Friday, 28 March 2008
Stupiidooo
Vaata, et sa minu kuuldes ei ütle sõna TULUDEKLARATSIOON, ma olen tõsiselt tige hetkel ja ei saa mitte millestki mitte midagi aru. Mida oligi loomulikult ette arvata. Dohhh.
Aga ma leidsin täna oma käeketi üles, mis sest ma seda üldse ei otsinudki ja kui aus olla, siis ma ei teadnud ka seda, et see mul ülepea kadunud oleks olnud. Nii ma siis oma asju hoiangi :s
Aga ma leidsin täna oma käeketi üles, mis sest ma seda üldse ei otsinudki ja kui aus olla, siis ma ei teadnud ka seda, et see mul ülepea kadunud oleks olnud. Nii ma siis oma asju hoiangi :s
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Today was a crazy day, officially. I wonder whether they pay me just for giggling in front of the class? :D I tried, honestly, but somehow it just sort of happened. Ja õnneks söödi see kleepuv magus asi ka ära kogu selle jaburduse vahele. Küsimus, kas sa teadsid teda juba varasemast ajast oli muidugi üsna asjakohane. Ei teadnud. See teine küsimus oli mu jaoks tegelikult hoopis olulisem, kuigi ma ei teadnud, miks seda küsiti. Aga lihtsalt naljakas oli. Ma arvan, et ma olen pisut eufooriliselt üleväsinud, kuigi ma ei saa päris täpselt aru miks ometi. On hea olla ajuvaba ja kirjutada pikalt ja põhjalikult mittemillestki mittemidagi :p
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Tel Avivi lennujaama turvakontrollist
Tegelikult ma tahtsin sellest ka kirjutada. Ma enam mitte kunagi ei virise selle üle, et turvakontrollis läheb palju aega või miks metalliotsijast läbi minnes tuleb jalanõud ära võtta. Kõigi teiste lennujaamade turvakontrollid on täielik nohu Tel Avivi Ben Gurioni kõrval. Ausõna. Ja seda riigist väljudes. Oi ja nad armastavad igasuguseid silte su kõigi asjade peale kleepida. Koju jõudes oli mu kohvril kaks, käsipagasil üks ja passil kaks toredat kleepekat, kusjuures passi oma ei tule enam kaane küljest hästi lahti, nüüd vist jääbki nii, et tagakaanel on silt, kus ring on ümber tõmmatud numbrile 39 ja mingile heebreakeelsele krõnksule. Mis kasu sest on, et Iisraeli sisse tulles tempel paberile mitte passi sai löödud, et ka hiljem saaks sama passiga mõnessse Iisraeli riiki mitte tunnistavasse teise riiki siseneda.
Algas kogu see kadalipp sellega, et vaadati passi ja saadeti õigesse järjekorda ootama. Järjekorras saabus me juurde üks asjapulk, kes küsis, kust me tuleme, kes me oleme, miks me tuleme, kui palju meil pagasit on, kes pagasi pakkis, kas keegi kinkis meile midagi, kas me jätsime pagasi kuhugi ilma järelvalveta ja kes me üksteisele oleme. Peale pikka seletust, kuidas me seotud oleme, jõudis ta järeldusele, et AE ei ole minu ema ja Liisu ei ole minu tütar, mis oli väga õige järeldus muidugi, aga ka väga suur üldistus. No mida iganes. Järgmisena läbis kogu pagas röntgeni ja kogu pagasi puhul pean ma silmas KOGU pagasit, mitte ainult käsipagasit. Peale röntgenit algas kohvrite läbiotsimine. Täpsustuseks nii palju, et kohvrite läbiotsimise all mõtlen ma KOHVRITE läbiotsimist, mitte käsipagasi läbiotsimist (selleni me alles jõuame). Kohvrite läbiotsimine käis nii, et su kodus kolme tunni jooksul hoolega kokku pakitud kohver kästi lahti teha ja paljud asjad tõsteti välja. Ja loomulikult ei tõstetud neid niisama välja, vaid tehti lahti ka kõik kilekotid, kuhu osad asjad olid pakitud ja võeti proove (ma eeldan, et lõhkeaineproove) pea kõigilt kotis olevatelt asjadelt. Selleks oli selline imelik pulk, millega asjadest üle tõmmati ja mida siis aeg-ajalt mingisse aparaati tulemuste saamiseks topiti. Arvutiekraanil oli samal ajal