After Jordan, it was off to our final destination: Israel! Another country I didn't know much about before going to, but it turned out to be a very eye opening experience as I was immersed in numerous religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Druze on this trip alone) and saw first hand what the Israeli/Palestinian conflict looks like as I traveled into the West Bank (Turns out it's a lot different than what I expected based on my USA news sources growing up...)
Israel was an eye opener. For me - a fairly secular individual, Israel was one of those countries I'll reflect on for being a bit uncomfortable to explore. A place that makes you evaluate your beliefs, values, and your sense of fairness in humanity as you see disagreements that have been raging on for thousands of years. It is a good place to travel as it does what travel is supposed to do - makes you experience new things and grow as a person!
It's historically rich. It's has beautiful architecture. It's the home of Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot! IT'S ISRAEL!
TEL AVIV:
Check out that Mediterranean Sea! The view from Israels 2nd largest city!
All sorts of people were out enjoying the beautiful beaches of Tel Aviv
It certainly was a beautiful spot to grab an overpriced drink. Tel Aviv is one of THE MOST EXPENSIVE cities in the world and Israel is in the top 10 of most expensive countries in the world. I had no idea. If you go - save your money.
Tel Aviv feels like a typical city...but in it's southern part is a little region called Jaffa
Jaffa is the oldest part of Tel Aviv and an old port city
Jaffa is charming AF
But traveler be warned!!! If you visit Israel....the weekend is observed Friday and Saturday. AND EVERYTHING SHUTS DOWN. That cute cafe you wanted to try? Closed. That funky clothing shop you wanna check out? Closed. So if you are going to pop in for a short layover on your way to somewhere else....make sure it's mid-week
No amount of wishing from Jaffa's wishing bridge would make the stores open...
TRAIL TO HAIFA:
Not to be outdone by Jordan, Israel boasts some of its own roman ruins!
A short stop on a trip northward towards Haifa, these aqueducts were built by King Herod circa 22-15BC in the port down of Caesarea
Haifa! The 3rd largest Israeli city
Most well known for the above: The perfectly landscapes tiered Baha'i Gardens and, at the bottom (if you look close), the golden dome of the Shrine of the Bab. A significantly holy place for a religion that was new to me: The Baha'i faith. Look it up! Its actually quite cool and teaches unity of humanity and the value of all religions.
With so many differing opinions in Israel in regards to religion, ethnicity, and land ownership - one of the cool things to arise for getting one's voice heard is street art. Here are just some fun ones from along the way before we travel into Palestine and see some more politically charged pieces.
CITY OF ACRE:
Enough of murals - WELCOME TO ACRE. Or Akko. Or Akka. Or Acco. Or Accho. Or Akke..... Religion isn't the only thing we can't agree upon in Israel! Weeeeee!
Right up by Haifa in the same bay area, Acre is another important port town
Declared a UNESCO site in 2001, Acre is a fortified walled off ancient city that has a mainly intact Crusader Village from the early 1100s!!!
We were SUPER excited to see the town's old ruins that have been buried underneath the current city for centuries!
Butttt........were actually slightly (ok...a little more than slightly) disappointed to see that these awesome ruins were turned into a high functioning tourist trap, complete with cheesy intro video and a cartoon knight and silly horse mascot.
But if you could look past the cringe worthy cheese and the 'Medieval Times'-esque feel to the renovations, there were still some cool things to see
Ancient toilets!
The Templar Tunnels
The Knights Halls
The Middle East is just jazzed for it's laser light shows. Laser lights on the pyramids and night....laser lights on Petra at night.....and now a laser light crusader funeral procession! Ha
This is El-Jazzer Mosque in Acre that is also built within the old city walls of Acre, though it was added centuries after the Crusader village (and one of the structures built on top of it)
It's very pretty!
Despite it's green roof, which I think stands out, it's often called the White Mosque
Embracing the ridiculousness of Acre - We took a jet boat ride around the city, like this one!
