Walking the Holy Land of Jerusalem
ISRAEL
16th April 2014
Jerusalem is a fascinating city with a blend of old and new, the old offering an abundance of history and the new presenting stylish chic venues. The Spring months in Jerusalem is perfect, with the sun out in full array and pleasant day temperatures, making it perfect for walks through the Old City, Mamilla Avenue, the city centre, many markets, German Colony and day trips to Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea and Bethlehem.
The Old City of Jerusalem is surrounded by high stone walls, where you can find many attractions, markets and museums. The Old City has a total of 11 gates with only 7 of them open - these being the Jaffa, Zion, Dung, Lions, Herods, New and Damascus gates (main entrance is Jaffa).
The Old City is approximately 1km² and surrounded by walls stretching nearly 4km around, making it a large district to explore. You could easily get lost and spend all day discovering the gems of the four different quarters, being the - Christian, Muslim, Armenian and Jewish quarters. The best way is to head straight down the middle from Jaffa gate (through David Street) where you’ll find the Arab market (the Souk) selling souvenirs, jewellery and handmade items, amongst countless other items and stem from there.
Towards the end of David Street and turning right, you’ll come across the entrance to the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. The wall is split into gender for prayers, where the left side of the wall is for men and the right for women. Here you'll find people against the wall, deep in prayer. If you manage to get close enough to the wall, you’ll find little pieces of paper stuffed into the cracks, which are hand-written prayers that people have left.
There's one exhibition within the Old City that is nice to see, if you're not into visiting all of the many museums, and that's the ‘The Night Spectacular’ exhibition. The show is inside the Tower of David (located just after the Jaffa gates to the right), a beautiful and well fashioned sound and light spectacle, utilising the stone walls of the tower, covering one immense side, to tell a story of Jerusalem in bright moving colours. It takes place outdoors, under the dark skies in the Citadel courtyard. The experience lasts for approximately 45 minutes, which includes a walk along the magical footpaths to the main seating area, the show itself lasts about 30 minutes.
If you’ve taken in all that the Old City has to offer, and looking for something more modern, a very short walk across from the Jaffa gates you’ll stumble on Mamilla Avenue. A busy shopping district with all the regular stores that you’ll find anywhere else in the world. Here you’ll also find some cafes and restaurants, but eating here is not something I’d recommend as there are many great restaurants about a 5-10 minute walk from Jaffa gate towards the City Center (via Yafo Street also known as Jaffa Street).
They say the best kept secrets are always hidden and here it stays true. Off to the left of Yafo Street is Rivlin Street and other small connecting side streets, with various restaurants and bars. The restaurants in this area are open every day and even during Sabbath (the Jewish day of rest), which begins on Friday, before sunset and all day Saturday, which is when many restaurants and stores are closed.
A little further up Yafo Street (about another 5 minute walk) and again off to the left, you’ll find Mahane Yehuda Street, where your senses will hit overdrive with sounds, sights and smells of the Mahane Yehunda Jerusalem Market. The atmosphere is energetic and full of life, with many locals here to buy spices, fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood and where you’ll also find the tunes of street musicians, artists and hip bars/cafes, in the midst of all the lively commotion of the fresh produce stores. Sit back, have a drink and relax - take in the entirety that’s buzzing on around you.
Another popular district in Jerusalem is in the German Colony, where ‘The First Station’ is situated. This area was formerly an old train station, that has been converted into a popular indoor/outdoor place to eat, drink and chill out.
Besides the wining and dining here at First Station, you can also walk the market stalls, displaying items different to those you’ll find in the Old City markets, or glance in the art gallery, displaying modern uncanny artistic pieces. You can check out what’s happening in the area on their website: http://www.firststation.co.il/en/
Staying in Jerusalem, doesn’t mean exploring only Jerusalem, as there are numerous destinations nearby that deserve the visit and can be done through a number of options – public transport (egged bus), an organised tour group, hiring a taxi driver for the day (about $USD300 about for around 6-7 hours) or a private driver for the day ($USD500) – (these prices are as of April 2014). Having experienced both the organised tour group and having a taxi driver for the day, I would have to go with having your own taxi driver for the day and here are some of the reasons why:
- The taxi driver will take you anywhere and wait for you (multiple destinations allowed)
- Travelling to Qumran, Masada and the Dead sea with the organised tour group costs $USD100 per person, whereas the taxi driver for the day cost $USD300 per vehicle. If you’re a party of two (which we were) that means paying a bit extra, but it’s all well worth it, to eliminate all the waiting time you’d be doing on an organised tour group.
- Here’s an example of waiting times with an organised tour group (my experience): Bethlehem is about 10km from Jerusalem (not that far). By the time the bus picked everyone up and arrived in Bethlehem, 2 hours had gone by, which in my opinion was a huge waste of holiday time!
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Walking the streets from place to place, within the city feels safe and in addition, the locals are approachable and friendly, with almost everyone speaking perfect English, so you won’t have any communication issues here. On the whole, Jerusalem is a remarkable place full of significance and times gone by.
