The Old City and Fun Food

So many people I know have been to Israel that I'm sure I have little to offer in the way of new information!  Nonetheless, some personal observations from my first full day in Jerusalem.

In spite of the conflicting "go there" and "don't bother to go there" advice I received, I wanted to take it all in.  I have a guide, Elana, who came to Israel from Canada 25 years ago and is going to show me all the sights in Jerusalem and nearby desert over the next few days.  We got an early start (thanks, jet lag!) and so we were able to go up to (but not in) the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount before the 10:30 am closing of the area to the public. While we remarked on the lack of crowds early in the morning, we found that over and over again -- which was a nice thing!

 

We went from the Temple Mount back out of the old city to see the excavations at the City of David and (below) the adjacent former parking lot which is currently being worked on.   We did not go wading into the tunnels with water running through them, but we watched the 3-D movie that tells the story of how David conquered a Jebusite city and set in motion what has (so far, but maybe let's stop there?) 39 changes of ruling powers who have claimed Jerusalem in its long history.   (side note:  interesting story/movie, but I could have done without the occasional bird 3-D-ing its way toward my face.)

the former parking lot, now archeological site just outside the Old City walls

After we'd gone to the Western Wall and then joined a tour group through the Western Wall tunnel, we emerged in the Muslim quarter, where, mixed with shops and restaurants there's the Via Dolorosa, the path where Jesus was led, in agony, carrying the cross to his crucifixion,   We found ourselves oddly the only people standing at some of the five sites we stopped at.  The light rain falling may have accounted for a little of that.

We walked through the Jewish quarter, through the very small Armenian quarter and then on to the Tomb of King David.  Although there is a tomb there, I'd say it would more accurately be described as a memorial to King David since there's little reason to believe he'd have been entombed there and many reasons to believe that he would have been elsewhere. 

The pelican motif, seen in the church at the Tomb of King David, was new to me.  The pelican was believed to pierce its own breast with its beak and feed its young of its blood. It became a symbol of Christ sacrificing himself for man – and because of this was frequently represented in Christian art.

At that point in the day, it was 4:00 pm and the golden glow of Jerusalem stone in the light of the setting sun was absolutely magical.   

So onto fun food.  I had dinner tonight at Machneyuda, sitting at the bar.  The food was amazing, the music was pounding and I never before saw so many shot glasses tossed back to "L'Chaim." 

eggplant and salad