röntgenis tehtud pilt koti sisust, mille järgi sai eriti kahtlaseid asju mööda kotti taga ajada. Eriti kahtlane oli näiteks mu raamat Jerusalem and the Holy Land ja Amsterdamist ostetud Heati number. Raamatut sai selle proovivõtjaga kohe lehthaaval läbi lapata. Veel kahtlasem oli Liisu Jeruusalemma turult ostetud halvaa moodi maius, mille kilesse me kohvrite läbi otsimist teostanud poiss lihtsalt proovi võtmiseks augu sisse tegi, ise vabandades ja öeldes, et see näeb tõesti imemaitsev välja. No siis mina ei suutnud mitte küsida, et miks seda augustama peab (strictly security procedure) ja Liisu arvas, et tal on veel küpsiseid ka, et äkki ta tahaks ka neid natuke maitsta (väiksed naeruhood). Jah oli küll ülinunnu poiss :p. Mingil hetkel osales ta mingis konsiiliumis naaberlaua juures, kus AE kotte läbi otsiti, sest AE 15 Surnumere mineraalidega seepi (millest 5 olid ausalt öeldes minu omad, aga nad ei mahtunud mulle kohvrisse) olid piisavalt nii kahtlased, et need tuli ükshaaval karbist välja võtta ja neilt proove võtta. Minu kohvris olnud paari seebi vastu ei tundnud nunnu poiss mingisugust huvi. Ju ma siis ei näe välja inimesena, kes midagi seebikarpidesse peitma hakkaks, pigem ikka raamatute vahele või kosmeetikakotti. AE Surnumere äärest korjatud sool käis aga eraldi röntgenist läbi, sest mine sa tea, mida sinna kõik sisse peita saab. Ja muideks, kui sul on kotis fotoka laadija, aga fotokat pole, siis sult ka küsitakse kohe selle kohta, kus su fotokas on (AE kas kaotas või talt varastati see reisi ajal ära). No igatahes pärast seda tohuvapohu, mis sellest läbiotsimisest järele jäi, aitas poiss meil kohvrid jälle kokku pakkida ja mu suureks üllatuseks mahtusid kõik asjad ära. Ma ei tea, kui kaua kogu see protseduur aega võttis, igatahes kaua, eriti kui mõelda, et nii tehakse kõigi inimeste kogu ära antava pagasiga. Ja siis hopsassaa, saimegi rõõmsalt check-ini minna ja lõpuks oma pagasi ära anda.
Edasi tuli turvaväravate kontroll. Mul õnnestus seekord väravaid mitte piiksuma panna, aga see-eest sai mu käsipagas mitu korda läbi röntgeni sõita. Kõigepealt kokku pakitud kujul ja siis, üllatus-üllatus, lahtipakitud kujul. Samasuguse aparaadiga mis äraantava pagasi puhulgi võeti erilise hoolega proove mu telefonilaadijalt, iPodi laadijalt, fotoka aku laadijalt, juhtmehunnikult, fotokalt ja kotilt endalt. Korralikult suletavasse kilekotti pakitud läätsevedeliku vastu ei tuntud üldse huvi. Ja kui susse päris jalast võtta ei käsita, siis tenniste paeltelt ei keela ju keegi ometi proovi võtmast. See tädi polnud aga sugugi mitte nii osav pakkija, nii et lõpuks mul asjad enam eriti kotti tagasi ei mahtunud. Järgmine etapp oli passikontroll, kus mina kui väga kahtlane persoon kah teistest kolm korda kauem aega veetsin. Küsimusi, peale selle, kas ma riiki sisse tulles lasin viisa paberi peale ja mitte passi panna, eriti ei küsitud, pardakaart sai templi peale ja saigi edasi järgmise kontrollpunkti juurde liikuda, kus kontrolliti, jah, ära arvasid, templi olemasolu pardakaardil. Ja järgmine kontroll oli juba päris väravas, kuhu me jõudsime vaid hetk enne seda, kui inimesi lennukisse laskma hakati, mis tähendas, et olime igasugustel läbiotsimistel veetnud pea kaks tundi, kusjuures järjekorrad ei olnud pikad, sest kogu see asi toimus öösel vahemikus kella 3st 5ni ja lennujaam oli suhteliselt tühi. Ma ei kujuta ette, kui vara peab sinna päeval kohale minema, ka kolmest tunnist jääb tõenäoliselt väheseks. Nii et nagu ma ütlesin, turvakontroll kõigis teistes lennujaamades on täielik naljanumber.
