So you came back for more?

Jerusalem - Felt suitably reassured when a couple of mean-looking Israeli soldiers complete with semi-automatic shotguns get on the bus with me for the one hour journey to the World’s holiest city.

I head straight to the old part of town which is split into quarters, the Armenian, Christian, Muslim and Jewish areas all have a distinct flavour, but the latter two really stand out for me, in fact I’m not sure if I saw anyone in the Armenian section at all. That’s in stark contrast to the Muslim section which is an all-out assault on the senses (perhaps not the best choice of phrase given the circumstances), with heavy aromas of coffee, spice and smoke filling the air, thousands of vendors gesticulating wildly in between puffs on the sheesha, kids running about with carefree abandon, honestly it’s a madhouse, then 7pm rolls around and it’s as if none of it happened, and has instead all been replaced by piles of garbage.

Highlights include visiting the Room of the Last Supper and taking a tour under the Western/Wailing Wall. The list of ‘attractions’ is almost too long to list, which is something I’d no doubt gleefully do if there was an ounce of religiosity in me. 

As an atheist, I’m clearly not taking it in as much as the majority, I simply don't have the emotional link, but it is nevertheless an interesting experience in viewing the faith of others and how they relate to their beliefs and the supposed sources of them. Receiving a disbelieving look from a believer when you tell them that you don't believe is unbelievably.....ok I'll stop.

Arabic coffee and phenomenal shwarma stand out as the culinary highlights.

Day 6 - Mount of Olives/Bethlehem/Massada/Jericho

Today was an interesting, but quite frustrating day too. Started well with a hike up to the Mount of Olives, which offers spectacular views of Jerusalem, particularly the Old City and Temple Mount.

Followed this up by travelling to Bethlehem, where history’s most famous hippie was born. I didn’t bring gold, frankincense or myrrh, but a camera with suddenly no battery life and a phone which won’t take photos without fog appearing on the screen. Jesus bloody Christ.

Things got worse as my new buddy, Eddy and I travelled an hour and a half in his cab to Massada, a stunning place out in the desert by the Dead Sea. The idea was to take the cable car to the top, but of course it was closed for maintenance today and we didn’t have enough time before nightfall to do the two hour trek to the top.

Another day - Back in Tel Aviv and the day’s main news was that of the bus bombing downtown. The populace is shitting themselves big time. The general consensus is that a ground offensive is required. This blog is not meant to be political, but it’s hard to remain Switzerland with all this nonsense in the air.

Switching gears, I indulged in my favourite sort of travel today, ie getting hopelessly lost in a foreign place. Neve Tsedek, an artsy, undergoing-the-process-of gentrification kind of place, failed to deliver, especially on the food front, and when I was asked the obligatory, “How’s everything”, I opted for a Gordon Ramsey-esque response. Five days  in a row with falafel will do that to a person. Rescued my afternoon by strolling over to Jaffa, on the south side of the city, and boy was I impressed. The old town is something to behold. Stunning architecture, beautiful vistas, this place has it all, including the obligatory hordes of tourists, as well at least a dozen wedding shoots. Again I wondered in to the unknown and stumbled upon the flea market area, whose name does it little justice. Artists studios sitting besides uber-cool restaurants mixed in with furniture and craft stores, this little corner of Jaffa has something for everyone. I proceeded to install myself at one of the chronically cool bars and.....don’t really remember the rest ;)

And on the 7th Day - I too relaxed, mostly. Got into an interesting conversation with an Aussie-Jewish girl at the real Moon Sushi (not much better than the first, we really are spoilt for amazing food in Toronto). Walked endlessly, something I’m committing to do a lot more of at home. Attempted to go to an art museum, but all the masterpieces were on lockdown, so much for culture. 

I did find the old train station, which has been converted in to an array of beautiful boutiques and restaurants, complete with authentic railroad tracks and carriages. I love it when city planners can blend the old with the new so stylishly.

Cut the night short as a massive thunderstorm rolled in, woken in the night several times by the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard, at least that’s what I hope it was and not a broken ceasefire.

Into the second week - I’m on the road. Drive up to Nazareth, and what a letdown, I’m sure JC wouldn’t be happy of what’s become of his hometown. I will cut the carpenter some slack though, it’s not an easy town to navigate, so many hills, and incredibly confusing with all the churches. I got lost, which isn’t nearly as much fun in a car, and decided to pack in looking for el casa de jesus and head to Akko, a 5,000 year old town sitting a few miles north of Haifa, Israel’s third largest city, and officially designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site (the old town is at least). Have a memorable fish and chips for dinner and meet Walid, by far the most interesting and social hotel/hostel owner I’ve encountered on the trip so far. He tells me of days gone by when he’d run 15km and smoke 40 cigarettes a day, though now he’s strictly a sheesha guy and he’s not shy about sharing.