Jerusalem of Gold

Jerusalem will always hold a very special place I my heart. There is no city on this earth that had warmed my heart the same way. If I forget you oh Jerusalem... We left them north and travels south with Jerusalem as our goal. 

We traveled south through the archeological site of Bet shemesh. Again we saw ancient ruins and heard stories of the groups that had occupied the lands.  Jordan sang in the amphitheater and we all melted in the heat. 

We continued on to the Amrony museum, we saw the evolution of the Israeli tank divisions through the various wars over time. The kids climbed in and out of the big gray monsters. The most recent tank was on display. Joel noticed a mother cat carrying her babies into one of the tanks. 

I have not mentioned Joel's catometer. Joel counted cats throughout the entire time in Israel. His grand total by the time we were done was 157. Cats are everywhere in Israel. 

So we eventually made our way to the Dan Panorama hotel in Jerusalem. This was a long way from the filthy hostels I used to stay in.  The city had grown and changed so much since my last visit. There was big buildings, light rail systems, more of everything. Yet, many things never changed. 

We settled in and had a swim. Then we met a friend of Diane's, a rabbi that went to school with her in Toronto back in the day. He lived in a small settlement outside Jerusalem. Together we went to Zion square which to me, was where I used to stay in the underground hostel and dance till dawn. Now it was a large pedestrians area with lots of cafés and fun things going on. We went there each night to have great falaphel and watch the life around us. 

In Jerusalem we spent time in the old city, the Israel museum, Yaf Va Shem, and the yeudah market, among other stops.  We were ushered from place to place by our trusty tour guides during the day and made our own way out at night. 

One of the highlights was the light show at the town of David. This to me was amazing. It followed the history of the area from group to group through moving light projections all over the inside walls of the structure. I had never seen anything like it. All the history our guide had tried to show us came together in this 30 minute magnificent show. 

Another great stop was the yeudah market. There you can get spices, halvah, fish, vegetables, sweets, cheeses, olives and just about anything you want to eat. Back in the day I used to get my groceries there and tie them to my backpack as I traveled around. This time I bough some food and joel and I had a lovely pick it. Jordan and Eli stuffed their faces with fresh mangos and discovered the joy of havlah. 

Jerusalem is magic. There are so many people with so much knowledge to share and secrets to be discovered. Underground tunnel tours to philosophy discussions to the Dead Sea scrolls. It is all there. Joel even spent an afternoon at an interactive science museum. 

After the tour, later in the trip we drove back to Jerusalem for one more day.  We saw the Chagall Windows, had one more walk through the Arab markets, and one more stop at the kotel to send our prayers and hopes heavenward. 

Years ago I spent about three months in Jerusalem. I love the very smell of the place, the sounds of the call to prayer and the feel of the Jerusalem stones undermine feet. There is no other. My heart will always be with that city. It is loved by many religions and has an undeniable energy all it is own.