Algas kogu see kadalipp sellega, et vaadati passi ja saadeti õigesse järjekorda ootama. Järjekorras saabus me juurde üks asjapulk, kes küsis, kust me tuleme, kes me oleme, miks me tuleme, kui palju meil pagasit on, kes pagasi pakkis, kas keegi kinkis meile midagi, kas me jätsime pagasi kuhugi ilma järelvalveta ja kes me üksteisele oleme. Peale pikka seletust, kuidas me seotud oleme, jõudis ta järeldusele, et AE ei ole minu ema ja Liisu ei ole minu tütar, mis oli väga õige järeldus muidugi, aga ka väga suur üldistus. No mida iganes. Järgmisena läbis kogu pagas röntgeni ja kogu pagasi puhul pean ma silmas KOGU pagasit, mitte ainult käsipagasit. Peale röntgenit algas kohvrite läbiotsimine. Täpsustuseks nii palju, et kohvrite läbiotsimise all mõtlen ma KOHVRITE läbiotsimist, mitte käsipagasi läbiotsimist (selleni me alles jõuame). Kohvrite läbiotsimine käis nii, et su kodus kolme tunni jooksul hoolega kokku pakitud kohver kästi lahti teha ja paljud asjad tõsteti välja. Ja loomulikult ei tõstetud neid niisama välja, vaid tehti lahti ka kõik kilekotid, kuhu osad asjad olid pakitud ja võeti proove (ma eeldan, et lõhkeaineproove) pea kõigilt kotis olevatelt asjadelt. Selleks oli selline imelik pulk, millega asjadest üle tõmmati ja mida siis aeg-ajalt mingisse aparaati tulemuste saamiseks topiti. Arvutiekraanil oli samal ajal röntgenis tehtud pilt koti sisust, mille järgi sai eriti kahtlaseid asju mööda kotti taga ajada. Eriti kahtlane oli näiteks mu raamat Jerusalem and the Holy Land ja Amsterdamist ostetud Heati number. Raamatut sai selle proovivõtjaga kohe lehthaaval läbi lapata. Veel kahtlasem oli Liisu Jeruusalemma turult ostetud halvaa moodi maius, mille kilesse me kohvrite läbi otsimist teostanud poiss lihtsalt proovi võtmiseks augu sisse tegi, ise vabandades ja öeldes, et see näeb tõesti imemaitsev välja. No siis mina ei suutnud mitte küsida, et miks seda augustama peab (strictly security procedure) ja Liisu arvas, et tal on veel küpsiseid ka, et äkki ta tahaks ka neid natuke maitsta (väiksed naeruhood). Jah oli küll ülinunnu poiss :p. Mingil hetkel osales ta mingis konsiiliumis naaberlaua juures, kus AE kotte läbi otsiti, sest AE 15 Surnumere mineraalidega seepi (millest 5 olid ausalt öeldes minu omad, aga nad ei mahtunud mulle kohvrisse) olid piisavalt nii kahtlased, et need tuli ükshaaval karbist välja võtta ja neilt proove võtta. Minu kohvris olnud paari seebi vastu ei tundnud nunnu poiss mingisugust huvi. Ju ma siis ei näe välja inimesena, kes midagi seebikarpidesse peitma hakkaks, pigem ikka raamatute vahele või kosmeetikakotti. AE Surnumere äärest korjatud sool käis aga eraldi röntgenist läbi, sest mine sa tea, mida sinna kõik sisse peita saab. Ja muideks, kui sul on kotis fotoka laadija, aga fotokat pole, siis sult ka küsitakse kohe selle kohta, kus su fotokas on (AE kas kaotas või talt varastati see reisi ajal ära). No igatahes pärast seda tohuvapohu, mis sellest läbiotsimisest järele jäi, aitas poiss meil kohvrid jälle kokku pakkida ja mu suureks üllatuseks mahtusid kõik asjad ära. Ma ei tea, kui kaua kogu see protseduur aega võttis, igatahes kaua, eriti kui mõelda, et nii tehakse kõigi inimeste kogu ära antava pagasiga. Ja siis hopsassaa, saimegi rõõmsalt check-ini minna ja lõpuks oma pagasi ära anda.
