Jerusalem Day 3 and 4



The famous Wailing Wall

Our excellent guide, Avi,  is a History lecturer from the Hebrew University.  He did his Master’s in the Holocaust.  He took us to the Holocaust Museum and guided us giving us a very good insight into the history of events during the Holocaust.  We already knew most of what he said, but it was a very good reminder of why the Jewish people need their own State. 

Today we visited Bethlehem.  The significance, in my opinion, was going through the check point; through the wall that the Israelis built to protect themselves from Palestinian suicide bombers.  It reminded me of Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin wall.  The Church of the Nativity is a “have to go there” site but really not at all spiritual and not really believable as the site where Jesus was born. 

Tomorrow we cross into Jordan and visit the Dead Sea.  We will be staying at a luxury resort and going for a dip in the Dead Sea.

Jerusalem Day 1 and 2

We are sitting in a trendy cafe outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.  It is Jerusalem day, which Israeli's celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem when they drove the Jordanians out in the 1967 war.  They are dancing, chanting and generally making a meal of it.  The thing is, they even do this in the Arab parts of the city, in the Arab markets. I think that this really pisses off the Arabs - provocation if ever I saw it. The Arab's have another word for it, but the correct wording escapes me, but definitely a day of mourning.
One thing I notice is that the Israeli youth are full of exuberance with no alcohol required.  A refreshing change from Australia.



View of Jerusalem from Mount of Olives

We are getting such a wonderful education on this tour.  We have an Israeli/American guide who's knowledge of history, religion and politics is deep.  We have been to the Wailing Wall; The Church of the Holy Sepulchre; Mary's home/tomb; the grotto where Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested; garden of Gethsemane; Mount of Olives.

We went for drinks at the King David Hotel last night.  It has a great history going back to the British rule when the Zionists bombed the hotel and killed 50 people in their quest for the Israeli State.  Yesterday's terrorist is today's freedom fighter!

Will outside the Garden of Gethsamane

Our hotel has been rated as the second best hotel in the Middle East, second to the El Rashid in Dubai.