An Incredible Day in Jerusalem's Old City - Day 1

Israel was not the purpose of our trip so why are we here in Jerusalem?  I was determined to squeeze a visit into our itinerary, even if It had to be brief.   It is hard to overstate the historical significance of Jerusalem, one of the oldest cities, with a history that goes back to the 4th millennium BCE. With three of the world's major faiths – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam – it is a fascinating and diverse destination.

View of Jerusalem's Western Wall and Temple Mount

It is for sure that travel stretches your mind - but spending a day in Jerusalem is hands-down the biggest epiphany I've had in any single day in all my travels. Every scene I was pinching myself, so surprised I was actually here seeing and experiencing all of the stories and the events that have shaped the world. Nothing compares to it or prepares you for it. Not actively practicing our beliefs, Greg and I were raised Christian. Unlike no other of our travels, today came with the realization that through our pilgrimage to Jerusalem we can understand, appreciate, and own a piece of the (religious) history that happened here.

If this post is disjointed or incongruent, please grant me grace - it's taken 5,000 years to make any sense of what is going on here, and I've composed these thoughts in a few hours while exhausted in the middle of the night. In hindsight, as my legs are aching to the touch even though I've recently trained them for a marathon, I want to say I wouldn't plan a day like this again. But who am I kidding.

Spoiler alert - you're going to be mentally and physically exhausted just reading this post. If you're familiar with Jerusalem then these pictures will stir your memories but if, like us, it is your first time being exposed to these sites and pictures, your expectations are blown out of the water.

When we arrive to the citadel of Jerusalem's Old City at 5:30am, I immediately took in the sight of the impressive walls lit up at night and appreciated the moment and the fact that I am here to experience it.

We were dropped off at the Old City just inside Jaffa Gate

It's a brisk 44 degrees outside with a forecast to get only 10 degrees warmer. But at least it is not raining, like it was a few days ago.

On our way to drop our bags off at our 'hotel' (hostel) within the walls, we decide to stop nearby for a quick look at the Holy Sepulchre that opens at 4am. The goal was to see Jesus' tomb before the massive lines begin - but the tomb itself wasn't open yet.

The aedicule is the small chapel housing the Holy Sepulchre - the empty tomb of Jesus. It is located under the large rotunda. 

While the 'Holy Sepulchre' might sound like a ornate wand ceremoniously belonging to an important person, it is literally the tomb of Jesus - now located in a church, and not just any church. For Christians, it is the holiest place you can visit. It is where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. Normally it is packed full of people but not at 6am - though we are by no means the only ones here at this ungodly hour.

The Stone of Anointing is believed to be where Jesus' body was prepared for burial. 

The Calgary/Golgotha, the site of Jesus' crucifixion and most lavishly decorated part of the church.  You can see the rock through the glass on each side of the altar.

Directly under the Golgotha is a crack in the rock that happened during the earthquake at the moment Jesus died. Scientists have dated this crack to 2000 years ago.

The outside of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is cramped and somewhat nondescript.  

Dropping off our bags, Chris and I left our weary travelers behind to kill time by going back to the church again to see the tomb - but it still wasn't open. Later our guide Lior suggested it opens at 8am.

The streets of the Christian Quarter in the Old City are colorful and quiet in the early morning. 

At 7:15am, we all set out together to avoid another long line. The Temple Mount is only open — to non-Muslims — for a few hours Sunday through Thursday. For us, we'd have to see it now or never. Thankfully we found it indeed open and walked right in with no line.

After passing through security, a guard cited some simple rules to us: Do not pray. Do not touch anything. Do not hug or kiss.

They are also very strict in what you can wear. Stepping onto the grounds of the compound, the group of us turned around to a guard yelling, "Lady come here, you need a chair. Do you speak English?" I don't know what he actually said, surely not 'chair', but the lady in front of us had on a long skirt with a slit exposing her calf - and she must cover it with one of their borrowed skirts. I definitely made the right choice by not bringing my leggings on our journey to the Holy Land! I'd be pretty embarrassed to be offered a chair!

The Temple Mount stands prominently above Jerusalem and has resounding historical significance. Home to the Dome of the Rock – Jerusalem's most recognizable landmark – it covers the stone that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Jewish tradition holds that the very world originated here, and it is the site where God gathered the dust to create Adam and where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac to prove his faith. Most importantly it is the location of both the first and the second temple, neither which exists now.