Then I got to walk around the rest of the day with this unimpressed gentleman who afterwards looked like he wet himself. Stay safe tourists. Don't fall into traps! :P
BASILICA OF THE ANNUNCIATION, Nazareth
We popped on over to Nazareth to visit this large nugget - the Church of Annunciation. The church was built over the site believed to be the house of the virgin Mary and where the angel Gabriel appeared to her to announce she will carry the son of God.
The door depicting the life of Jesus
For every believed religious site in Israel - a church is henceforth built to commemorate it. You'll see this as a reoccurring theme in the coming photos.
A first glimpse of Mary's home/cave/mud hut
The bulk of the church is built above the site, the big hole in the ceiling here is actually a big hole in the floor of the sanctuary above so worshipers can look down onto this holy site during prayer.
Ta-dah! Inside Mary's house
Love what you've done with the place
This is that upstairs bit I mentioned!
Shhhhh.....
SEA OF GALILEE:
The Sea of Galilee! Wrongly named....it's not a sea at all but actually a lake. And the lowest freshwater lake in the world!
Biblical fame includes: being walked on, supplying enough fish for thousands of people, and having very amicable storms
We didn't try walking, we just took a cute boat cruise instead.
Never let go, Jesus.
See! Cute boat!
Waiting for all this water to turn into wine....
CHURCH OF THE BEATITUDES:
Overlooking the Sea of Galilee is the Mount of Beatitudes
The lovely church on the mount where it is supposed that Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount.
Because - special place = special church
I can't say I know much about the 8 Beatitudes.....but it was still a lovely site to see
CAPHARNAUM:
In the same area of Galilee you'll find Capharnaum!
Our friend Jesus was said to have lived here and it's where he met many of his disciple bros (James, John, Peter, Matthew, Andrew!) and preformed miracles (Like healing a paralytic!)
Today, you can see the ruins of the ancient town that Jesus spent most of his ministry
And this - an old synagogue where Jesus preached.
Preach, brotha, preach.
What remains of building walls
A Mosque in the distance - reminding us all that, although remarkably holy to the Christians of the world, this place is special to other beliefs too and the space deserves to be shared.
As usual - here's the special church! It's an octagon shape, so it stood out from the others so far.
It's built over the home of St Peter
See! This is the "house" (Maybe St Peter was a bachelor.....so he didn't do much with the space?). There's also a hole in the floor of the church above to look down on the inside of the dwelling.
WINE TASTING:
Despite my boat ride on Galilee and cruising through the town of Jesus' miracles....no water into wine happened for me. So we took matters into our own hands and hit up a winery on our adventure
Pretty sure this is how it was done in Biblical times, too.
A quick drive by of the Mt of Temptation, where the Devil tried to tempt Jesus with appeals to his hunger, ego, and materialism.
Though....historically.... this mount is just a guess. The bible is pretty vague on location details. How any one traveled confidently in that time is beyond me. "Go to the mount where XYZ occured!" narrows it down to at least 3 places.
PALESTINE:
We had the incredible opportunity to sit down and chat with a young Palestinian refugee within the West Bank who laid it out for us exactly what his day to day life looked like living in a space confined by a 708km (440mi) wall topped with barbed wire, teeming with Israeli soldiers, and with an immense amount of bureaucratic red tape to be able to be considered to travel outside of Palestine for work or education. Unfortunately, with looming Covid-19 at the time, we weren't permitted to go into the refugee camp.... but sitting down and speaking with someone living through what I only saw in news and history books was an eye-opening experience.
The conversation gave me information so that I could formulate my own educated opinions on the matter. I won't get political here, as I want it to be a place to enjoy the photos of adventures had, but I cannot recommend enough: TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL. It opens your eyes. It educates you better than any book can. It changes who you are and I believe it does so for the better. Go out. Be uncomfortable.
A fair amount of Banksy art is in the area
Banksy has a very 'Free-Palestine' opinion and even owns a hotel in Bethlehem called the "Walled Off' hotel. It totes the worst view for any hotel in the world as it simply faces the barrier wall and is a strong political statement.
