Actual Jerusalem Weekend

Friday, July 26th, cont'd

I left off last time with our arrival in Jerusalem and the long-awaited, much-appreciated showers. After that, we set off to find an early dinner/late lunch (since we skipped lunch at the Kfar to go straight to Jerusalem) and found a cafe that was still open; it's Shabbat but this place closed a little bit later than others. I had a nice iced tea and a cheese ravioli in a mushroom alfredo sauce.

We then walked to the Old City and followed the trail of people to the Western Wall. I'd seen it last year but I was glad to return. It was Sarah's first time seeing it, so I explained to her a little about it before we both approached the Wall for a spell.

Sarah wanted to see the Temple Mount, even just the outside of it, but there were military guards on the pathways there, and they said there was no way through - we could try again on Sunday, which was disappointing. So we kept wandering around. We walked up a bit through the main road of the Muslim Quarter and began trying to find the Christian Quarter but were not having an easy time of it. Some people were very helpful and gave us good directions to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

This site is a new experience for me as I never made it inside on last year's trip, only past the courtyard and the teeming groups of people striving to get in. It is meant to be the place of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. As it was evening, there were much fewer people around. It was very nice inside, but the building was very dark due to it being nighttime, so the paintings were mainly obscured. Still, I got a good impression of its dimensions and grandeur. Immediately in the entrance, you see a marble slab, and several people praying over it and kissing it - this is the Stone of Anointing, where Jesus' body lay in preparation for burial. Inside the main space is an enclosed sort of altar that houses the tomb as well as a piece of the stone that once covered it - there was a small crowd of people surrounding this enclosure, so we didn't go in. We did make it up a stairway to see the Golgotha, which houses a glass case that covers a long rock that has a hole in it, a hole that supported the cross on which Jesus died. There was a large tour group here, each person lining up to crouch underneath a table and kiss the icon placed over the rock. The whole space is very lavishly decorated, with gold and lights and mosaic walls. Then a guard started coming around and telling people to begin leaving because the Church was closing. We must have had really good timing, to be able to get in and have a look-see.

Sarah and I decide we've had enough, it's been a long day and we should get back to the hostel for bed. Just as we leave Jaffa Gate, though, we see another small group of Dor people, and they joyfully invite us to come along. Sarah and I look at each other, shrug, and turn back. We thought we were done, but no, the Old City always gets you. The group's first stop is the Western Wall, so Sarah and I sort of sigh, "We were just here." We sat down with two other girls and waited for the others.

The group split into two, one who went off to go shopping and the other who wanted to find the observatory point and have a good view of the city. Sarah and I walked with the latter, but this point proved impossible to find, and Jerusalem is tricky even with a good map (and we only had an okay map.) We somehow meet with the others again. We all wander into one of the shops near Jaffa Gate, have a look around. Sarah E. and Sarah G. both got sucked in by shopkeepers; the two ladies were actually looking for specific items to take home and the shopkeepers latched on. It was actually very impressive to watch. We were there so long, most of the others went back to the hostel - it was only the Sarahs, Myr and myself who remained. I occupied myself in two ways: passively observing the negotiation process and actively warning one or the other girl to be mindful about the options being presented before her. It was a strangely entertaining, and not a little maddening, way to end the night. We finally dragged them out of there (with their purchases) and got back to the hostel to have a good sleep.



Saturday, July 27th

We woke in time to have a little bite at the hostel's complimentary breakfast (cereal, toast, fruit, vegetables, coffee/tea). After checking out and putting our things into luggage storage, Sarah E. and I then headed off to the Israel Museum in time for its opening, at 10:00. We'd heard a lot about the Herod exhibit and how it was a must-see, so that was our first stop. It was actually pretty impressive, with details of Herod's life, his works, various architectural accomplishments (i.e., Masada and Caesarea), his large tomb at Herodium and various artifacts from these places and his time.
Our next stop was the exhibition on illusionism. It begins with a room that contained works by MC Escher; through this space is a stairway up to the rest of the exhibition, called ArTricks. This contains various art pieces that were optical illusions or otherwise unique in perspective. For example, there was a piece that had several wooden/metal scraps, standing in a row and increasing in height/shape - behind them was a light, and this projected the collective shadows into the shape of a man onto the wall. There was another that looked like an impressionist painting but a closer view revealed it was made from knitted wool. It was, overall, a really cool exhibition, like being back in elementary school and going on a trip to the science museum.
After a brief snack at the museum's one cafe that was still open, we visited the large Second Temple model and the Shrine of the Book. It's my third time seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls but I was happy to visit again, especially since it was Sarah's first time. She enjoyed it more than she was expecting to, and I'm always impressed by the Scrolls
Then we wandered over to the exhibition on Fauvism, an art movement from the early 20th century that focused on very bright colours and less realistic lines (that is, more rough and large). There were a couple of rooms dedicated to this style, and we were happy to see a few Matisses on display, and the various other artists were interesting as well.
We thought we'd finish about this time, but we just kept going. Around the corner from Fauvism was more French art, along with a whole room on Picasso. I peeked into another hallway and saw this really intricate, detailed painting, but then I looked closer and saw it wasn't a painting at all, but a style of art called micromosaic - this painting was made up of thousands of tiny little pieces. I was so impressed I called Sarah over to have a look, and this action led us down a whole new rabbit whole of European art. There were even rooms that were decorated in the style of 18th-century French boudoirs and salons, with tables, vases, paintings all from the period.
The museum kept on going, and so did we. We had moments where'd we sort of look at each other, say that it was enough and nod along in agreement but not actually leave. So by the time we actually did want to leave, it was 3:30. We ran into a few of the girls from the dig (and the night before) as they were just entering the museum - they invited us along and this time we said "Nope! Thanks!" and left. We return to the hostel by 4:00 and we were so exhausted that we just couldn't manage anything else. So we hung out in the common room with our computers and just relaxed.

At about 8:00, I went out with a few of the other girls; Sarah had gone out earlier to meet with a friend who was staying in Jerusalem. We found a restaurant, but service was rather slow, and most kitchens are ill-equipped to handle big crowds but won't turn away people. It took a while for our food to come. I was hoping to get out of there a bit sooner but it wasn't until 9:50 that I could return to the hostel, get my things out of luggage storage and meet with Sarah to plan our return to the Kfar. We had thought there was a train at 11:10, but the last one was apparently 10:10, so we had a mild panic while we tried to figure out a way back home. It wasn't as big a deal for me, but Sarah had a field trip to attend the next day, so it was imperative for her to get back home. After a little bit of time and some questioning at the hostel's front desk, we learn there is one bus to Haifa at 10:45 - it was 10:20 when we discovered this. It's doable, but we miss the more convenient streetcar to the bus station and instead flag down a taxi. We make it to the station with ten minutes to spare - not bad at all.

Once in Haifa, we get an overpriced taxi, but we're so tired and glad to be back that we don't care too much, and we arrive at the Kfar, safe and sound and ready for sleep.