My Last Day in Israel

The Walling Wall

Today is my last day in Jerusalem before I fly back to Canada.  I've decided to spend it exploring the different quarters of Old Jerusalem.  Unfortunately because it is the Sabbath, only Muslim and Christian businesses are open today, but I am sure I'll still find a lot of things to see and do.

Old Jerusalem is an incredible city full of ancient streets, synagogues, churches, and mosques.  The narrow cobblestone streets are packed with tourists and merchants selling a variety of religious paraphernalia.  As expected, most of the tourists here are pilgrims who have come to visit all the holy sites and to walk the land where Jesus walked.  Everywhere I turn I see people praying, singing hymns, or tour guides explaining the religious significance of everything around us.

I decided to buy some souvenirs to take back home, but I am quickly put off by the pressure put on me by every merchant I talk to.  The prices they give me are outrageous, such as $75 for a Bible, $50 for a box of Israeli candy, etc., etc.   Like everywhere else I have traveled in the Middle East, these merchants seem to think that tourists are gullible and made out of money.  When I walked away from the guy selling me the Bible he lowered his price to $30, I still didn't buy it, even if it had dirt from the holy land in a glass container attached to the cover.  :-)   I even could have bought holy water, olive oil, and holy dirt, all within a convenient 3 flask case... hmmm.. might have come in handy if I crossed paths with Dracula, but I think I can do without that particular souvenir too.

I have to admit that I was hoping for some kind of religious awakening here, or perhaps, to rekindle my faith, but everyplace I saw just seemed like ancient buildings, nothing spiritual about them.  However, I was greatly moved by the passionate devotion I saw from all the pilgrims praying in the churches and holy sites such as the stone table where Jesus was laid down to be wrapped before his burial.  The devotion with which people cried, knelt, touched the table, and wiped pieces of cloth on it was just overwhelming.  The huge line ups to be blessed at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was incredible, seeing that kind of devotion and faith really touched me and got me misty eyed....  I wish I could believe like that on something, anything at all, but that is not the case.

Mount of Olives

I continued my wanderings throughout the old city, exploring the relatively new Jewish Quarter which was nearly destroyed during the 1969 war.  I also explored the Armenian and Christian Quarters.  My hotel was in the Muslim Quarter, so I was always wondering through amazing bazaars and restaurants near my hotel.

I think I could easily spend a week just in the old city, not to mention the rest of Jerusalem and Israel.  I know that I will be returning to Israel in the near future, this land is too wonderful and full of history to be contempt with just one trip to it. 

Last day of my trip. Jerusalem in the background