Very reminiscent of the Berlin wall, local artists have taken to the concrete to share their views
The wall was not lacking in (defamation) Trump art
Not learning a ton from what went down in Germany.....
One thing I was surprised to find out was how many historical places were within Palestine. Bethlehem and Jericho to name some! So while I was previously under the impression that it may be unsafe to cross into Palestine.....thousands of people pilgrimage to these religious sites yearly and they highly depend on the tourist dollar! Its safe! GO!
CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY:
While we are in Palestine and speaking of Bethlehem! This is the Church of the Nativity!
It has a tiny door fit for baby Jesus to enter at this particular end!
Church.....built around a significant place! The birthplace of Jesus (if you didn't guess that from it's name)
It was quite crowded as we waited in line to get down to the grotto where it is recognized to be the actual place of Jesus birth
This golden star on the ground is THE place where it all began, folks. The birthplace of Jesus
And just a couple of feet away from the star, the manger area
I, myself, was born in Round Rock Community Hospital in Round Rock, Texas if anyone was wondering... There is no church on the site. Just a hospital.
More views of the updated Church above
Let's step away from Jesus for a hot second to explore Masada! Fortified castles built atop a mountain by Herod the Great circa 31-37 BC!
Famous for being the site at which Roman Troops laid siege around 74-73 BC ending the first Jewish Roman War. The occupants of the fortress are said to have committed mass suicide before the Romans finally made it up: Death being better than surrender and inevitable slavery (900 up in the fortress had no chance against 5000 Romans)
They even made a mini series about it! So if my photos are boring you, watch Peter O'Toole act it all out instead!
Not my pic... but a cool aerial of Masada and in the foreground, you see the dirt ramp that the Romans spent months building to get up to the fortress.
When we went... Masada was very raining.
Walls! Walls everywhere!
We were high up! We took a gondola to get here. There is a path you can hike up to get to Masada, but in the rain...it was closed.
Remains of the bath house
More bath!
Fashun.
MOUNT OF OLIVES:
Back to a little religion! This is the Mount of Olives - one of the main burial places for those of a strong Jewish faith
It it believed that when the coming of the Messiah happens and the dead are resurrected, it will start from right here! First come, first serve.
Essentially - these are front row tickets to a major up and coming Torah event. A plot will run you upwards of $50K. Save your money to see God - he ain't cheap.
New Zealand is close to being the antipodes to Israel....so it is understood if I get buried here one day, I'll be the last to the party.
CITY OF DAVID:
Nearing the end of the trip! Within Jerusalem is an area called the City of David. This region is considered the ancient 'core' of Jerusalem and from which the city sprawled. Ground zero!
Not to be outdone by the city of Acre.... David had his own hokey cartoon video in regards to it's history. This one in 3D though.
We arrived later in the day....so we were scraped for time to explore
We got to see the above ground ruins! But word on the street is there are cool water filled tunnels you can trudge through if you plan your day better than we did.
OLD JERUSALEM:
Jerusalem: Like any city - once upon a time it was small...now it's massive! For a little context...here's a modern map. The region I highlighted with the red box is the original old city, which most of the following photos are from!
This is a cool mini replica of Jerusalem that's located at the museum in town.
The old city is surrounded by a large wall and massive gates like this one. Remember, it used to be a fortified protected city!
Different entrances into the city from different periods of time. The lower one is an older Roman era gate
The old city of Jerusalem is divided into 4 quarters: The Armenian quarter, the Christian quarter, the Jewish quarter, and the Muslim quarter.
The differences between the quarters were subtle if you were just shuffling though....but if you paid attention to the people around, the stuff in the shops, and flags in windows, you could decipher the quarter you were in
Better than Starbucks. Just ask Chuck Norris.
One of the most popular spots within the Old City is the Western Wall/Wailing Wall. You have to pass through a fair number of security checkpoints to get in here.
