Jerusalem - another great, but cold day

It was incredibly cold, windy and rainy today, less than 10 degrees. But I had a great day, nevertheless. As I had problems with  my camera I tried to find a shop for a solution. I found one with competent and helpful people. Eitan, the boss, and Shmaya took care of my camera and wanted to contact me later on. Meanwhile, I enjoyed walking through the streets and visiting the Machane Yehudah market were I had a nice homemade tea. After that I visited the Friends of Zion Museum - a very well-designed, innovative exhibition that tells stories of love and heroism of Christian Zionists in the last 150 years. A lot of its interactive presentations can be seen on their website:
www.fozmuseum.com
Here some examples, I created:

I had lunch in the Village Green - a popular and delicious Vegetarian restaurant nearby. You can combine your dishes and get salads from an extensive bar. The freshly baked bread was the best I've ever had in Israel. There I met two young German Theology students, a man and a woman who study in Israel for 8 months. We had a nice conversation about the Shvil and our experiences. When we touched politics we had controversial positions and I made a strong stand for Israel.
In the afternoon I returned to my hostel and spent some time there, before I took the tram to Mount Herzl to visit the Herzl Museum. I learnt more about this great visionary. He helped launch Zionism as a modern political movement whose objective was the establishment of a Jewish homeland. He had a great impact on people, but he couldn't see his dream taking shape, as he died in 1904.
In the evening I went to a worship service at Christ church.

Machane Yehuda market

selection of sweats

wonderful spices 

Manni having his tea

Village Green Restaurant - recommendation!

Theodor Herzl's office 

two Zionists

Jerusalem: Sightseeing in the Holy City

The weather in Israel is rather unusual at the moment - chilly, cloudy and rain showers. I had booked a guided tour on the Mount of Olives. It started at the newly built Safra Square were you also find the City Hall. We were a small group of only seven people and had a very dedicated guide who gave us a  lot of information on all kinds of topics concerning Jerusalem. We went to the Damascus Gate where  the Arab Quarter starts. Not far from it runs the old 1967 border between Jordan and Israel. We continued our tour along the city wall which was build 500 years ago. Then we crossed an Arab cemetery to the east of the wall and walked down to the foot of the Mount of Olives were we visited the Christian sites. The highlight for me was the garden of Gethsemane (Hebrew for "oil press") were Jesus went with his disciples to pray the night before he was crucified.
We visited three different churches in this small area, every denomination wanted to leave its traces at this important location. To be honest, to my taste these places are far too religious for me. Religion in my understanding is a system of rules, laws and traditions. External things and the performance of required acts are very important. For me real faith is something different, it's the intimate connection of my heart to the living God who has revealed himself in the Bible and who loves to interact with us.
A large area of the Mount of Olives encompasses the Jewish Cemetery. It is believed that here the resurrection of the dead would begin once the Messiah will appear on the Mount of Olives.
Together with some other tour members from the US, Mexico and Germany I went to the Old City and to the Austrian Hospice were we had Apfelstrudel. On the roof of the Hospice I enjoyed a great view across the old city. Then I went to the Coptic Church to see an ancient cistern in the rock underneath the church. I finished my tour at Christ Church near the Jaffa Gate. Later I had dinner in a nice Vegetarian restaurant.

Jerusalem - the center of the earth

This was the border until 1967, now its a road and the tram route

Damascus Gate

Mount of Olives: Church of All Nations and Gethsemane and on the right the Jewish cemetery

Garden Gethsemane - 900 year old olive tree

city wall and Dome of the Rock from the east

panaroma view from the Austrian Hospice

the ancient cistern underneath the Coptic church

Plaza before the church of holy sepulchre, the Coptic and the Ethiopian church

Arab shuk in the old city

Important Jewish symbol - the rebuilt Hurva Synagoge (destroyed by the Arabs in 1948)

Western Wall - holiest place for the Jews 

David Citadel (houses a great museum about the history of Jerusalem)

Day 21: Hiking the first part of the Jerusalem trail

Israel Museum: Large Model of Jerusalem 2000 years ago with temple

I got up at 7:15 this morning and realized the difference, because the clock had been changed to summer time last night.
It was a cloudy day with some rain showers. My first station today was Ein Kerem. John the baptist was born here. It is a nice village with Arabian-style houses and the St John the Baptist church that I visited. Afterwards I had to climb up Mount Herzl to an altitude of 820 m. Here is Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Remembrance Center, which I think is a must when you come to Israel. You also find the Herzl Museum up here which deals with the activities and visions of Theodor Herzl, the father of the  modern Zionist movement. I plan to visit this museum on Sunday.
On my way to the next highlights I came through nice Jewish neighborhoods and parks. I walked up to the Government campus where you find the Knesset, the parliament, as well as the Israel Museum with the Shrine of the Book and a model of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. On my way I passed the Jerusalem Theater, the King David Hotel, the YMCA Building and walked up to my final destination, the Jerusalem hostel in the city centre. Since it was Shabat the city was quiet and peaceful.
In the evening I was invited to a Shabat dinner at our friend Betty, a wonderful lady that we met in 2015 while shopping in a supermarket. Back then Betty invited our family to her place and told us the story of her life - she has lost her family and neighbourhood in Amsterdam in the Holocaust. She and her two daughters had also invited other Dutch friends. We were praying the Sabbath blessing, the Kiddush, together and had a delicious dinner and a great fellowship.

