Israel: Exploring Jerusalem

BY ONEIKA RAYMOND

The current situation in Israel and Palestine is one that is complex, and I wont comment on it on this blog.  However, I will say that the ongoing conflict breaks my heart, if only because there are so many fascinating things to see in the region.

After three days in the surprisingly cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv,  Liebling and I hopped on a public bus and headed down to Jerusalem.  The cost of the 1 hour bus ride down escapes me, but it wasn’t expensive and the bus terminal was fairly easy to find. The journey came and went without incident.

The shock came when we disembarked in Jerusalem.  This placed looked nothing like Tel Aviv.

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This is not a bad thing.  But after lounging on the beach and spending our days frequenting trendy roadside cafes and downing ice mochas and frozen yogurts, stepping out of the bus in Jerusalem instantly transported us to another world.

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For one, the aesthetic and overall vibe of the city were completely different.  In Tel Aviv, the cerulean blue of the Mediterranean was complimented by the intense green of the grass and palm trees. Toned and tanned beach bodies encased in brightly-coloured barely there swimwear populated the beach and overran the markets, giving the city a decidedly Miami-type feel.

In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a snap of the beach in Tel Aviv:

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…And my beach babe Liebling catching rays after a dip in the sea.

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In comparison, Jerusalem was as different as could be. Here, in Jerusalem, the terrain was dusty and a flat brown, the intensity of the sun nearly unbearable. The gravity and holy nature of the city was palpable. Hasidic Jewish men with their curls, tidy black suits, and tall hats went busily about their daily affairs, while Muslim women in hijabs and full skirts scurried onwards towards their own pressing business.

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The city is fascinating, even for someone staunchly agnostic like me. We spent four days here seeing all the sights, literally walking where believers say Jesus once did.  We spent hours lost within Jerusalem’s walled Old City, which is only about 1 kilometer square and is unevenly split up into four quarters: the Muslim Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. We ate hummus and chicken skewers and visited places I had read about for years: the Wailing Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and King David’s Tomb.

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To be honest, I don’t know how much I liked Jerusalem; it was gritty and sombre and severe (and super touristy!)– and most of all there seemed to be a strange tension simmering under the surface. While the locals were extremely welcoming to us, they seemed worryingly wary of one another. The Jewish taxi driver at the bus station clicked his tongue when we handed him the address to our hotel- disdainfully he asked us why we chose to stay on the Arab side of town. Jerusalem appears to be a city divided, even outside of the Old City.

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But it is a beautiful place.

Have you ever been to Jerusalem or have an interest in going?  Are you religious?

 

SHARING IS CARING

128 Comments

  • Interesting! I always wondered what it would be like in Jerusalem. Despite it being touristy and extremely hot, I hope you had a great time. Looks beautiful nonetheless. =)

    • Liebling and I really enjoyed ourselves! Israel was one of our best trips this year!

  • Just beautiful! I love Israel, though have not been there since 1977! All of the country was incredible. We went in December also ( and on Christmas day) , but it was cold. No bathing suits in Tel Aviv like I see in your photos. Did you get to go to the Dead Sea?
    I am not religious..but I am a believer. : ) And I fully support the State of Israel.
    Thanks for sharing. Hope to go back soon with my husband and children this time.

    • We did get to the Dead Sea, I wrote about it a couple of months ago. It was scalding hot!

  • I don’t have an incredible desire to see Jerusalem, but definitely Tel Aviv. The conflict is beyond devastating and heartbreaking.

    • I felt the same way, but glad I went just the same! It’s really close to Tel Aviv as well!

  • I’d love to go to Israel but the whole issue with their stamps in the passports bothers me, guess I’ll just leave it for when my passport is about to expire. Did they stamp your passport when crossing the Israelian border?

    • You can ask them to not stamp your passport!! They will do it on a separate piece of paper. 🙂

      • oh, that’s some great news! I guess I should book cheap flights to Tel Aviv next time I see them! 🙂

    • Why are people afraid of getting their passports stamped in Israel?

  • I have never been, but I would love to go to and experience the city. I am not religious or much of a believer, but do consider myself a very spiritual person. I do enjoy experiencing other religions even if I don’t believe what they believe more just for the experience. Tel Aviv looks AMAZING!!

  • I am dying to see much of the Middle East, and this history is exactly the reason why. It’s a shame that so much of the region is suffering from political, religious and ethnic conflict, but I’m still fascinated.

    • Same here! Some people I know refuse to go because they aren’t in agreement with Israel’s stance regarding certain political policy. But I’m still fascinated and I still want to see for myself!

  • Oneika, thanks so much for all of the photos you take during your travels. I can see you’ve got a really creative eye when it comes to photographs. Being able to see where you are really, really help me get a feel of what you might be experiencing. Please continue to include as many photos as you can in your posts. By the way, you and your guy are so cute together. While I’m not big on visiting that part of the world, I must say you are an adventurous traveler. Here in the U.S. (Washington, D.C. to be specific) all we hear about are the bombings, killings, and political trouble. As to the issue of Isreal and Palestine – I believe in a two state solution, I just don’t see it happening in my lifetime. And that’s really sad to say – because the people on sides suffer so much because of the politics of it. Anyway, love your posts and I’m so happy when I see your name pop up in my email. Stay adventurous.

  • I lived and worked in Jerusalem as a conflict management specialist — no more heartbreaking way to be there! I still find it magical and consider it one of my many homes, but it is hard to reconcile that with the constant tension and injustice. Beautiful photos – I’m so glad you went!

  • Looked like an awesome trip. I would definetly love to go there and check out all the places mentioned in Christian theology but like you I am an agnostic and the tension between Palestine makes me sad.

  • I recently moved back to Atlanta after living in Jerusalem for 3 years (my husband is an Israeli citizen… I met him during a summer in Israel and moved there when we got married), and the fact that you were able to feel the tension when you were there for such a short period of time really speaks volumes. I’m happy to hear your experience was (mostly) positive!

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  • Great post and you seem to have captured the feel of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv very well in a very short time.I have lived in Jerusalem since 1980 and it was SOOOO different then.Now (after I get back from China) we shall be moving from there to the coast as we can’t take that dusty heavy vibe any more.All the Tel Avivians say they love Jerusalem they just don’t wanna live there ha ha. Anyway you are right that the situation is complex and unfortunately I can;t feel too confident that it will be fixed any time soon. We can still dream though….

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