My iPod Touch went on the fritz right as my trip ended. But I think I left off once I hit Jerusalem. Wednesday, I walked toward the Old City and headed to Zion's Gate. Saw where the Last Supper took place and King David's tomb and then hung out for a bit chatting with a man selling snacks who gave me free ice cream. I headed down to see the cemetery where Oskar Schindler was buried and was the only one there. Schindler's headstone was surprisingly plain, but covered in rocks as is tradition to show respect for the person buried there. I sat with my thoughts and added a special rock I had been carrying to take home to the pile. Then I headed down the winding alleyways of the Old City through the Jewish, Armenian, and Muslim Quarters. It was interesting to see the similarities, but also the distinct differences within such a relatively small area. I basically got lost within the walls until I finally popped out by the Damascus Gate.
Once I got my bearings, I headed to Lions Gate to walk around near the base of the Mount of Olives to see Al-Aqsa Mosque, and then into Dung Gate to see the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock. The Dome of the Rock had been shut down due to protests, but I did visit the Wailing Wall. It is split into a men's and women's side. I felt kind of strange, as I knew it was very powerful for everyone around me, but I didn't fully understand the religious significance.
I did enjoy the prayers written on pieces of paper and shoved into every crack or crevice on the Wall that was within reach. It was kind of nice to think of the Wall holding so many people's hopes, dreams, and wishes. I may have made some of my own wishes, but only in my head.
That evening I felt pretty terrible. I had begun to get a severe headache and feel light headed and dizzy late in the afternoon, but couldn't find many spots out of the extremely hot sun to sit down and rest. I felt like I had to just kept pushing myself to walk further, as there was so much to see. But by the time I got back to the apartment, I was considering heading to a hospital, as I was afraid I was going to pass out again like I did right before I left on the trip. I really wanted to socialize with my hosts, but found myself slipping in and out of sleep.
Luckily, I felt better the next day after lots of fluid and rest. I decided to take it relatively easy that day. Alon and I headed to Mahane Yehuda Market for some lunch and groceries. He went back and I stayed to wander and pick up stuff to make something for a group dinner, as Alon had already gotten salmon to cook. The market got crazy in the afternoon as Shabbat started and vendors would all shutter up up until Sunday. Bought groceries to make a pasta salad for dinner as a small gesture of appreciation to my hosts (they were okay with cooking on Shabbat). On my way home, I wandered the Nahalat Shiv'a neighborhood and sat in the park. There are lots of families gathered at the park, and I realize how used to seeing people openly carrying guns I have become. You see them on buses, on people in swimsuits at the beach, and with families at the park. A man that lived nearby saw me resting and enjoying the park and came out of his house to give me flowers. He didn't say anything... just smiled, nodded his head and scurried away. Very sweet!
I walked back to the apartment and started cooking. I realized I forgot to buy cream, and at that point, everything in the Jewish areas was closed for Shabbat. Luckily, I was able to just walk a bit further to the Old City to the Christian Quarter to buy cream (well, since everything was labeled in Hebrew, I picked up something that appeared to be cooking cream, and luckily it was). As per usual with my keen sense of direction, I got lost in the alleyways of the Old City, stopping to sit and chat with merchants and people along the way. It is interesting to hear different people's take on some of the religious and political issues of Israel, as it is really varied. I tried very hard to just keep an open mind, not offer an opinion, and be appreciative of everyone's viewpoints. Finally I headed back to the apartment at sundown, weaving between the many Jewish families all dressed up and heading to Shabbat celebrations. Alon, Steve and I proceeded to make dinner. It was quite a feast! I made creamy lemon garlic pasta with tomatoes, Alon made a delicious mustard salmon (really good for his first attempt at making salmon), and Steve made rice and a chocolate tahini dessert. My hosts head off to a party, but I had a big day ahead of me, so I went to get some sleep.
I woke up early the next morning to make the trek up the Mount of Olives. Everyone told me to take a taxi, but it looked walkable. The walk to the top is up a steep hill cemetery that is supposedly over 3,000 years old and is full of tombstones (some say over 150,000). It actually was a long way to the top, not helped by the fact that I was weaving in and out, looking at all the different graves. Finally at the top, I was approached by several people saying they would "walk me around." I had heard it was kind of a seedy area and there was a strange vibe, so I declined and lost them. I found a bunch of kids with a very kind woman who was teaching them photography.
She told me to just blend in with the group, and got me into one of the small church grounds that was closed to the public. I walked around with them as the kids watched what I tried to take pictures of and mimicked me. Then we all shared our pictures. Super cute! We all said goodbye after a while as they headed back to school
I wandered into something called the Mosque of the Ascension. There were some guys outside who explained the significance and waived the admission fee and gave me a tour. There is an indented rock in the middle of the floor, which they explain is considered the last footprint of Jesus before he ascended to heaven. I actually had no idea that Jesus was both part of the Muslim and Christian. I headed over and had a coffee at Seven Arches, enjoying the lookout view over Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock. A guide that drove a tour bus offered me a ride back down the hill, but I decided I still had enough energy and could explore more by walking down.
On the way, I stopped by the Dominus Flevit church that had beautiful and quiet gardens and view of the Dome of the Rock from the altar. A family sang hymns in the church and did not seemed bothered while I sat and enjoyed it. I also checked out the Garden of Gethsemane with worlds oldest olive trees (over 2000 years old).
At the base of the hill, the Church of All Nations had some of my favorite architecture inside with lots of Corinthian columns and blue ceilings with tree trunks and stars. I wandered back through the Old Quarter and was invited in to the home of an odd Jewish guy. We sat and chatted over coffee and then I went to find some street food and picked up a yummy pizza of sorts that had za'atar spread on flatbread. Exhausted, I headed back to my hosts' apartment, chatted with them for a bit, and crashed out.