I was convinced by my new German friends to go to Jerusalem, and I’m so glad I went. Jerusalem was amazing. From the moment the bus rounded a corner and I saw the city for the first time I was hooked. I spent four days there and still could have seen much more. It had been a long time since a city gave me a sense of awe such as Jerusalem did.
Our group of five (four Germans and me) arrived in the bus station and walked for about 45 minutes into the Old City, which is distinguished by its surrounding wall, and to our hostel, The Citadel. We procured sleeping spots on the roof and for the next three nights our view of the city was unrivaled. However, our sleep was never deep or long as church bells and calls to mosques made for early morning wake up calls.
We spent the next couple days doing walking tours of the Old City. We first did a free walking tour which gave us a high level look at the city and its history, and we saw all the major sites from the outside. The next day we paid 75 shekels (about 20 dollars) to go on another walking tour. This tour was much more in depth regarding each religion and its holy sites. We visited all the quarters of the Old City and saw all the famous sites. To say I was in awe would be quite accurate.
There were of course many highlights for me, but one that stood out was visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There I was able to see many holy sites, including the traditional Golgotha and the place where tradition holds Jesus was buried. It was quite a moment to wander around this church at night when most of the tourists had left and it was just me and a handful of other people.
I also had a chance to walk the Via Dolorosa and see the stations of the cross. It was definitely incredible to spend days walking around this holy city that has such historical and religious significance. I packed so many sites into my short time here that it felt somewhat like a whirlwind tour. One evening I walked up to the Mount of Olives and through the Garden of Gethsemane, and finally settled in on a hill overlooking the city to watch the sunset.
Another highlight was being able to go to the Western Wall at sunset and see the magnificence of this area. I had the opportunity to go directly to the wall and touch it which was very memorable. The wall is divided into two areas – one for women to pray at and one for men to pray at.
During our walking tour we were able to go to the Dome of the Rock but not go inside. It is forbidden for non-Muslims to enter the site. Luckily our guide showed us pictures of what it looked like inside, and I have since looked at sites on the internet to get a better glimpse of the interior.
Those days spent in Jerusalem were truly epic and unforgettable. As much as I wanted to stay a few more days, I needed to continue on towards Cairo so that I could catch my flight to Bangkok. It was time to say goodbye to the Middle-East and say hello to Southeast Asia.
Awesome. Was Israel on your original list of places to hit over the course of the year? You’ve only been gone a month, and you have already seen so many amazing things. Thanks for sharing. Please keep it coming.
Israel was not on my list of places and I am not sure I would have gone by myself so early in my trip. Going with other friends/travelers made it easier, and it was actually easy to begin with. I’m so glad I made the decision to go. It has been one of the highlights of my trip already.
I do feel like the first month was a whirlwind through the Middle East. I’m enjoying slowing down in Thailand at the moment.