Middle East Part 1 - 10 Things about Israel

A friend and I went to visit our cousins (they happen to be married of all coincidences) who currently live in the middle east.  My cousin is providing many opportunities for me to go places that weren't on my bucket list; the most recent place being Jordan.  Being that close to the holy land I had to take advantage of going to Israel to check out a few sites as the political situation was decent in the area.  Below are 10 things about Israel...I'd like to say the top 10 things but not everything is a top item - rather, it might be an important item to know about or remember.  There's your truth in advertising.

Border Crossing - Allenby/King Hussein Bridge
Ok, this is the first item which is not a top 10 but important to know.  As someone who is very knowledgeable in project management I'd like to say that this is a prime example of what NOT to do.  This is one of the worst processes for border crossings I've seen (and I've been to 31 countries!).  They take your passport, which you don't see for a while, you then get it back from a large stack of collected passports.  You pay fees in this line and that line.  You wait in this line and that line.  You wait.  You take a bus.  You wait in this line and that line.  You get the picture?  It took us 5 hours to cross the border so plan accordingly!

Falafel Sandwiches
I figured since I just hammered something I better say something nice :).  This is definitely a top 10 item.  Israel has really tasty food and their falafel sandwiches are amazing!  They not only have hummus but also tahini dressing in them which just makes them tantalizing.  You can get them anywhere but I found the best (and interestingly cheapest place) was at the end of the Mahane Yehuda.  Thus, our next item on the list of 10 things about Israel is...

Not a clue what this says but I think it reads, "Best Falafel in Town"...or it should!

Mahane Yehuda
Just a short city transit ride and you are at Mahane Yehuda which is the local market for Jerusalem.  Here's where the real people shop (ok, real people shop everywhere but let's just say locals shop here) and it was great to wander the streets and buy fresh juice, pastry, breads, deserts and see the variety of vegetables.  I had no idea there were so many olives or eggplant varieties! 

 That's a lot of olives!

And that's even more eggplant varieties.

Hills - the city on the hill reference
Ok.  I knew that Jerusalem was on hill and knew that there were hills.  What I didn't know is that you are either walking up or walking down unless it's man made to be flat.  I couldn't believe how up and down it was.  Coming from the western US I hear of a valley and I think of a larger expanse (Salt Lake Valley is several miles wide) but here the hills are so close that there's a valley everywhere as well <g>.  Kidron Valley is only a few feet wide and back up you go to the Mt of Olives.  Remember that when you have to walk with your luggage from the Damascus Gate to the Jaffa Gate!

Capernaum
This was one of my favorite places.  I would highly recommend taking a tour of the Sea of Galilee area.  It is a long drive but well worth it as you get a better appreciation for the other parts of Israel.  The Sea of Galilee is so much bigger than I thought and Capernaum is a great place to see it with ruins along side. 

Bartering
This again is one of those items on the list of 10 things that is not necessarily a top 10.  Typically I really enjoy bartering but down in the Old City bartering is a whole level above most others.  They not only haggle hard but they won't stop and aren't the nicest people if you don't buy something from their shop after you walk in.  As tour guides get some exorbitant cut of the pie (I heard rumors of as much as 50% of the price) every tour is like Disneyland in that you go on a part of the tour and then they drop you off at a shop and the cycle just continues throughout the duration.  Know this going in for negotiating because if you go without your tour group the shops do tend to give you better prices.

Me bartering in the Old City...this item was bought happily.  And, why does everyone Muslim in Jerusalem know someone in Chicago?

Surprisingly this includes food sometimes!  Make sure that your restaurant in the Old City has a published menu with prices.  We went into one location and they only gave us a few options for food and then the price was double what we had agreed to and a big mess to straighten out. 

Bethlehem - Shepherd's Fields
As an American I like it when things are kept pristine.  Many of the religious sites about Jesus Christ have been turned into a relic for various Christian churches which means you see a church and not the actual site of the event.  One such pristine site is the Shepherd's fields.  I loved the Shepherd's fields because I could really imagine what it was like 2000 years ago and what those shepherds might have been looking at and doing.  It was great!  In fact, this was the highlight of my whole tour to Bethlehem. 

Old City - Pools of Bethesda
Again, this is another one of the pristine sites which brings you right back to Christ's time.  We read John 5 from the Old Testament and I could really visualize Carl Bloch's painting actually happening.   The ruins are interesting to walk around and the crusader's cathedral right next to it - St. Anne's Church is also one of my favorite churches with amazing acoustics.  Sadly there was an off-key off-kilter group singing when we arrived.  Afterwards, we tried ourselves (probably not better than the group we heard but we gave it a whirl!)

Old City - Austrian House
For one of the best free views of the rooftops go to the Austrian House in the Christian Quarters.  We grabbed some breads and went up to the top for an amazing view of the sunset and moonrise.  Interestingly there weren't many people up there and by the time the sun started setting everyone else had left so it was more secluded than you would think. 

One of the better free views in the Old City - Austrian House

Garden Tomb
As I have stated above, I like pristine.  Certainly one of the highlights of Israel for me, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was to see where Jesus lived; where he performed so many miracles; where he died; and where he was raised again.  One possible location for Christ's tomb is the Garden Tomb which is run by a non-denominational organization which keeps things not only pristine but reverent.  It was a great experience to be able to go and see and have it be not so crowded that you couldn't feel as well. 

The flowers are out - and so is the sun at the Garden Tomb!

 

There you have it.  Ten things about Israel that you might or might not have known.  I have additional pictures on my gallery tabs under the tab "new" with details from Israel and Jordan.  Check it out!  And, stay tuned for part 2 of the Middle East.