Israel
Al Muşrārah

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 45

      Shabbat Shalom

      June 10, 2023 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      We really did have a restful start to Shabbat. After a very long day yesterday which ended at nearly 3am today, we both slept in - Loss more so than me as I had to wake her at 11am.

      Being Shabbat, things were very quiet anyway. While Loss was still sleeping I went in search of a mini market to buy some milk. There are several near us but none were open, so a ‘long black’ it was :)
      We eventually made our way down Ben Yehuda Street and found that our favourite non-Kosher restaurant (Zuni) was open so we indulged in a real lunch. Fortified by this and feeling much refreshed after our sleep, we kept walking to the Jaffa Gate via the Mamilla centre. Our one and only plan was to do The Tower of David / Kishle museum which was surprisingly open on Shabbat - I had seen this online before coming.
      Being a bit obssessed with Herod the Great and his building works, I was pretty keen to see this.
      It’s a brand new excavation and exhibition and I was particularly interested to see the excavated base of the Phasael tower which is part of Herod’s palace complex right by the Jaffa gate and has just recently been opened to the public.
      On the way down Hillel street we noted that there is also a new, large museum where we remembered a construction site last time we were here. We saw it was named ‘The Museum of Tolerance’ as we approached it and weren’t quite sure what that meant. However, in the forecourt area is a display of all the Jewish Nobel Prize winners and a brief description of their field of expertise.
      This is exactly what Darren Tappouras was speaking of at the combined day on 14 May (which we had streamed while travelling in the UK) and I have included a video of it.

      Continuing on, its always a thrill to enter the Old City and we immediately found the entrance to the Kishle display just around to the right of the Jaffa gate. The audiovisual displays and artefacts are really excellent and we spent a long time going through these, As there was no signage to the contrary and the staff were unconcerned, we photographed and videoed each one. We then moved outside to the courtyard area (just adjacent to where the night time sound and light shows take place) and found all the relevant excavated walls from Herod’s Palace.
      Eventually we were being chased out by the staff as we had stayed beyond closing time but there is still more to see! Our friendly guy on the Jaffa gate exit said he would let us sneak back in tomorrow to finish this off without having to pay for another entrance fee - as long as he was on duty. We shall see.

      It was then time for a bit of a wander down through the Arab markets; up onto the roof of the markets where all four quarters of the old city can be seen; Western Wall Plaza, which was just starting to come to life as Shabbat was drawing to a close; a bit of a wander around the Jewish Quarter and then back towards the new city still in search of a super (or mini) market that was open. We found one - but they had already sold out of milk.
      No ingredients for self catering tonight, so its off to the YMCA restaurant (opposite the King David hotel) for dinner which we had enjoyed last time when we had stayed there.
      Alas, we arrived at 8.10pm and the kitchen had just closed so we decided we would head down to the Mamilla Centre to find somewhere to eat.
      This plan changed again when we spied the Supermarket across the road had now opened, so we bought some overpriced ingredients for dinner and returned to the apartment.

      Our restful start to Shabbat ended up being quite busy with about 13km of walking which is probably pretty standard for a day in Jerusalem.
      Read more

    • Day 50

      A bang and not a whimper

      June 15, 2023 in Israel ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

      Whenever we holiday, we always like to go out with a bang rather than a whimper and today was a good example of that.
      The weather was fine but slightly cooler and we revisited some familiar places. We also stumbled across a great new way to do Hezekiah’s tunnel if you’re on a budget.

      We commenced by trying out the light rail system in preparation for tomorrow when we hope to catch the light rail to Jerusalem central station then catch the fast train direct to BenGurion airport. We knew we needed to buy physical tickets for the light rail and we didn’t want to be stumbling around tomorrow with a full complement of luggage trying to work out the unfamiliar ticketing system.
      It was just as well we did.
      After several attempts to purchase a ticket at 3 different machines on Jaffa street we eventually got a physical card (a bit like an Opal Card for Sydney people) loaded with two single fares. We thought we had read that 2 people could share one card (and simply debit it twice when boarding) but when we did board the next tram to Damascus Gate station we found that it would only debit one fare . . . .so one of us was riding ticketless . . . again. Later re-reading the fine print we discovered that you can indeed share a single ticket on all forms of public transport EXCEPT the light rail.