Ein Kerem

John the Baptist church in Ein Kerem

climbing up to Jerusalem

neighborhoods in the city

the famous King David Hotel

YMCA building

The Knesset

Harp of David Pedestrian bridge

quiet Jaffa street on Shabat

View to the Old City with the David Citadel

nice fellowship during Shabat dinner

Betty showing a photo of the time she had to live in a tent in Tiberias

Day 20: Kibbuz Tzova - Kastel Fortress - Hadassah Hospital

Today was a perfect day. The weather was ideal for hiking - sunny and not too warm. My hike started with a steep descent into a canyon with a nice view of the opposite mountains. In the canyon there was a memorial for the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. They are also commemorated with six million trees planted in this national park. My hike lead me uphill and downhill for the whole morning. I enjoy the quiet atmosphere of this place. Then my friend Annika called to do another interview with me. (link will follow).

I had my lunch in Kibbuz Tzova - a pizza with various sauces. Spontaneously I decided to take the bus to Mezzaret Zion in order to visit Kastel Fortress - a strategic location on a hill with the remains of several ancient settlements. A Castellum was built here by the Romans and also the Crusaders used this place. However the most significant historical event occurred here in 1948 during the War of Independence. All the Israeli convoys that supplied the besieged Jerusalem had to pass by underneath the Kastel from where the Arabs heavily attacked them. David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, decided that the Kastel had to be taken. The operation succeeded on 9.4.1948. I was very keen on visiting the Kastel as I remember it from various books that I read about the War of Independence.

From the top of the hill I had a very nice view of the old transport ways to Jerusalem and the modern highway 1 and of Jerusalem to the east. I went back to the Shvil, visited a place called Sataf and finally reached my destination for today - the Hadassah Hospital where shvilists can stay for a night. What great hospitality! The Hadassah is the biggest hospital in the middle east with its own shopping mall and restaurants where I spent the evening. Tomorrow I will walk the Jerusalem Trail.

Kastel - the highest point - can be seen on the right side in the back.

Hadassah hospital - biggest hospital in the middle east

view of Sataf

national park with 6 million trees for Holocaust victims

the main memorial in a cave

another view of the park

view from Kastel towards Jerusalem

Day 19: From Kibbutz Gimzo to Beit Meir via the Burma Road

I was impressed by my hosts, Elazar and Yael, by their devotion to their God, to each other and to their children. During the prayer in the synagogue I could feel Elazar's spiritual commitment. I see them as examples. It seemed that I had impressed them, too, as they warmly invited me to come again with my family. Especially with Ute's Hebrew this would be amazing, since we did have some language barriers.
When I started hiking, I was in good spirits. I had a prayer time, sang some worship songs and prayed for people. I met other hikers coming from the south, later on I ran into a school class that had a project day of doing some cleaning on the shvil. The teacher invited me to give a little speech about my experience on the shvil so far. The kids were really interested.

Then I had an accident. I had to take an underpass under highway Nr 1 and there was no alternative way. I saw a lot of muddy water, so I decided to use my plastic shoes. With my walking sticks I was testing the depth, but I underestimated it and then suddenly I lost ground in the slippery mud. I fell right into the water and lost my plastic shoes. All attempts to get them back failed. At least I finally managed to cross the highway.

I soon arrived in Latrun - a strategic place halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem that is well-known from the 1948 War of Independence. In Latrun you find the biggest military museum in Israel with a large collection of tanks and artillery. The other place of interest in Latrun is a monastery built by French Trappists in 1890.

I proceeded to Messilat Zion and enjoyed the landscape. I came to the so-called Burma road, a bypass road built during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem. The road made it possible to supply Jerusalem with  food and ammunition when the city was controlled by Arab armies. I walked up this road and finally arrived at my destination - Beit Meir. There I spend my night at a quite unusual place - a stable. It was not too warm this time, but I was thankful anyway.

Manni giving a speech

Latrun Monastery

view eastwards to the hills around Jerusalem

In 1948 the Israelis built a water pipeline to Jerusalem within 30 days

Burma Road - the alternative route to Jerusalem

Day 18: On the way up to Jerusalem

The hospitality of the Israelis is just outstanding as I experienced with all my friends who welcomed me to feel at home. The other group I need to mention here are the shvil angels. These are people who live near the Shvil and open their homes to tired hikers in need of a bed, a shower and something to eat - for just a thank you. Today I'm staying with such a wonderful Orthodox family in Moshav Gizmo.
I was hiking from El'ad to Moshav Gimzo mostly along the highways 6 and 1, so it was often noisy. Nevertheless, it was a nice hike with a lot of great spots and views. Close to El'ad you can visit a Roman Mausoleum which is still well-preserved.
At Tel Hadid archaeologists found evidence that this place had been inhabited as early as the Bronze Age. It is mentioned twice in the Bible and a mosaic from the 6th century was found here. On a clear day there is also a magnificent view down to Tel Aviv in the west. I was also not far from the Ben Gurion Airport and saw a lot of planes. In the late afternoon a jeep was approaching me and a soldier called Haim stopped, smiled at me and we started a very nice conversation. His family loves Germany so might see each other again or we or we might even do another home exchange.
My today's destination was the Moshav of Gimzo. I finished the day together with my host Elazar in the synagoge with an evening prayer.

I also would like to give my German friends and readers an update with some background information on the Gaza situation (only in German):
http://www.israelheute.com/Nachrichten/Artikel/tabid/179/nid/35228/Default.aspx

Roman Mausoleum

skyline in the west

hiking along the highway

Tel Hadid

Haim a very friendly soldier

Synagoge of Moshav Gimzo