With 9 days to see Israel we decided to take up residence in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was our main attraction to the country as well as a great spot from which day trips can be made to outlying points of interest. Housed in a cheap hostel within Eastern Jerusalem (the Palestinian neighborhood), it is situated directly outside the Damascus gate entrance into the Old city. The old city is the centre for historical religious sites that are affiliated with all 3 monotheistic religions but difficult to find amongst a dizzying array of shops. Distinguishing the Old city from the many surrounding neighborhoods and the New city, are the stone walls and gates erected in 1542 by Suleyman the Magnificent.

Delightfully lost within the maze we managed to find the following sites located within the walls; Church of the Holy Sepulchre (built 300 years after the crusifiction of Christ, this church was erected on the spot where Jesus was nailed to the cross), Western Wall (aka the Wailing wall- this has long been a significant spot for Jews to come and mourn the loss of the Temple Mount which was destroyed in 70AD, the remaining portion of the wall is a portion of the outer temple wall), Dome of the Rock (erected over the slab of rock that Abraham had prepared to sacrifice Issac, this spot is sacred to both the Jewish and Muslim beliefs), we also made a failed attempt to walk the Via Dolorosa (or Way of Sorrows - this is the route that Jesus was believed to have walked with the burden of the cross towards Calvary. Sadly amongst all the twists and turns of the Old city some of the stations were missed. During our multiple adventures into the old city we were almost guaranteed to run into tour groups at various stations along the Via Dolorosa signing hymns in various languages and carrying a cross lead by a guide).

Although easy to spend weeks in the Old city discovering historical and religious sites, the surrounding regions next to the Old city hold just as many places places of significance. Narrowing our interests down to what could be tackled within our time limit we made stops to Yad Vashem (the new Holocaust Museum which combines multimedia, art, written fact, and artifacts to intertwine the horrific reality of this time period with examples of hope and survival), Mea She'arim (a walk through the Ultra Orthodox neighborhood was just a glimpse into the lives of these people easily identified by black coats and hats on men whose faces are framed by one long curl on otherwise closecut heads and skirts of modest length on the women, signs entering the neighborhood request that women are of appropriate, modest dress and are residents only, needless to say we did not attempt to take pictures for our family and friends), Mount Of Olives (we had a picnic at the top with great views over the Old city and Dome of the Rock, place also has biblical significance), Church of All Nations, Garden of Gethemane and a walk past the Valley of Jehoshapet (displays the grand tombs of Jehoshapat, Absalom, and Zechariah - all people mentioned in the bible. Despite their biblical references and importance these get overlooked due to the wealth of more sacred sites in the region).

Day trips:

• The Dead Sea : Honestly slightly skeptical about how amazing a swim in the saltest body of water and the lowest point on the earth could be, we found ourselves thoroughly entertained. What we weren't warned about was the consequences of diving head first into this deep lake. Instantly eyes, nostrils, and sensitive body parts (after urination) felt aflame. This painful experience becomes overwhelmingly enjoyable as one attempts to swim, dive, and test the boundaries of buoyancy, In the end we were content to soak up the rare rays of sun (most of the time has been overcast and raining) and bob at the surface without expending any energy.
• West Bank/Bethlehem: Only briefly stepping into this routinely negatively portrayed slice of land, our perceptions and assumptions were shattered. While there we visited the Church of the Nativity (the name sort of gives away its importance as the location of Jesus' birth), ate lunch, walked around the old city of Bethlehem, and walked along the dividing wall between Palestine and Israel. Our visit to the Church of Nativity coincided with a visit from an Italian priest whose title was "Protector of the Holy Land". This made getting to the church a little tricky since streets were closed and a parade was held. Next to the wall. The irony did not fail us as we reflected on our earlier visit to the Holocaust museum and our current location. What amazes us is that a people who had suffered so much in the recent past inflict similar repression and prejudice today. We have been convicted of our past laziness by believing too much in the American media without researching into issues on our own.

Shabbat in Jerusalem:
Friday evening at 4pm until Sat. at 4pm the city closes down. Officially the weekend is Friday and Saturday for working people, but it is between these hours that even commercial areas close down. Arriving back from our day trip at the Dead Sea we step off the bus into a nearly deserted town. Traffic lights blink yellow, the shops and restaurants are empty and dark, only occasionally does a car drive down the usually busy, main thorough fare, and the few people we encounter are in traditional Jewish dress and are obviously walking with intention to their destination.

Thanksgiving in Jerusalem:
Eating a Kosher Thanksgiving dinner at a pub in Jerusalem is probably the least likely way we thought we would be celebrating this holiday. However, this was the only place we found that served a "traditional" Thanksgiving meal in the "traditional" style of watching a Packer football game. We had a great time with a fellow Midwesterner (Jesse from MI) who was also lamenting about not being home for his favorite holiday (it is our favorite as well), and an Aussie (Yola) who was receptive to experiencing this cultural event. These two helped fill the void of not celebrating this event with our families. Jesse and Yola had accompanied us throughout much of our adventures within Jerusalem and Israel, and their company will be missed.

November 20th - 24th
Jerusalem

November 25th - 27th
Remaining time in Israel