Now for the second part... The day after the actual Passover meal is a holiday, so all of Jerusalem was basically shut down, no public transport, no stores, nothing. So my sister and I went on a long stroll, starting with Mea Shearim, the most religious neighborhood in Jerusalem, then continuing to the old city. Mea Shearim is a crazy place. More orthodox than you have ever seen (as shown in the photo below at the entrance). It is a place that is notorious because the ultra orthodox will spit on you and yell at you if you enter the area and don't reach their standards, like if you drive through the neighborhood on Shabbat. My sister and I had no problem though, we played it cool...
Unfortunately, we did not get any good photos. They really don't like being photographed, and on Passover, like on Shabbat, it's a really bad thing to do, so we tried to take some incognito photographs, but most didn't turn out well (I will get around to putting htem on the flickr site soon). From there we continued to the old city, and we entered through the Damascus gate, which is by far the most ornate, most famous, and largest. It's also the main entrance to the Arab quarter. Since Passover is clearly not a Muslim holiday, the place was packed, the Shuk was in full swing, all the vendors were selling like it was any other day. Complete contrast to the rest of the city.
The old city of Jerusalem has 4 quarters, the Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian, and each quarter has interesting things to see. My sister and I snaked through the alleyways and made our way to the holiest site in Christianity, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We took a lot of photos, which agian I will put up on the flickr site soon, but below is a cool one from the main hall. The church itself is a mess of tourists and people on various pilgrimages, it is definitely an experience. I hadn't been there in literally 10 years, so it was a lot of Deja vu for me.
We then went up the tower at the nearby church, which I believe is Lutheran, but I'm not positive. It is by far one of the best views of the old city, and the only really tall building you can climb. You slink up the spire on these very small twisted stairs to get to the top, all for 2 shekels with a student discount, roughly 45 cents. The view below is looking east, toward Jordan. This is one of my favorite views, as it shows the dome of the rock, which is probably the holiest site in the world. Here Abraham bound Isaac to the rock and almost sacraficed him. Here Mohammed ascended to heaven with the angel Gabriel. Here Jesus also did something (Coco, maybe you can tell me what...). Anyhow, behind it, and up the hill is the Hebrew University, and directly below it is the Western Wall (which is blocked from view).
Needless to say it is one of the most fascinating walks you can take in Israel, and hopefully if some of you ever come to visit me I will take you there. I always take for granted how absolutely mind-boggling Jerusalem is because I have been here so many times, but whenever I do this walk I am reminded of how absolutely unique the city is, specifically the old city.
Coco, you and I will do this same walk when you come visit, it will blow your mind.
