Letters from Israel - A Day in Old Jerusalem

 

Israel - A Day in Old Jerusalem 

Israel Photo Album

I spent all of one day wandering around the narrow winding streets of Old Jerusalem - trying to remember what I could of history & Bible stories. I was surprised to see that Old Jerusalem is probably much like it was during the time of Christ in that it is a busy town: shops & vendors, bakeries & cafes & markets - all competing for space as much as it is a busy neighborhood with kids playing or heading to & from school, residents visiting neighbors & shopping & just living their lives.

For some silly reason I was imagining something more like Petra where the historical buildings sit empty & quietly while tourists come to marvel at what once was. Old Jerusalem is charged up & hectic! Motorbikes, carts, & all forms of devout & clergy navigating among neighbors & vendors & tourists. Example - the stations of the cross are well marked…in between vendor stalls! Ok- it's kind of a mad house! The Christian, Muslim, & Jewish sectors each have their own style.

The Christian area is the most chaotic & commercial with souvenir & candy shops everywhere. The Jewish section is very refined - museums, art galleries, fine craft & expensive jewelry shops, interspersed with good cafés. I did not get a chance to see the Muslim sector as it was Muhammad's birthday & open only to those coming to pray. 

The historical highlight for me was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as under one cathedral are the sites where Jesus was reported to have been crucified, cleansed after death, & then entombed - all within a fairly compact space. Though the faithful are mixed in with the curious - it is impressive to see how meaningful these sites are to the devout.

My trip back to Amman, Jordan was not so easy is my arrival - I'll spare the details - as I had to exit Israel through a border several hours to the north rather than the one I had entered. However, the few buses that I took to get back allowed me to see a little more of Israel. The intense contrast of the desert juxtaposed to agricultural areas is impressive. The Israelis have impressive water management & greenhouse systems to enable the rich farm lands that produce tons of tomatoes, eggplants, date palms, & on & on.