Monday, June 30: Israeli people will tell you that Israel is a small country - in fact it is about the size of New Jersey, the fifth smallest state in the United States. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are less than an hour apart and this may be traversed in a variety of ways, including rental cart, bus, taxi, or the way we took, a Sherut - a shared taxi. The easiest way would have been to just take a regular taxi which would have cost about 400 Sheckels or $120US. Instead we took a Tel Aviv Sherut - a shared taxi in town - to the Central Bus Terminal, where it dropped us near the long line of Sheruts - each with a different destination noted in its window - and right next to the Jerusalem Sherut. We carried our suitcases into the 10-passenger minibus and then waited until it filled up. I think that Sherut might mean - we don't move until the van is full! It took about 15 minutes and then we were off. The ride is very comfortable and less than an hour as the distance is only about 60 kilometers. About 10 minutes before we reached Jerusalem there was a heated exchange among eight of the passengers and the bus driver. We are sure that it was political in nature with shouting back and forth, but since it was all in Hebrew, we could only watch and listen, but understood none of it! Once in Jerusalem we were dropped off and then took a taxi to our hotel. The total cost was 71 Sheckels or $21US. Quite a savings and we got a political show along the way!
We had a reservation at the Eldan Hotel - a boutique hotel - that we had stayed at during our first trip to Israel five years ago. It is in a great location, very close to the Jaffa Gate into the Old City of Jerusalem. There is an amazing contrast as one walks through a modern outdoor shopping area to the Jaffa Gate and then enters the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Old City is unequally divided into four quarters - not geometrically, but geographically: Jewish Quarter, Moslem Quarter, Christian Quarter, and Armenian Quarter. Interestingly the Moslem Quarter is the largest and the Jewish Quarter the smallest. The cobblestone walkways through the Old City are smooth and slippery, having been worn down over the ages. Along many of the "streets" are small stalls, which are not open-air like the Shuk Market in Tel Aviv, rather these are small rooms in ancient buildings. This is a walled city so there are only a few gates that provide access - one of them the Jaffa Gate, through which we entered, and another being the Damascus Gate.
Five years ago, when we were last here, Joani befriended a shopkeeper named Josef, and she was determined to go back and see him. She had brought his card, his address, and even printed out pictures from our last visit so that he might better remember us. When we got to his store at 30 Christian Quarter Street, we entered with the anticipation of seeing an old friend. It took but a few minutes and he remembered Mark, and upon seeing the pictures that Joani had brought it was like old home week! We were not just prospective customers, but friends. Josef's shop, he told us was about 450-500 years old. The electricity, air conditioning, and Internet router were more recent additions!
Josef made us mint tea and we sat and talked about family and some politics. He was a Palestinian and we were Jewish, but it didn't matter. We shared iPhones, with Josef showing us video of his daughter and grandson, and we showing pictures of our daughter, her husband and granddaughters. We found a few things to buy - we weren't obligated to, we just did - and he brought out Jordanian dates for us to eat to complete the transaction. We left him with the pictures and promised to see him again when we return to Jerusalem in the future.
We then stopped in another shop that had wonderful silver beads and jewelry on display. Joani found some beautiful beads that she wanted and Mark found her a bracelet to try on. Ahmad, the shopkeeper and jewelry designer was only too happy to make the bracelet smaller for her. He then made the price for everything smaller as well. He too was Palestinian, and he and his brothers were fasting for Ramadan. He apologized for not offering us any tea, but promised that someday when we return we will have tea together.
We continued to wander through the streets (walkways) and headed for two important religious sites - The Church of the Holy Sepulcre and the Western Wall. Each represented significantly different religions, but that is part of what the Old City of Jerusalem is, a conglomeration of different religions and different peoples living together with respect for each other's beliefs and customs - I think.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcre is thought to be the site where Jesus was crucified and also the site of his burial. To say that it is old is putting it mildly. We walked through at least three floors of sanctuaries and altar rooms. I can't truly explain everything that we saw in this church, as it was a bit overwhelming to experience such an old place that has so much religious history attributed to it.
The Western Wall is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Jewish Temple's courtyard, and is arguably the most sacred site recognized by the Jewish faith outside of the Temple Mount itself. When we were here five years ago, we took the tunnel tour which parallels a much longer section of the Western Wall that is buried beneath the Old City. Besides praying at the wall, a common practice, which we indulged in, is to write notes of prayer and slip them into the cracks and crevices in the wall - whether in the exposed section or the section that is underground. To pray at the exposed section of the Western Wall, men and women are separated and have their own entrance and area. I don't know if a selfie at the Western Wall is sacreligious, but we decided to do it anyway. It is also not uncommon to see young soldiers carrying around sub machine guns as they might a pocketbook!
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