My travels and normal life: LOTS TO SEE AND DO IN JERUSALEM

Yes after I dropped off the car in Jerusalem, which was next to Kind David Hotel, I got a taxi to my hotel . The taxi driver gave me his card( a fridge magnet) so I could keep that for when I needed to go to the airport. I have used " Gett" app for taxi's. Very similar to Uber, except these are real licensed taxi drivers.

It was Jerusalem City Center Hotel, at King George Street. I arrived on Tuesday the 7th of August.
I got a spacious room and kitchenette . Big bathroom with it as well.
It suited me well. 15 min walk to Jaffa gate and 2 min walk to Ben Yehuda Street, famous for street entertainment,( I saw plenty of that) and great food places and shops.
On the first day after a good night sleep I acquainted myself with my new surroundings. I walked down Ben Yehuda street and also the side streets. Once I knew how to get to the old city I then would always walk that way. Down Hillell Street to Mamilla ave and through the Mamilla arcade to Jaffa Gate.
Jaffa Gate is the beginning of the old city.

On the Wednesday I explored the old city and went to the places I missed out on last time.
I started with the walk on the wall, the rampart walk, but I did do that last time but I wanted to see the prayer walkers and found some, a lady from Germany. Bart Repko wasn't there this time.
After that I went to Dormition Abbey, David's tomb and the upper room. Dormition Abbey is a beautiful church and after visiting that I tried to find the protestant cemetery, but couldn't find it.
But I headed for the church of St Peter from Galicantu, which is out o the city down the hill and a really beautiful church with a rooster on the steeple . The church remembers when Peter denied Jesus 3 times. There is a statue of Peter and 2 servant girls and a Roman soldier.

After this visit I asked someone about the protestant cemetery , they gave me directions how to get there. I found it after awhile and found Oskar Schindler's grave. It has a lot of stones on it. I didn't find the other one that I was looking for, of the man who wrote" it is well with my soul" I forgot his name, it was there too, somewhere, hard to find. But I found Oskar's at least.

The next day I went on a guided half day tour with " Sandeman's new Europe" tour company, to the Mount of Olives. It took us there by bus and we had to find our own way back to our hotels.
It was a good tour, Orna led us and explained everything we saw. To the top first, to the church of Ascension then to the Church of tear, Dominus Flavet and then to the garden of Gethsemane and then to the Tomb of Mary .( which is down the road on the right) Easy to miss.
After that was finished I had to find my own way back. So I walked across towards the Golden Gate and along the road towards the Western wall, but before that , there is a parking place and lots of taxi's. One came out and he took me tot he hotel. Price was ok. I had also walked past a platform with a good view of the Kidron valley. It is quite deep down there and further down you can see a street and cars.

Place of Jesus ascension to Heaven

church of the Lord's prayer

Once I got back it was time for a shower, and something to eat from the Philippino restaurant. They give you enough for 2 days.
On Friday at 5 pm we had our tour " Shabbat experience, also led by Orna. I thought this was just going to be 3 hours. Well, it turned out to be from 5 pm till 9.30 pm.
But it was well worth it. She taught us the meaning of Shabbat, the lighting of the candles( which I had to do) and the prayers prayed with that, which she did in Hebrew.
She also explained all the different types of religious Jews. From the black clothes and the ones with bear hats and the ones with the curly side burns.

We were shown the first girls school and other interesting buildings and synagogues on our way to the Western wall,( also called Wailing wall) as the Jews lament over their lost temple.
When we got near to the Western wall, lots of Jews and families gathered there and they all songs happy songs, celebrating the arrival of Shabbat( or their rest day- Saturday, which starts on Friday night after sunset) The women have their section and the men have their section. So I joined a group of women singing songs and then I started singing Hava Nagila Hafa and they all sang it. Then I sang Yerushalaim sel sahav ( and then they all sang that too) and finished by singing " eh Velo Shalom Malechim) and then they all joined in.

That was such a cool experience. It was so crowded that I didn't have a chance to put the prayer to the front in the wall, so I decided to come back on Monday.
On Saturday I had booked a 9 hour day tour with " Viator" to Bethlehem and Jericho". Viator is an offsider of Tripadvisor who booked with Beit Shairim Tours. Well, it was very interesting but Bethlehem was good but disappointed we couldn't see the actual grotto because the lines were too long, but the Palestinian tour leader said he could have been born on this part of the cave as well, so you are pretty close to where he was born. He was a nice chap and a Christian. He read lots from the bible.
He said good-bye to us after we finished with everything. We also saw the fields where the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the Shepherds in the fields.( we saw that first)
Then Jericho, that was a longer drive.

Jericho is 400 metres below sea level and in a desert. Very hot, the actual temp was 38 C but felt more like 42 C because no wind. It was hard to cope with. First we had a buffet lunch, very yummy and then we went outside, and I could ride a Camel, who later kissed me on my cheeks with his fat lips. ( LOL)

Then we went to some excavation sites where you can see the old walls of Jericho . The city is the oldest city in the world , 10.000 years old.
Joshua and Caleb conquered the city , and giants were living in there before. But they did it with God's help.
The walls that had crumbled down are still to be seen through what they had dug up and found.
After that they went to a small site with no shade and I felt sick and nausea from the heat so I went inside the shops and that was much cooler. It's just overwhelming, so hot.( 38 C but felt like 42 C) I just want to get away from it. Anyway, that was an interesting day and the bus took me back to the pick up point which is 5 min walk from my hotel.
Great day, very interesting, but oh so hot.