Part IV: Jerusalem
We stopped for a swim in the Sea of Galilee which seems like more of a big lake than a sea, but I didn't major in geography. The plan was to go to Gan HaShlosha and swim in the fresh water springs, but we got word it would be packed since many people head there to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
We stopped by Genesis Land where we took a short camel ride down to "Abraham's tent".
He greeted us with a fun story about how he arrived there and treated us to tea, apricots, and dates.
We then had fun making fresh pitas which turned out to be quite tasty
This place was just as touristy as it sounds however I have to tell you we had an amazing time. It really was fun...and most importantly the kids had a blast. The whole thing was probably somewhere between 60 and 90 min long.
We then continued the climb up to Jerusalem and checked into the Dan Boutique Hotel. It was very clean with a very nice breakfast. We walked everywhere once in Jerusalem. I'd say it was about a 30 min walk to Ben Yehuda from here and a little less to the Jaffa Gate to give you an idea. Those not looking to spend the extra bucks for King David or the Waldorf would be happy with this option.
That night we wandered to Ben Yehuda for some bargain shopping. We bought a bullet necklace for 15 shekels which was "75% off just for me." It was so lively there. In fact it's lively everywhere in Jerusalem every night except for Shabbat.
The next morning we headed up to Mt. Scopus which had beautiful views of the old city
We entered the old city and visited David's Tomb (not a great shot, but still wanted to share)
Stopped briefly where the last supper occurred. The room (besides being empty) looked very different than Da Vinci's painting, but I didn't research why.
From there, we walked to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This isn't a great shot of the people in it, but the background gives you a good idea of the many, many markets in the city.
This is the only picture I can find inside the church. It was packed! The old city just fascinates me. People visit for so many reasons. Muslims visit the Dome of the Rock, Jews visit the Western Wall, and Christians have this Church and Via Dolorosa.
We then headed to the Western Wall where the women and men pray separately.
Some prayers that people hope will be answered
Unfortunately the women don't get a sheltered portion of the wall like the men do
They needed my brother-in-law to be the tenth for a minyan
One last shot of the wall before we check out the tunnels
The tunnels certainly were fascinating. It's an ongoing excavation with layers upon layers of history revealing itself.
After a long day we headed back to the hotel. Located just a couple of blocks away is First Station. This is an old train station that has been converted into a modern shopping area with many restaurant and bar options. I can't remember the name of this bar. They served over a dozen types of beer. According to my pictures (think end credits of The Hangover) we were there for many hours.
Next up we end our Israel portion of the trip with a visit to Masada, Dead Sea, and celebrate a Bar Mitzvah in
Part V: Our Final Days in Jerusalem