      We got off at Damascus Gate and thankfully no ticket inspectors ‘detained us for further questioning’. We endeavoured to purchase another card at Damascus Gate station but none of the machines would cooperate. Eventually we surmised that they had run out of the physical cards in the machine so it was impossible to buy a valid fare by this method.
      We walked into the old city through the Damascus Gate, through the market street where we bought some delicious looking baklava at a fraction of the price it is in a ‘regular’ shop and then turned left on Via Dolorosa to get to the Lion Gate. The purpose of this was because Loss hadn’t been to the Lion Gate before and it had of course featured prominently in our ‘Ammunition Hill’ experience yesterday as being the gate through which the Old City was taken in 1967.
      We stood outside the gate and discussed this, noting that most of the gunfire damage inflicted on the gate in 1967 has now been repaired.
      We then took a few steps back inside the gate to visit St. Anne’s Church in the grounds of which are the remains of the Pool of Bethesda. We had visited this before but it was good to see some new information and signage which made the layout of the site much easier to understand.
      We continued back along Via Dolorosa with the sole intention of enjoying coffee and apple strudel at the Austrian Hospice. However, a sign on the side of the Ecce Homo Pilgrim House caught my eye indicating that parts of the Strouthion Pool and the rockscarp of the Antonia fortress could be observed inside. I had heard about such a site but wasn’t sure of its location - now I knew.
      Entry required a few shekels in cash which I didn’t have, but the Australian lady on the reception area kindly let us go in anyway. The archaeological aspects were surprisingly good and quite well placarded and we enjoyed piecing this together with our understanding of Herod’s Temple and its associated structures. We had seen the Antonia Fortress rockscarp from the Temple Mount a few days ago and part of the Strouthion Pool on the Western Wall Tunnels tour from a few years ago. Now we were seeing the opposite side of these same features.
      Caffeine and strudel were calling and we were not to be sidetracked again. The Austrian Hospice is a wonderfully tranquil haven just a few metres away from the noise and bustle of the streets below and we rested here for a while, taking the opportunity to do our Bible readings in a most enjoyable location. The rooftop view from the Hospice is also quite good and we enjoyed picking out many of the features that we had visited over the past 5 days from this vantage point.

      Next up was a retracing of steps down the Via Dolorosa, back through the Lion’s Gate, down across the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives. We accidentally discovered a new stairway adjacent to the Garden of Gethsemane site that leads right up to the crest of the Mount which was much safer and somewhat easier than dodging cars flying up the narrow, winding road.

      We lingered here for a while taking in that view of which you never tire. We decided we would head down and walk the Kidron Valley as they have installed a new path that runs down its length. As we made our way down we noted some excellent signage with Bible references to events that had taken place in the Kidron.

      Unexpectedly, we came across a structure that looked like a large open Bedouin tent with seats, couches and refreshments. We initially didn’t have any intention of engaging with the proprietors but the young Israeli man told us it was a new feature of the City of David company. Looking about, it did have appropriate signage so we let him speak on.
      For a small fee of 15 shekels (equivalent to just over AUD$6) we would be taken on a tour down the rest of the Kidron and then given access to a ‘side entrance’ into Hezekiah’s tunnel to either do the Wet or Dry tunnel as we chose. Additionally they would provide a courtesy shuttle ride for us back up the valley if we wished - and the absolute clincher was that they made us a free cup of mint tea in the pleasantly cool tent while I paid via the online facility!
      Loss got to ride in a sidesaddle sort of arrangement on the gopher driven by our ‘guide’ who hailed from Silwan and spoke not a word of English - but no matter, because he had a magic phone that opened locked gates in our path and then a magic key that opened the ‘secret’ gates where Hezekiah’s tunnel can be accessed from the side of the Kidron Valley.
      It was quite disorienting to approach Hezekiah’s tunnel in this way.
      We stood there for a few minutes getting our bearings, said goodbye to our Arab guide, allowed some groups to pass and then we found that the normally packed Gihon spring fortifications area was completely empty!
      We spent about half an hour going back around all this area, taking photos and watching the excellent audiovisual demonstration that helps make it all very understandable. Being able to move around this area freely with no one else there except 2 Israeli information people who also answered a few of our questions was just amazing.
      Now we started to hear voices coming down from above so it was time to go.
      As we had not come with shoes or clothing to do the ‘wet’ tunnel, we opted for the dry (Canaanite) tunnel which neither of us had done before.
      This was also a bonus, as right with us was a knowledgeable guide and his sole client who filled in some background information on this tunnel and how it was used for irrigation during David’s time.
      Once exiting the ‘dry’ tunnel and as we were still within the bounds of the City of David facility we were able to go and investigate some more of the archeological features in this lower area of the site, including walls from the first temple period.
      We decided to walk back up to the starting point of the City of David rather than right down to the Siloam Pool, so as it turned out we did a full City of David experience starting in the Kidron Valley for exactly half the cost of a ‘regular’ City of David ticket.

