Yesterday was a long travel day. We were up around 4:00 AM local time in Jerusalem for our flight. Around 21 hours later, and by way of Reykjavik, Iceland (where it was snowing) we were in Boston.
As I had previously mentioned, we flew WOW Airlines. I was impressed with this low cost airline. New planes, decent but not great leg room, friendly crew and excellent prices, especially if you can travel light and avoid paying luggage fees.
We spent our last two days in Israel in and around the Jerusalem area. If you think of the "Big Three" in organized religions as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, there is no place on earth where all three have so many significant sites. I told Beth as we were sitting on a bench watching Jewish families stroll by during Shabbat that Jerusalem is the most interesting city I had ever visited. Maybe I was caught up in the moment but I don't think so, it really is a great place to visit.
Friday was spent exploring both Old and New Jerusalem by foot. Our hotel was located just off of Jaffa Road which connects the two parts of the city. First up was a visit to the local market (The Shuk) which takes up several city blocks in the new section of the city. We really enjoy visiting these when we have a chance and this one is definitely worth checking out. It was extremely busy with locals and visitors shopping for fresh foods and spices of all types as well as clothing, shoes and housewares.
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| One of the many busy pedestrian streets inside the Shuk |
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| Fresh Olives! |
From there we made our way back down Jaffa Road back to Old Jerusalem. We wanted to spend a little more time wandering the narrow passageways and taking in some of the great views of the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock. On our way we actually had a little unexpected surprise. The first stage of the Giro d' Italia (Tour of Italy) bike race was taking place. Now I'm not really sure why, but the first three stages were being held in Israel. It was a time trial stage and we were able to watch these incredible athletes pushing up a nine degree elevation hill to the finish line. They were averaging around 28 miles per hour over the course, which was filled with hills and tight turns.
We also spent a little time in the City of David Archeological Site which is just east of Old Jerusalem. It's pretty mind boggling to see these sites and to think of what they must have looked like more than 2,000-3,000 years ago.
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| One of the riders finishing the first stage of the Tour of Italy |
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| Seriously????? A University of Alabama Fan Shop in Old Jerusalem...... |
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| Inside the Dry Tunnel of the City of David. There was also a Wet Tunnel where you can walk for 45 minutes in water about 2-3 feet deep..............we decided to pass on the Wet Tunnel! |
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| Part of the City of David |
It was getting to be mid afternoon by this time. We were able to sit back and take in a very interesting scene, the start of Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath). This starts a few minutes before sunset on Friday and continues officially past sunset until three stars appear in the sky (about 30 minutes past sunset).
I can't speak for the whole city but in New Jerusalem, where we were staying, everything begins to shut down a couple of hours before sunset. Sitting on a bench on the busy Jaffa Road pedestrian mall and watching it close down, followed by watching thousands of Orthodox Jews heading towards the Western Wall and the numerous synagogues was an amazing scene. The link below will give you some additional insight of this observance. A few things in our hotel that happened on Shabbat were all TV's in public places were turned off, the specialty coffee machines were turned off and there was a Shabbat elevator that ran continuously stopping on every floor so anyone observing Shabbat wouldn't have to push a button. As interesting as it was watching everything shut down at the beginning of Shabbat was watching the busy area come back to life on Saturday night. Although many shops didn't open, most restaurants and cafes began to reopen around 8:15.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/what-is-shabbat-jewish-sabbath
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| Jaffa Road during Shabbat |
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| Typical scene along Jaffa Road when it wasn't Shabbat |
Saturday we used Abraham Tours to provide us with transportation to three sites about an hour out of town in the Judean Desert. We really liked Abraham Hostel and Tours motto and tag line "Stop Working and Start Traveling and "Traveling since 3,000 BC". First up was En Gedi Nature Reserve where several springs flow into a narrow canyon creating some small waterfalls and much needed trees and shade in the desert. From En Gedi it was on to Masada, which is a large area on a hilltop where Herod the Great built a fortress between 37 and 31BC. There are historical accounts of battles between Roman and Jewish settlers which led to mass suicide of close to 1,000 Jewish men, women and children. Once it became apparent that the more than 15,000 Romans were going to overtake the hilltop the residents chose death over slavery. It was a pretty brutal time back then. There are also accounts of the same Jewish folks who committed the mass suicide pillaging and killing other villages occupied by different Jewish settlements. The complexities of the middle east go back a long time!
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| En Gedi-They're called Rock Hyrax or Conies |
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| A real oasis in the desert |
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| An Ibex keeping an eye on us along the trail in En Gedi |
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| Masada |
Last up for the day was a visit to the Dead Sea, which at -1,450 feet below sea level is the lowest place on earth. It was fun to take a dip in the waters which have a salt content of around 35%. This is about ten times that of the ocean. One other interesting fact about the Dead Sea, it's actually been a lake for around 2 million years. It's true, you simply lean back and you're floating with just your butt and lower back in the water! The mud along the shore is quite popular for it's mineral content so we covered ourselves with mud, let it dry, rinsed it off and we now look 30 years younger!
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| Even I can float in the Dead Sea |
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| Beauty Treatment |
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| Beth and her beauty treatment |
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| Folks enjoying a dip in the Dead Sea |
We honestly didn't know what to expect on our visit to Israel and Jordan. As I previously mentioned, it's a complicated part of the world. It's also a part of the world with a deep and rich history that can be viewed as both tragic and magic. What we found was what we typically find wherever we go, a bunch of nice, friendly people who just want to enjoy life.