The Wailing Wall is a bit sticky religiously speaking.... behind it's walls lies Temple Mount which is one of the most religiously contested areas in the world
This is Dome of the Rock, the mosque on Temple Mount. Obviously Islamic.
Within the mosque lies the Foundation Stone - a place where Muslims believe Mohammed ascended into Heaven. Very important to them.
For those of Jewish faith....the Foundation Stone and this area is where God's divine presence has appeared more than any other place. Also very important to them.
But: It is forbidden for anyone other than Muslims to come into this area and pray. Christians and Jews can only enter as tourists. We had to pass through security to make sure we didn't have any religious symbols on us. And Orthodox Jews in the area (who based on their clothing and hairstyle cannot hide their religious affiliation) had to be escorted by police to visit the area.
What happened to sharing is caring?
Standing awkwardly apart - no touching in this holy place!
Enter why the Wailing Wall is important! This is the CLOSEST wall to the Foundation Stone and Temple Mount that those of the Jewish faith can get and still pray without persecution.
Crazy, huh?
Not to leave the Christians out! Another feature of Old Town Jerusalem is the Via Dolorosa - or the stations of the cross. It is the presumed path that Jesus took on the way to his crucifixion.
Most of the stages are marked by artwork, plaques, or statues.
Stage 1/2: Jesus is condemned(1) and made to bear the cross(2)
Stage 3: Jesus falls for the 1st time
Stage 4: Jesus meets his mama
Stage 5: Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross
Stage 6: Veronica wipes Jesus' face
Stage 7: Jesus falls for the 2nd time
Stage 8: The Women of Jerusalem weep for him
Stage 9: He falls for the 3rd time
Stage 9: He is striped of his garments
Stages 11-14: He is nailed to the cross (11), He dies on the cross (12), he is taken from the cross (13), he is put in the sepulchre (tomb) (14). These stages have been turned into the below:
The Cruxifiction Church! (From one angle at least)
Entering into the Church
It was beautifully ornate
People waiting to pay respects at the exact site the cross is believed to have been erected (Stations 11/12)
Fun Fact: The Church is divided into portions that belong to the Greek Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic. One particular sect of Protestants wanted in on the party and to claim a portion of the church, but they were denied
In an act of bitterness over this - they decided this is NOT where the Crucifixion happened and opened their own Garden Tomb where they claim the ends took place (This happens all over Israel....so it gets a bit hard to believe where things happened.....) I didn't go to that site....but above is what it looks like. Very pretty!
X....er T.....marks the spot!
Stone of the Anointing. The spot believed where Jesus' body was prepared for burial
(Station 13)
Jesus' Sepulchre (Or the structure that was built around the original tomb. You can wait in a long line to catch a glimpse of the tomb inside if you wanted - but you might be waiting over an hour)
(Station 14)
ISRAELI MUSEUM:
Jerusalem has a FANTASTIC museum. It's highlight is located in this bell jar structure
It houses the Dead Sea Scrolls! Fragments of the Old Testament discovered in caves in the late 1940s and dated between 400sBC to 300s AD
Pretty. Damn. Cool
Some fashion history
Also. The museum had a lot of butts.
And therefore I took the opportunity to not be too serious in this very serious country
Another museum in the area was the Yad Vashem - the Holocaust museum. It was beautiful and moving. It didn't feel right to take photos within it....but it is worth sharing the end of the museum's wall of photos of victims of the Holocaust. The only way to prevent history from repeating itself is to learn from it. Learn from previous needless persecution of people. Learn from needless wall building. (cough cough..Palestine....) Learn from others mistakes to make a better world.
MARKET AND BEER TASTING:
Let's end on a happy note!
One of the coolest up and coming parts of Jerusalem is the Mahane Yehuda market (aka - where to find beer, cheap food, and hipsters)
And home to this odd self gratifying hotdog
And find beer we did!
Culture - in the form of beer tasting
And as beer does...
We got classy
And fun
There ya have it, folks. The finest sampling of my lastest adventure