      So, there’s a tip for anyone travelling on a budget! This operation has only been going for five months and as far as we were concerned, it was a winner.

      Our final activity for the day was to visit ‘The Time Elevator’ which is a motion-ride experience that takes you through the history of Jerusalem in a novel way. It had moved from its previous location up near Jerusalem Tower hotel and is now down in the Mamilla Centre. We got there just in time for the last show of the day at 5.20pm - and as we were literally the only ones in the theatre they played the English soundtrack for us over the theatre speakers rather than having to listen to the translation through headphones.
      It was pretty much the same as we had remembered with a few added touches at the conclusion but I particularly enjoy the way they portray the scenes that involve Jeremiah and Zedekiah.
      We made our way back towards our unit with a detour to try to buy another Light Rail ticket in preparation for tomorrow’s trip. After 2 more unsuccessful attempts we finally got a machine to spit out a ticket.

      And the Damascus Gate baklava was very much enjoyed after dinner.

      So ends our Jerusalem visit. We didn’t visit many of the ‘classic’ sites because we had been to them before and were well familiar with them. What we did this time was to seek out new points of interest (e.g. Annas’ tomb) and to also spend more time at places that we had not had sufficient time to explore properly in past visits, at the same time enjoying the new archeological finds that have taken place since we last visited.

      It has been a wonderful 7 weeks. We have suffered no illness or injuries. The weather has been remarkably good and the experiences diverse and enriching. We have been truly blessed.

      It’s now time to head home to our ‘real’ life. May it be that we will be in Jerusalem again very soon when it is ‘made a praise in all the earth’.

      And thank you to all those who have followed this blog and for those who have contributed (and helped correct some entries) along the way over the past 50 days.
      Hopefully it has been informative and entertaining in equal measures.
      May God bless you all.
      Read more

    • Day 4

      Tag 3 - Jerusalem

      December 19, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      Für mich (Pauli) war es der Tag vor dem Wettkampf. Es stand also lediglich Training, Judogi Kontrolle und Waage an.

      Fabi ist von Tel Aviv nach Jerusalem mit dem Zug gefahren und dort auf Nico (der Freund von Mascha) getroffen und besichtigten kurz die Altstadt und besuchten uns im Hotel. Zusammen haben die sich einen schönen Abend in einer besonderen Bar gemacht, zu der man nur durch ein Bücherregal eintritt bekam. Auf dem Rückweg gingen die zwei durch ein Rabbi viertel in dem Fabi meinte hätte er sich noch nie so fehl am Platz gefühlt. Alle trugen ihre Hüte und langen lockigen Kotletten (Pejot), bis auf Fabi und Nico 😅Read more

    • Day 8

      > 20.000 Schritte

      May 1, 2023 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Wir starten mit Frühstück, dass ganz gut ist. Dann geht es mit dem Programm los. Dies leider auch etwas verspätet, da unterwegs einige coole Lädchen sind. Ich verteile sozusagen Verbot in ein Geschäft rein zu gehen.

      Unser erster Halt ist bei Golgatha und dem Gartengrab. Etwas versteckt und unscheinbar aber trotz allem ein schöner Garten und eine gute Möglichkeit inne zu halten und Gott zu danken.
      Ein bisschen ausruhen an der Klagemauer.

