Taking the train in from Tel Aviv, we approached Jerusalem from the West. The pleasant train ride takes you through the rugged mountain valleys as you approach the city. No development appears in most of this area, giving you the feel of what these hills have looked like since ancient days. We arrived in Jerusalem just a few days after a foot of snow (!) ... so I couldn't help but start my walk by making a snow ball (and then tossing it in front of my friends as they crossed the busy street).
The vendors are intense as you walk the streets of Mahane Yehuda Market: fresh food stalls and loaded trollies, vendors singing and selling their wares. It is home to the local's daily market and sohisticated urbanites and features some of the most creative restaurants. The Old City is a most remarkable place, testing even the seasoned walkers. We walked the ramparts of part of the Old City (phew!) and visited the Western Wall, the 2000 year old western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, as well as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the supposed site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. There is so much to see: the Mount of Olives, the Dome of the Rock, and the Via Dolrosa or the "Way of Sorrows": a trek through some of the streets and alleys of the Old City that passes by 14 biblical spots associated with Jesus' final march to Calvary.
Once outside the city, the views are breathtaking. Perhaps most striking are the views toward East Jerusalem, where the edge of the city and the West Bank are now separated by barrier walls (which you can see if you look closely in one of the final photos).
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