Edasi tuli turvaväravate kontroll. Mul õnnestus seekord väravaid mitte piiksuma panna, aga see-eest sai mu käsipagas mitu korda läbi röntgeni sõita. Kõigepealt kokku pakitud kujul ja siis, üllatus-üllatus, lahtipakitud kujul. Samasuguse aparaadiga mis äraantava pagasi puhulgi võeti erilise hoolega proove mu telefonilaadijalt, iPodi laadijalt, fotoka aku laadijalt, juhtmehunnikult, fotokalt ja kotilt endalt. Korralikult suletavasse kilekotti pakitud läätsevedeliku vastu ei tuntud üldse huvi. Ja kui susse päris jalast võtta ei käsita, siis tenniste paeltelt ei keela ju keegi ometi proovi võtmast. See tädi polnud aga sugugi mitte nii osav pakkija, nii et lõpuks mul asjad enam eriti kotti tagasi ei mahtunud. Järgmine etapp oli passikontroll, kus mina kui väga kahtlane persoon kah teistest kolm korda kauem aega veetsin. Küsimusi, peale selle, kas ma riiki sisse tulles lasin viisa paberi peale ja mitte passi panna, eriti ei küsitud, pardakaart sai templi peale ja saigi edasi järgmise kontrollpunkti juurde liikuda, kus kontrolliti, jah, ära arvasid, templi olemasolu pardakaardil. Ja järgmine kontroll oli juba päris väravas, kuhu me jõudsime vaid hetk enne seda, kui inimesi lennukisse laskma hakati, mis tähendas, et olime igasugustel läbiotsimistel veetnud pea kaks tundi, kusjuures järjekorrad ei olnud pikad, sest kogu see asi toimus öösel vahemikus kella 3st 5ni ja lennujaam oli suhteliselt tühi. Ma ei kujuta ette, kui vara peab sinna päeval kohale minema, ka kolmest tunnist jääb tõenäoliselt väheseks. Nii et nagu ma ütlesin, turvakontroll kõigis teistes lennujaamades on täielik naljanumber.
The Holy Land 14-22 March
I’m back from Israel and it was fantastic, crazy, warm, new, awesome and basically a whole range of other adjectives. After travelling for 16 hours straight and reaching Tiberias at 5 in pitch darkness on the early hours of Saturday, this kind of view was what greeted me on the balcony 5 hours of sleep later.
It turned out to be the only morning with no haze, so we could actually see the Sea of Galilee (or Lake Tiberias/Kinneret) as well as the snowy peak of Mount Hermon in the distance. The Sea of Galilee is fed and drained by the Jordan River and since biblical times has been famous for its abundance of fish, as many Jesus’s disciples were fishermen here.
In addition to a great variety of flowers, there were also some fruit trees,
a dog,
and a turtle in the garden.
On Monday morning we went for a long walk in the near-by park called the Swiss Forest and got a bit lost there. It was nice and green and not didn’t have any cactuses or palm trees.
But what it did have was a lot of hills and a lot of sunshine through haze.
Not everything was green though. And not everything will be green all year round either. When the summer sets in, it will all be yellow and barren.
The city centre of Tiberias
was quite different and controversial. It had fancier houses like the main department store
or just some shops and better-looking blocks of flats,
but also not so attractive shops,
quite run-down dwellings,
pretty ugly-looking blocks of flats,
and hostels.
There was also a chemist’s that just looked like the most prototypical pharmacy there can be :)
The city is on the Sea of Galilee,
the lake actually being 212 metres below sea level.
This simple white house is the UN Headquarters of Tiberias, from where all the teams of military observers covering the region around Tiberias are co-ordinated.
On Sunday we drove round the region of a long-running historical conflict, the Golan Heights, which borders Israel, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
After seeing Golan I can actually understand why Israel occupied it, as it’s just utterly beautiful and has fertile soil.
It’s no paradise though, because a lot of it is full of land mines left here during the countless conflicts of the neighbouring countries.
Golan Heights offers some amazing views to the Sea of Galilee from the opposite side of the lake
as well as on the Mount Hermon from Mount Bental
and the Gamla waterfall.
Hamat Gader, situated in a deep valley on the Golan Heights just near the Jordanian border is famous for its curative thermo-mineral hot springs, where the water is 42 degrees,
for the ruins of the Roman Baths, built there about 1,700 years ago and considered to be the second in their beauty in the entire Roman Empire,
and for its Crocodile Farm,
which houses some 200 crocodiles of various species.
Find the crocodiles.
I didn’t see any raccoons in Toronto, but here they were, in Hamat Gader :)
There was also a parrot show, where the parrots didn’t just talk, but also rode tricycles
and waved at the audience.