      Davidsstadt und einmal durch den Hiskiatunnel schleichen - na klar! Doch als wir unten ankommen, den schmalen Gang und das kniehohe Wasser sehen, kommen wir etwas ins Zweifeln. Aber nein, umkehren werden wir nicht. Also geht es barfuß los, ca. 40min durch einen schulterbreiten Wassertunnel.

      Wir müssen unsere müden Füße ein wenig beim Aroma ausruhen lassen und können in der Zeit des Kaffeeschlürfens die Menschen in der Einkaufsmall beobachten.

      Auf dem Weg zurück zeige ich den anderen meinen Gewürz-Freund auf dem Schuk (Markt). Editha verfällt in einen Kaufrausch. Und ich versuche dem Typen einen neuen deutschen Satz beizubringen damit er nicht immer: „Achso oder wunderbar“ sagen muss.
      Read more

    • Day 9

      We walked our feet of in Jerusalem

      May 2, 2023 in Israel ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

      Der Wecker klingelt. Wir sind mittlerweile routiniert und schaffen es sogar schon bis 9.00 Uhr gegessen zu haben. Mein Vorschlag für heute war Ramparts Walk (Stadtmauer entlang laufen). Ich kriege das sogar für den halben Preis weil ich gesagt habe dass ICH Student bin.
      Nach einer halben Stunde in der Sonne und mehreren Treppen, die wir passieren müssen haben die Mädels keinen Mut mehr und wir nehmen die Fluchttreppe. Dabei lege ich mich auf meine schon angeknackste Rückenseite hin… kurzer autsch-Moment 🫣😬.

      Dann geht es natürlich wieder zur Klagemauer. Unser nächster Termin ist in LiveTheBible wo wir einige hübsche Fotos machen. Schaut euch das gerne an😀.

      Wir schaffen es heute tatsächlich auf den Tempelberg dabei muss Steffi ihre Bibel unten lassen. Als mich der Typ nach meinem Buch fragt, zeige ich ihm einfach meinen Reiseführer. Und trotzdem holen wir die Bibel nicht raus weil alle ein ungutes Gefühl haben. Wir müssen uns Röcke überziehe, da wir nicht koscher genug angezogen sind. Nach knapp 10-15 Minuten verlassen wir den Platz wieder und fühlen uns direkt etwas besser…

      Um 15.00 Uhr finden wir uns im Holy Temple Visitor Center ein, damit wir eine Führung bezüglich des Tempels und des dritten Tempels bekommen.

      Zum Abend gibt es wieder Falafel in Pita. Danach fühlen wir uns wieder etwas fitter. Wir machen uns auf die Suche nach Cinnamon Rolls Aber Editha ist schon echt anspruchsvoll. Da unsere Beine uns kaum noch tragen wollen nehmen wir ausnahmsweise mal die Bahn. Wir schlendern über den Mahane Yehuda und wir halten bei einem Halwa Stand an. Wir dürfen auch probieren. Editha beschließt ein wenig mitzunehmen und wird fast 20€ los. Ganz geschickt gemacht der Verkäufer… dafür ist die Stimmung etwas angespannt. Alle haben Mitleid und wir werden das teure Stück Halwa auf uns aufrollen. Im Busbahnhof finden wir endlich die Cinnamon Rolls und unser Abendsnack ist uns sicher.
      Etwas ko geht es ins Zimmer vom Hostel mit dem Ziel noch mal aufzustehen wenn es dunkel wird. Das reicht aber nur fürs duschen und für die Nacht fertig machen. Wir schaffen es gerade noch unseren Abschnitt zu lesen bevor ich einfach einschlafe. Die UNO-Karten hat Justine leider umsonst ausgeteilt und Steffi erbarmt sich über meine Lampe damit die nicht die ganze Nacht brennt…
      Leila Tov (Gute Nacht)!

