Jerusalem

Gorgeous weather today – it’s been consistently beautiful since the heat broke early last week. I’m currently lounged on a couch in the shade on our rooftop deck. Nice, huh? The last week has been pretty busy - traveled to Jerusalem for 3 days to do a bit of work in the Ecole Biblique and a lot of site seeing. Jerusalem was beautiful - can't wait to visit again with mom. The day after returning to Jordan Savannah and I moved into our new apartment - it's fantastic to have our own space. Pictures soon! Stories first...

On the morning of the 18^th I woke up expecting the worst. I’ve heard horror stories of crossing the border – google searches, strip searches, bag searches, entire photo libraries being deleted from cameras. More than anything else I was expecting to wait….and wait….and wait. We loaded up into a taxi around 7 and drove over to the border crossing. Once our passports were cleared on the Jordanian side we moved to a large bus that drove us to the Israeli border. This was the only point of the trip that could have been overwhelming – more people, more lines – but it was actually really easy. We waited in line, kept our backpacks on, had our passports checked (but not stamped) and then hopped onto a little taxi/bus that took us into Jerusalem. The entire crossing took about 4 hours.

When we arrived at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem Savannah and I walked down to our hotel in the Muslim Quarter (Hashimi – definite recommend). Then we headed out to explore the Old City. It was really great to be in a walkable city - and the Old City is unique and beautiful. 

The night was spent downtown on Ben Yehuda Street drinking beers and eating pasta with Savannah, Raf, and Eli. Next morning we all tackled the Mount of Olives before collapsing into our sugary slushies. HOT. I spent the afternoon doing a bit of research at the Ecole Biblique before an incredible dinner at Amigo Emil’s in the Muslim Quarter. 

View over the Old City towards Dome of the Rock from our hotel

Souq 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Buying something yummy

The day before leaving, Savannah and I did a bit more site seeing – Dome of the Rock, Church of All Nations, and then we went on a political tour of Jerusalem with Alternative Tours. 

Western Wall

Dome of the Rock

Alternative Tour

The political tour of Jerusalem was solely intended to educate and inform. Our guide took us on a drive around the Palestinian refugee camp in Jerusalem, through a check point into the West Bank, showed us the extensive walls that are continuously built directly through Palestinian land, and spoke about the impact that the United States has had on the peace process. Our last stop on the tour was a neighborhood in Jerusalem where two Palestinian families were forcefully removed from their homes by the IDF. Their homes are now occupied by American-Jewish settlers from New York City. The space is hostile. walls are covered in spray painted messages demanding peace and freedom for Palestine.   The Palestinian-Israeli conflict/issue/peace process/whatever you want to call it is something that is emotional for me – complex and emotional - and one of the only contemporary issues that I have felt a serious connection to. This tour further solidified my thoughts, opinions, and beliefs and gave everything that I’ve read about a physical presence. I feel compelled to ask that everyone reading my blog keep an open mind while looking through the photos.

 Ask questions. Research. Learn about this issue.