Jerusalem

Note: The software says we were in Palestine, but I have no idea where the official border is and where the conflicting claims start and end. So please don't infer any political inference on my side.

Today, we visited Jerusalem. The journey was somewhat easier than that of the crusades, but we did have a difficult start. Tel Aviv is one of the last places where there is a closed market for taxis. Result, it's very difficult to get one. Yesterday I couldn't get one at all. This morning, we again would have missed the train if it had not been late because it took 30 minutes to get a taxi to the station. The poor crusaders might never have made it because they wouldn't have had the Tel Aviv taxi app.

Enough silliness, we are off to the most fought over holy city in history ( as far as I can tell), and we arrive around 1030, in what must be good competition with Moscow for the deepest train station in the world, and probably the only one with massive bomb blast doors two escalators down ( out of 4 in total).

Various people help us find the old city, including an old gentleman from Glasgow. It is weird to meet someone who has the same strong accent as Frankie, dressed in traditional clothes.

The old city itself is split into 4 parts, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Armenian. We take a free walking tour, with guide Tania, who turns out to be really excellent. 1st main stop is the Christian quarter and the church of the holy sepulchre. This, for me, explains why I have little time for religion. The church was fought until 1850 fought over by catholics, orthodox, Armenians, ethiopian Christians, and more. In that year, they came to an agreement to define specific parts of the church for each sect. Why do they fight? , well, there is a cave under the church where Jesus arose from the dead. Protestants think it's the wrong cave, and the right one is 3km away on the mount if olives 🫒 🤔 .
Of course that's not the end of it, next we are in the Muslim quarter which has a souk (market), and where the guide explains that Jordan controlled Jerusalem from 1948 ( Independence) until the 6 day war in 1967 where the coordinated Arab attack backfired disastrously giving Israel control of not just Jerusalem but also the West Bank, and other areas. Of course, in terms of religion, two Muslim things are noticeable, first the calls to prayers, and 2nd the Al Akbar mosque. The latter is actually just outside the current limits of the old city that are defined by the Ottoman built wall, and it is only accessible from the Jewish quarter. Tania tells us that it was Moses who suggested Mohammed go back several times to God to reduce his wish for prayers 50 times a day, to just 5 times a day. Thank goodness for Moses.
Onward to the Jewish quarter, which is noticeablely different , without any market or restaurants, and on to the Western Wall, which has high religious significance for Judaism since it is all that remains of the original temple. We separate into male and female groups and have a look at the wall and those praying there. We expect solemnity and quiet prayers, but what we experience is a bustling and somewhat chaotic mix of prayers and tourists. Oscar and I have no baseball caps, so we don white kippas for this step.
Finally, the Armenian quarter. Why is there an Armenian quarter at all you may ask, and the answer is that according to the Bible, Noah's ark came to rest on a mountain in Armania. (What is not at all clear is how Armenians came to control a quarter in old Jerusalem).
At around 530pm, after seven hours,on a very hot day, we are all exhausted , and head off back to Tel Aviv by tram, train, and lastly, bus. Children fall asleep almost instantly so that Flo ,Alex, and I once have a chance to chat and exchange photos over a beer in the modest lounge of the guest house.Читать далее