On the Temple Mount just after sunrise, approaching the Dome of the Rock

Among Muslims, the Temple Mount is called Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary). The Dome of the Rock was completed in 692 AD, making it one of the oldest Islamic structures in the world. It was built over the Foundation Stone that marks the spot where the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven —the Miraculous Night Journey.

The territorial prize occupied or conquered by a long succession of peoples—including Jebusites, Israelites, Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, early Muslims, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and the British—the Temple Mount has seen more momentous historical events than perhaps any other 35 acres in the world. 

–Smithsonian Magazine

The Dome of the Rock is beautifully decorated with mosaic, faience, and marble.  Greg and I are trying not to touch so we don't break any rules. 

Next we left the walled city to fill our growling bellies and tantalize our taste buds at Jerusalem's biggest market: Machane Yehuda. Otherwise known as 'The Shuk', the market - dating back to the Ottoman period - is touted as a (kosher) foodie's dream come true; we were here for the food.

Machane Yehuda, aka the Shuk

The market is made up of two main streets that are intersected by a bunch of smaller streets. The market sells a cool concept that has lost its popularity: a self-tour 'Shuk card' gets you a taste of food from 6 specific (but unrevealed) places. Instead of forking out $200 for the official tour, we did our own version, paying a total of $80 for loads of food from places that we got to choose.

We started at Marzipan Bakery for an ooey-gooey, piping hot chocolate rugelach, and some other bite-size pastries.

Trays of delicious pastries at Marzipan Bakery

Then we got much-needed and anticipated coffee from Roasters. I live for my daily cup of coffee, and this one was delicious!

Yummy Roasters coffee

One of our favorite treats was the freshly baked Iraqi bread from Hava Brothers.

Hava Brothers bread is so fresh

This stand is selling a scoop of sunflower seeds topped with pigeon for 28 shekels.  (Note to self: don't suck on the shells of sunflower seeds.)

Next we found Giveret Borek. Their specialty is a pastry made of flaky dough with a variety of fillings. We saw what was ordered by the person in front of us, and ordered the same.

Waiting to fill our bellies at Giveret Borek

The guy said this is what we want - I have no idea what it is called

Pure yumminess!  Our boreks were sliced open and filled with potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, cheese, hummus, hard-boiled egg, and sauces.

At Jahnun Bar we ordered a lawach, a pan-fried Yemenite pastry, with all the toppings.

We ordered a lawach wrap from Jahnun Bar, which was basically the same ingredients as our borek.

Nearby is the infamous Uzi Eli Etrog Man that serves health drinks. We had to try their namesake drink: EtroGat. It's a mix of Etrog, a citrus-type fruit, and Khat, which is banned in most countries. (Khat is a stimulant with effects similar to caffeine and cocaine - though one drink won't have much effect.)

Our EtroGat juice tasted mostly like grapefruit.  It promises to encourage good mood, positive vibes, releases tension, give you a fun high, help menopause symptoms, keep your brain active, enhances fertility, and strengthen your digestive system.

Lastly we went to Aricha Sabich for a pita with eggplant, egg, and all the fixings.

Our pita from Aricha Sabich seemed like a repeat of the borek and lawach.

Here is my map of our tour.  The red dots mark the stops, or at least come within a few stands of them.

For the next four hours we hired private guide Lior Connelly who owns Backpack Israel. She showed us all around the Old City, informing us as we went. Even as much as I research before a trip, having a tour guide (particularly Lior) take us through the Old City was invaluable and worthwhile.  Lior provided answers and insight that I couldn't get from my limited research.  It isn't really possible to share all 4 hours with you so here are the highlights...

Touring around the Old City

One of today's most interesting lessons was about the 'status quo'. What do you think of when you hear the words "status quo"? For me it is a descriptive phrase meaning the way things are. However, in Jerusalem when you hear these words, they speak very specifically to the delicate religious co-existence here, and the set of rules that all partied religions agree to preserve. It's an agreement to agree, whether or not you actually do. It's a preservation of traditions. That means that you can't pray on the Temple Mount if you're not Muslim. It means that in the Holy Sepulchre you can pass the six owning member Christian denominations holding their services at precisely the same time literally right next to each other. Status Quo preserves a very specific time in history and makes it untouchable - well, unless all parties agree to make a change, and good luck with that. It means if Israel were to pass a law to make buildings handicap accessible, under the Status Quo you can ignore this law.