Hamat Gader wasn’t the only place full of exotic animals. On Wednesday when we set off towards Highway 90 and the Dead Sea, we first went to Gan-Garoo Park in the Nir-David Kibbutz. Among other Australian birds and animals such as kookaburras, cockatoos, cassowaries, emus, and gahlas it housed some free ranging curious birds,
common wallaroos,
koalas,
angry animals,
and huuuuge scary bats.
And then there were the free ranging red kangaroos of course,
who were more than eager to eat the food you could buy for them.
They do have their own Sunset Boulevard :p Notice the McDonald’s sign.
As we headed South, the landscape became more barren, until we reached the desert and the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, about 400 metres below sea level.
The kibbutz we stayed at, Ein Gedi Resort Hotel and Botanical Gardens, was an oasis on the mountain side with a view at the mountains and the salt lake.
The houses were plain but quite cute
and completely surrounded by all kinds of plants and trees
The baobab tree in the centre of the complex was blue at night,
whereas all the other plants were illuminated by full moon.
Thanks to the full moon we ended up going to a full moon hike in the nearby mountains in Masada, where the guide was looking for sulphur in the mountain and lit it with a lighter.
We happened to crash into a wedding party at the end of our hike. The party took place in the mountains and was even a bit more than surreal, because it was the very last thing we would have expected to find there.
We also marked Estonia on the map in the reception with a nice blue pin :)
The nice “bus” that took us from Ein Gedi spa to the beach looked like that:
The beach itself at 8:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning was a bit less than crowded
but the Dead Sea itself was as bluish green or greenish blue as can be
and had rock hard salt instead of sand everywhere.
If you are quite sunburnt there is nothing better to do than put on a lot of clothes, sit on the beach and read a magazine.
Those who aren’t that sunburnt can read the She magazine floating comfortably in the Dead Sea.
Or when you have your teddy bear with you, you just have to take a picture of him on the beach (and it doesn’t matter how old you are, 8 or 18).
Jerusalem is by far the craziest place I had been to. We entered the Old City through Damascus Gate in the Muslim Quarter.
Much of the Old City was a maze of half-covered narrow dark streets with hundreds of merchants trying to sell you something and anything. Be it clothes,
shoes,
all kinds of spices
vessels,
a lot of lamb,
sweets (I bought some from there, but it isn’t good),
or delicious biscuits (they are really yummy).
Away from the complex labyrinth, there’s some ancient architecture
and some more modern architecture in Modern Jerusalem.
Last but not least, the religious places. The main entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most important church in Christendom as it was built around what is believed to be the site of Christ’s Crucifixion, burial and Resurrection (and we were there on Thursday just before Good Friday).
View over the Dome of Rock on Temple Mount, one of the greatest achievements of Islamic architecture. It was completed in 691, making it the oldest extant Islamic building in the world. What is there in front is the Western Wall itself.
The Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism is part of the retaining wall situated on the western flank of the Temple Mount and was built by Herod the Great.
It is divided into two – the men’s (on the left) and the women’s (on the right) section.
It is a place of permanent worship
and a place where you can leave your greatest wish for the humankind written on a piece of paper in between the rocks.
So that was it, I think I know now where I want to go next. The tulips in Amsterdam Airport were just too beautiful to be true :)
It turned out to be the only morning with no haze, so we could actually see the Sea of Galilee (or Lake Tiberias/Kinneret) as well as the snowy peak of Mount Hermon in the distance. The Sea of Galilee is fed and drained by the Jordan River and since biblical times has been famous for its abundance of fish, as many Jesus’s disciples were fishermen here.
In addition to a great variety of flowers, there were also some fruit trees,
a dog,
and a turtle in the garden.
On Monday morning we went for a long walk in the near-by park called the Swiss Forest and got a bit lost there. It was nice and green and not didn’t have any cactuses or palm trees.
But what it did have was a lot of hills and a lot of sunshine through haze.
Not everything was green though. And not everything will be green all year round either. When the summer sets in, it will all be yellow and barren.
The city centre of Tiberias
was quite different and controversial. It had fancier houses like the main department store
or just some shops and better-looking blocks of flats,
but also not so attractive shops,
quite run-down dwellings,
pretty ugly-looking blocks of flats,
and hostels.
There was also a chemist’s that just looked like the most prototypical pharmacy there can be :)
The city is on the Sea of Galilee,
the lake actually being 212 metres below sea level.
