Friday, November 7, 2008

Old City people

Something new in the Old City: a free tour! Sandeman does free tours in seven European cities and now in Jerusalem too. After a guided walk of over 3.5 hours you tip the guide as much or as little as you want. They start at the Jaffa Gate Tourism Office every day at 11:00.

The walled Old City is less than one square kilometer but everything is in it!
We walked through all four quarters: Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Armenian.
You might enjoy seeing some of the people we saw on Tuesday.
Greek Orthodox priests near the Jaffa Gate.
Meir was our Israeli guide. He spoke good English and knew his stuff.
This group of girl soldiers must have been visiting the sites as part of their training. Education about the country is given to all young soldiers.
Yes, they have to carry their gun everywhere.
Indian tourists, with women in the lovely sari.
Jewish kindergarten kids were running after their teachers in the Jewish Quarter.
All kinds of folks at the Western Wall Plaza. The ramp leads up to the Mughrabi Gate into the Temple Mount.
The narrow bazaar streets were packed with tourists. Sandeman guides wear red so you don't lose them in the press of the crowd.
Must be hard to take this lady in a wheelchair up and down the steps of the crowded streets.
A game of sheshbesh on the street.
School must have just let out.
Arab girls in their school uniform.
Ladies doing lunch in the Muslim Quarter.
Mothers out shopping.
Sometimes I wonder how the residents of the densely packed Old City feel about sharing their narrow streets with all these tourists all during the year. I wonder how it is to live there in the old stone houses, in all that intense religious history, to be at the very center of the world.
How would you feel about writing your address as, say, #10 Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem?

10 comments:

  1. Hello Dina! I surely would love this tour! Thank you for your virtual tour as I'm sure I won't be there in the foreseable future.
    Have a wonderful weekend! Petra

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  2. Dina, as usual, I would have loved to share for real that touristic trip. People are so different, not to say opposed in their religion and culture, but they manage (most of the time) to live together.

    You wrote "one square km but everything in it". A pure summary of the 3 main religions in one square km! I would like to visit that. Thanks to share and to remind us a lesson of fraternity.

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  3. I remember touring old city! It was very intriguing. I wonder how they like sharing their city also! I think it would get annoying after a while!

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  4. Dina you did that little photo essay on the square mile so well. I for one appreciate your delicacy in your unobtrusive shots, unlike a TV crew, you did not brandish your camera into people's faces. The photos may not always be as clrear as one would like, they are however, much more sensitive and capture the day to day atmosphere. Thank you.

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  5. that's an exceptionally tall woman outside the plaza!
    i'd love to be in that bazaar - hoping to be one of the crowd soon...

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  6. Yes,It is wondering that how people live in such city!
    How is your relation with Muslims in Jerusalem?I mean Palestini people?
    It always was a question for me!

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  7. This was a fascinating post! I love the melding of people, the crowds, and all the ancient architecture. Wow! It was beautiful seeing all the school children of both faiths...and seeing the Israeli women soldiers. How young they are! Anyway, this was an amazing Virtual Tour! Thanks so much!
    Marie

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  8. This is a wonderful series of views into the diversity of Jerusalem.

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  9. Thnak you Dear Dina,I look forward to your answer.
    ;)

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