Jerusalem Too

Our first visit to Jerusalem left us wishing we'd seen some more things, like the City of David. This time the admiral managed to get a room at the Armenian Guest Hostel, at the very tony address of 36 Via Dolorosa. We would actually have rather stayed at the Christ Church Guest House but it was choc a block with Christian pilgrims. The Captain gives a hat tip to the Armenian quarter which occupies a tiny stronghold on the Way of the Cross. Oh, hostel or hospice, does not means 10 bucks a night. It is usually a C note and above. Location location location.

Not only that, but we got the penthouse suite, complete with large balcony. Note the 2 gray domes at the upper left, which mark the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Other things to notice include the planks at the left of the balcony that allow people to cross over from the dwelling under the tile roof, we assume to hang out their laundry. Also note the solar water heater, which pretty much every dwelling, be it house or hotel, seems to have in Israel. Lastly, we wish to point out the green-topped minaret at its very loud PA system. This was the only bad feature of the place, as the call to prayer at 7PM lasted almost 45 minutes and was at least 120 dB. Enough already. Oh, also the 4 a.m. call which really rattled our cage. That gives this hostel a big fat C minus minus minus.

A view from the balcony of Via Dolorosa, looking back to the first 2 Stations which are this side of the arch.

A woman with a yellow shopping bag mars this great shot of a procession. Capt Hub ran out to grab this shot from the convent courtyard where they served breakfast. Note that the Israeli soldier on the left is black, Ethiopian to be precise. We were surprised at how many black Israelis we'd see. We thought if they would send a delegation of black (people of color) Israelis to the US it would refute the idea that Israelis were racist. It would also make some heads explode...

This is a close-up of Lion's Gate, showing the critters at the top on both side of the gate. They are actually panthers, the heraldic crest of the Mamluk Sultan Baybars. They commemorate the Ottomon defeat of the Mamluks. As we mentioned before, the current walls of the Old City were built by the Ottoman Sultan Suliman the Magnificent.

This is Jaffa Gate, the usual entry for a visitor to the Old City. It was opened to motor traffic by the British. A map is essential as well as a phone because it's 99 % sure one of your party will get lost.

While waiting for Godot these lovely stallions galloped by.

Having a nose for freshly baked goodies, we could not resist a few pastries. Just about every alley sported delectable local concoctions from spicy falafel to gooey éclairs.

This closely resembles the Moroccan souks on roads less traveled. Some interesting kitsch amongst all the junk. Could be any gift shop on the Drag in Austin.

Only you ladies with a penchant for ear baubles will appreciate this cornucopia of trinkets.

Here Capt Hub bought a pair of 'Jesus' sandals made from genuine camel. Bargaining took a good 15 minutes. Seems like the proprietor got what he wanted when we found out he asked more than twice the going price! In other words, this tourist 'bargained' him 'down' to the retail shekel.

Old street in the Muslim quarter.

Meals on wheels.

This is David's Tomb on Mount Zion. We felt we'd been amiss by not climbing Mount Zion on our first visit. Little did we realize that we'd been there before but it was just across the street from Zion Gate (duh) and no climbing was necessary. Jerusalem is extremely hilly and an eight hour daily grind around the walls and within the city leave one opting for a hot tub at days end.

Walking down from Mt Zion we visited the City of David, the original City of Jerusalem that David conquered from the Jebusites. This is a view from the Acropolis across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives. The nasty village of Silwan is on the right.

Part of the original Canaanite walls.

These have been described in the past as being the tombs of David's family. This is not the current opinion of archeologists.

Another shot of the dangerous village of Silwan. Note the tombs in the lower left. The locals are using them as chicken coops and or storage.

This is not a tomb but a tunnel down to Jerusalem's old water system, dating back 3000 years. The water supply is what made Jerusalem a good location for a city. These steep steps are another knee pleaser.

This is not a cave but the original tunnel cut by the Canaanites. Visiting the later tunnel requires wading in knee-deep water, something we weren't prepared to do.

An artist's conception of the Gihon Spring and its protection. The spring was guarded both to ensure it wasn't poisoned and to deny it to anyone attempting a siege. David's army was supposed to have entered Jerusalem by going through the Spring. As we mentioned before, the location of Jerusalem was determined by the spring, not the high ground.

Finally, we visited the Jerusalem Archeological Park, which is on the SW corner of the Second Temple's foundation, or West Wall. Note the stone construction in the upper right, which is part of Robinson's Arch, a major entrance to the Second Temple.

Here's that model again, showing Robinson's Arch as well as the gates on the south side.

This is the south wall. The double gate is sealed and hard to see about midway along the wall. We assume the Muslims sealed it for the same reason as the Golden Gate, i.e. to control access.

A dumpy tourist walks down a 2000 year-old street along the West Wall. The blocks on the left are the remains of the Temple pulled down by the Romans in 70AD.

This section of the West Wall lacks the security and faithful of the more familiar section, but it's every bit as much part of the Second Temple. Herod's stonework, as usual, is perfect. Note the prayers stuck in the cracks.

We could have spent many more hours exploring this park, but we didn't know how late the buses ran to Ashlekon and needed to split. If there was one thing we didn't visit but wish we had it's the newly discovered tunnels that run under the Old City. They have caused much controversy when the Muslims became convinced they were being explored in order to damage or destroy the mosques on the Temple Mount. Rioting over the tunnels caused 12 deaths and it remains a sore point. We're sure they are fascinating but they require an appointment to visit and we didn't arrange one soon enough.

Well folks, that's our second visit to Jersusalem. This is a place where you could spend a month but we could only afford a week. We hope you find this place as fascinating as we do.

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