This simple white house is the UN Headquarters of Tiberias, from where all the teams of military observers covering the region around Tiberias are co-ordinated.
On Sunday we drove round the region of a long-running historical conflict, the Golan Heights, which borders Israel, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
After seeing Golan I can actually understand why Israel occupied it, as it’s just utterly beautiful and has fertile soil.
It’s no paradise though, because a lot of it is full of land mines left here during the countless conflicts of the neighbouring countries.
Golan Heights offers some amazing views to the Sea of Galilee from the opposite side of the lake
as well as on the Mount Hermon from Mount Bental
and the Gamla waterfall.
Hamat Gader, situated in a deep valley on the Golan Heights just near the Jordanian border is famous for its curative thermo-mineral hot springs, where the water is 42 degrees,
for the ruins of the Roman Baths, built there about 1,700 years ago and considered to be the second in their beauty in the entire Roman Empire,
and for its Crocodile Farm,
which houses some 200 crocodiles of various species.
Find the crocodiles.
I didn’t see any raccoons in Toronto, but here they were, in Hamat Gader :)
There was also a parrot show, where the parrots didn’t just talk, but also rode tricycles
and waved at the audience.
Hamat Gader wasn’t the only place full of exotic animals. On Wednesday when we set off towards Highway 90 and the Dead Sea, we first went to Gan-Garoo Park in the Nir-David Kibbutz. Among other Australian birds and animals such as kookaburras, cockatoos, cassowaries, emus, and gahlas it housed some free ranging curious birds,
common wallaroos,
koalas,
angry animals,
and huuuuge scary bats.
And then there were the free ranging red kangaroos of course,
who were more than eager to eat the food you could buy for them.
They do have their own Sunset Boulevard :p Notice the McDonald’s sign.
As we headed South, the landscape became more barren, until we reached the desert and the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, about 400 metres below sea level.
The kibbutz we stayed at, Ein Gedi Resort Hotel and Botanical Gardens, was an oasis on the mountain side with a view at the mountains and the salt lake.
The houses were plain but quite cute
and completely surrounded by all kinds of plants and trees
The baobab tree in the centre of the complex was blue at night,
whereas all the other plants were illuminated by full moon.
Thanks to the full moon we ended up going to a full moon hike in the nearby mountains in Masada, where the guide was looking for sulphur in the mountain and lit it with a lighter.
We happened to crash into a wedding party at the end of our hike. The party took place in the mountains and was even a bit more than surreal, because it was the very last thing we would have expected to find there.
We also marked Estonia on the map in the reception with a nice blue pin :)
The nice “bus” that took us from Ein Gedi spa to the beach looked like that:
The beach itself at 8:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning was a bit less than crowded
but the Dead Sea itself was as bluish green or greenish blue as can be
and had rock hard salt instead of sand everywhere.
If you are quite sunburnt there is nothing better to do than put on a lot of clothes, sit on the beach and read a magazine.
Those who aren’t that sunburnt can read the She magazine floating comfortably in the Dead Sea.
Or when you have your teddy bear with you, you just have to take a picture of him on the beach (and it doesn’t matter how old you are, 8 or 18).
Jerusalem is by far the craziest place I had been to. We entered the Old City through Damascus Gate in the Muslim Quarter.
Much of the Old City was a maze of half-covered narrow dark streets with hundreds of merchants trying to sell you something and anything. Be it clothes,
shoes,
all kinds of spices
vessels,
a lot of lamb,
sweets (I bought some from there, but it isn’t good),
or delicious biscuits (they are really yummy).
Away from the complex labyrinth, there’s some ancient architecture
and some more modern architecture in Modern Jerusalem.
Last but not least, the religious places. The main entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most important church in Christendom as it was built around what is believed to be the site of Christ’s Crucifixion, burial and Resurrection (and we were there on Thursday just before Good Friday).
View over the Dome of Rock on Temple Mount, one of the greatest achievements of Islamic architecture. It was completed in 691, making it the oldest extant Islamic building in the world. What is there in front is the Western Wall itself.
The Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism is part of the retaining wall situated on the western flank of the Temple Mount and was built by Herod the Great.
It is divided into two – the men’s (on the left) and the women’s (on the right) section.
It is a place of permanent worship
and a place where you can leave your greatest wish for the humankind written on a piece of paper in between the rocks.
So that was it, I think I know now where I want to go next. The tulips in Amsterdam Airport were just too beautiful to be true :)
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