The Western Wall, also known as the Kotel or Wailing Wall, is a retaining wall of the Temple Mount, built 2000 years ago. The wall is the closest place Jews can go to the site of the Temple, so for hundreds of years it has been a destination for prayer, and for placing notes with prayers in the cracks between the wall's stones.

The Western Wall is divided by sex so the men are not distracted when they are praying. This is the much bigger men's section. Perhaps they have more to pray for? Lior told us they must pray more often than women.

The woman's side of the Western Wall

The Western Wall is also called the Wailing Wall because prayers get so emotional. To pray you want to get close to it and touch it.

Anyone can write a prayer on a note and stuff it into a crack on the wall. Twice a year the prayers are collected and buried.  Letters to God cannot be destroyed.

There's a lot of tension in Israel. Right now the US advisory for Israel is frightening. At Level 3 (of 4) - the US warns you to reconsider travel. You can't let yourself get caught up in the unstable situation you're putting yourself into. She didn't dwell on it but at one point Lior said that attacks were very directed and intentional, but then she said they were random too - probably thinking of the recent bus bombings in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, and particularly the Old City, is full of young Israeli soldiers with rifles wrapped around their shoulders and pistols holstered on their hips.

We walked up the Mount of Olives for its classic view over the Old City. The mount is an important landmark dating back to biblical times for both Jews and Christians. It is where Jesus ascended into Heaven and for over 3000 years has served as Jerusalem's primary burial ground. It is said that when the Messiah arrives, the resurrection of the dead will begin in this cemetery.

The Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed on the night before his arrest.

The Mount of Olives is the largest Jewish cemetery in the world. All of the buried bodies' feet are facing the Temple Mount so they can get up and walk straight there.  Instead of perishable flowers, small rocks are placed on the graves in remembrance.

The Mount of Olives offers an unrivaled view over the Old City of Jerusalem.

Via Dolorosa – the Way of Sorrows – is believed to be the path Jesus took on his way to the crucifixion.   Today, the devotional route of the 14 stations of the Cross pass through the Muslim and Christian quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem, through the hustle and bustle of the market. It ends with the last four stations located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Via Dolorosa has 14 well-marked stations. Stop #5 is where Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross.

Along the Via Dolorosa you can buy a thorn crown and rent your own cross to bear.

Jeremy and I enjoying sunset on the hostel's rooftop balcony after a long day walking around Jerusalem.  By 6:30pm we were all sound asleep.

If you're flying into Tel Aviv -

Arrival (for US Citizens): Do yourself a favor. When you see all the locals beeline for the unmarked machines off to the side of the arrivals hall, follow them. You need to get your picture taken and grab the blue manifest receipt the machine spits out. Next, when you're standing in the long line for foreign passports, find the local ladies up ahead who are walking through the line asking people questions and sending people in different directions. You won't understand her instructions but the purple piece of paper that she gives you is your ticket to get out of line and leave the customs area full of confused foreigners.  Or you can stay patient and confused in the long line and wait until you get to the passport booth.

Transportation to Jerusalem: If you are not a local or don't speak Hebrew, by far your easiest (at least at 4am when our flight landed) and most expensive means to get to town are by private driver. Your other options are the train, the bus (#485), a sherut, or a taxi. But those all come loaded with hassles unlike other countries.

Where to (not) Stay:

The New Citadel Hostel within the walls of the Old City is our trip's most expensive lodging.  (Israel isn't cheap!)

Our private room at New Citadel Hostel in the Old City

 The New Citadel Hostel has a 360 degree view from its rooftop balcony.

Our room is 700 years old. The view from the rooftop balcony is 360 degrees because it is so high up. "Horrible room," states Greg.  It was disgusting to come to the realization that the constantly growing puddle of water on the floor of the bathroom isn't from the dry sink or dry shower, which only leaves one source for the water you're standing barefoot in...toilet water. I guess that's what you get from a 700 year old toilet!