      Irgendwie hab ich das Gefühl dass die Gespräche dann erst losgehen…🤣😂.
      Read more

    • Day 18

      Erste Impressionen

      February 24, 2019 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

      Zunächst mussten unsere Lebensmittelvorräte aufgefüllt werden und die Auswahl auf dem Bazar war für uns schon überwältigend, denn hier gab es nur leckere, frische Sachen. Dabei weiß man gar nicht mit was man anfangen und aufhören soll.Read more

    • Day 24

      Statt Quarantäne nach Jerusalem

      March 9, 2020 in Israel ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

      Nachdem wir gestern erfahren haben, dass unser Flug gestrichen wurde, wachten wir heute mit der Nachricht auf, dass wir in Quarantäne müssen. Israels Regierung hat festgelegt, dass alle, die in Palästina waren 14 Tage nicht das Haus verlassen dürfen. Dies löste in der Gruppe eine ziemlich bedrückende Stimmung aus. Mittlerweile hat sich das Auswärtige Amt anders positioniert und meint, dass wir keine Probleme haben werden, da wir schon lange im Land sind. Erstmal werde wir das Programm fortsetzen. Wir sind sehr gespannt wie es weitergehen wird. Auf dem Weg nach Jerusalem stoppten wir in den Nationalpark Bet Schean. Hier sahen wir uns mehrere Stunden eine römische Ausgrabungsstätte an. Unter anderem sah man hier ein Amphitheater, ein byzantinisches Badehaus und ein römischer Tempel. Ein sehr heißer Tag der aber insgesamt sehr ruhig war. Mittags Picknickten wir in einem sehr idyllischen Park. Zum Glück konnten wir abends unser schönes Hostel beziehen und durch die Straßen ziehen.Read more

    • Day 7

      Jerusalem - Armenisches Viertel

      October 25, 2019 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Etwa 14 Prozent der Altstadt umfasst das Armenische Viertel, hier leben 2500 Menschen. Die Armenier nahmen in 4. Jahrhundert als erstes Volk das Christentum als Staatsreligion an. So entstand eine armenische Gemeinde in Jerusalem zur Bewachung der heiligen Stätte. Auch unter islamischer Herrschaft behaupteten sie sich. Infolge des Völkermordes an den Armeniern im ersten Weltkrieg gelangten 20.000 armenische Flüchtlinge nach Israel, wovon viele auch in Jerusalem blieben.

      Hier nehmen wir ein traditionelles israelisches Mittagessen ein. Es besteht aus Fladenbrot, das mit verschiedenen Zutaten und Saucen gefüllt werden kann und sehr schmackhaft ist. Wir hören auch, dass viele Israelis Vegetarier sind oder nur sehr selten Fleisch essen.

      Nach dieser letzten Station fahren wir mit dem Bus circa 45 Minuten zurück zum Hafen von Ashdod .
      Read more

    • Day 3

      Long first day(s)

      July 13, 2023 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      Yesterday was long. I was away for over 24 hours, possibly the first time ever. Despite a few hiccups, we arrived safe and sound in Jerusalem. It was an adventure, but I don't want to focus on the negatives (mostly things out of my control and a couple of dumb mistakes on my part).

      We are in a beautiful apartment not far from Ben Yehuda. Some website calls this neighborhood Nahlaot but I have no idea if that is accurate. Everything seems old and significant and mysterious. Arch-covered alleys leading to courtyards or other streets, half-naked Israeli women smoking and walking beside Hasidim, Hebrew all around us (that we don't understand at all). I'm sure we stick out like sore thumbs - when people immediately flip into English, that's a sure sign. Does that mean they look down at us? I don't know. It's scary and intriguing. I wish I could just wander the streets all day taking it in.

      But, we have to get some things in. Not sure what it will be today. Maybe the Old City.
      Read more

    • Day 2

      Abendessen im Mahane Yehuda Market

      July 18, 2023 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Nach einer kurzen Pause im Hotel, geht es weiter zum Basar von Jerusalem.
      Nach einem Kreuz und Quer bei dem wir fast die Orientierung verloren haben, endet unser Besuch bei einem leckeren Libanesischen Mahl.

      Verwundert war die Bedienung, dass wir als deutsche nicht vegetarisch sind und Aubergine nicht bei uns ganz oben auf der Speisekarte steht.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Al Muşrārah, Al Musrarah

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android