territory with the controversial wall dividing the two.
I also went on Mt. Zion where the Tomb of King David is located. Here I saw for the first time how the Orthodox Jews are praying, bending their upper body repeatedly. Many of them were there and the sound of the prayers with the bending made me feel a bit uncomfortable hahaha...it was new and "strange" to me. Nearby you can also visit the room where Jesus had his last supper. The Chamber of the Holocaust is also next door, which is like a small museum with its walls covered with nameplates of victims and some different things used by the victims and SS-men during the Holocaust.

After Jerusalem I went up north to Nazareth, the "child-hood town" of Jesus. The city has just less than 100.000 inhabitants of whom 70%!a(MISSING)re Arabs and let's say 29%!C(MISSING)hristian. The city isn't going through its best times but great effort has and is being done to improve the economic situation. The government wants to develop more tourism and make tourists stay for some time in the city, since many tourists just visit for one day and leave the city again. I spent three nights in Nazareth. It's a good base if you want to go visit and explore Golan Heights and the area of the Sea of Galilee. I did enjoy Nazareth because I found it different from the other parts of Israel I saw. People are very friendly and helpful.
The "Basilica of the Annunciation" is a church built on the site where Maria used to live and where she heard for the first time that she's going to give birth to a son. There is also this place in the city walled "Mary's well", where Maria used to go to take water. The Greek Orthodox also have a church and claiming that's the place where Maria heard the announcement for the first time. Like in Jerusalem, I took an interesting, free walking tour (tip-based) in Nazareth too. The best thing of the tour was that the guide doesn't go to the usual places (touristy), but to the locals and their businesses, shops etc. and they tell their story and explain how it all started. It gave me a positive impression of the city as a whole, where many are working hard to advance and move forward in life. One of the most interesting places was this little spices factory where they process all kinds of spices you can imagine and have been doing it for about a 100 years!

From Nazareth I took a tour to the area of the Sea of Galilea and the Golan Heights. The Sea of Galilee is the largest fresh water lake in Israel. The Golan Heights used to be mostly a Syrian territory but was lost to Israel after the war in 1967. Israel controls the area and there is a UN-buffer zone to help keeping things calm.

We stopped at the ruins of "Capernaum", an UNESCO World Heritage site. It's an old fishermen village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus used to spend time and many of his disciples came from here. It was a small town which is mentioned several times in the Bible. Today the Roman ruins are clearly visible. We continued towards the "Mount of the Beatitudes", where there is a church built on the site where Jesus did the Sermon on the Mount. The "Hermon Stream Natural Reserve" was a beautiful stop. Here we hiked down a small canyon, then along the Nahr River and ended up in front of the small but beautiful Banias waterfall. We also made a stop at a winery called "Odem Mountain Winery" where we tasted different kinds of wine produced here. The most interesting place we visited was the Mount Bental at 1171m high. There is an old military bunker here and from the top you can see Syria and the border between Israel and Syria. You can actually go into the bunker which was very dark but fun to do.

Well, my visit to Israel was very interesting and I'm glad I visited...I don't regret it! Would like to come a second time to see other parts of the country and the West Bank. My mate Gidi in Tel Aviv treated me extremely well and it was great to catch up, hear others travel stories and just hang out for a couple of days.

Till the next blog...insh'Allah!

---

Comments

[wilfrido Lovert]

Hopi bunita i leerzaam. Thank you.