At the beginning of June Caryl and I split up for 8 days. He went to the north shore of Poland to visit his friend from DC and my mom and I went on an organized trip to Israel with a Polish travel agency. The trip was very enlightening as it helped me better form an opinion on the overall situation in the Middle East.
Panoramic view of Jerusalem:
My mom listening to our guide through headphones:
One of the many churches important to the Christian faith, the Basilica of the Agony:
This is the church that was built on the spot where Jesus had been buried before his resurrection. This is one of the holiest places in the world for Christians. I was surprised to see people cutting in line, pushing each other, and otherwise being unkind; I would expect this place to evoke more respect. I guess long lines and lack of air conditioning bring out the worst in people:
Jerusalem:
Wailing Wall:
Largest synagogue in Jerusalem:
I believe this was the grotto where the sheppards saw the star that proclaimed Jesus's birth:
When we were in Israel, the situation between the Israelis and Palestinians was stable. Therefore, we stayed in hotels in Bethlehem, in Palestinian territory. While tour buses can pass the border without much hassle, the Israelis have built huge walls to cut off the Palestinians. Technically, Israelis are able to enter Palestinian areas whenever they want, they just do so at their own risk. Palestinians, however, are not allowed to cross without a visa, which is very hard for them to get. Here's a picture (which I was not supposed to take) of the wall:
Banksy, the famous graffiti artist, completed a whole series of works in Palestine, bringing attention to the injustices and hypocrisy of the region. Here's one he did of a dove with a bulletproof vest:
And the wall from the Palestinian side:
Here's an interesting sculpture. It symbolizes two broken wall fragments with a tree growing out from the center, like the two groups coming together in peace. I really wish we could make this a reality.
And here's my mom with our tour guide at the Wailing Wall:
And here it is in the daytime:
The Dome of the Rock is the main Muslim structure in the holy land. It is located right behind the Wailing Wall, leading to much friction between the two groups. There is limited access to the Dome, as both sides fear terrorist attacks. The architecture is stunning though:
After Jerusalem we drove to another Palestinian area, Jericho. It is said to be the oldest city on earth, though there have been times in history when in has been abandoned. Damascus, in Syria, is the oldest continuously functioning city. We saw some really old ancient ruins in Jericho. They are so old we really don't know much about them:
We also went to the Bet She'an National Park, with Roman ruins:
Ride back to the tour bus:
And of course, a trip to the Jordan River to watch people get baptized:
Panoramic view of Jerusalem:
My mom listening to our guide through headphones:
One of the many churches important to the Christian faith, the Basilica of the Agony:
This is the church that was built on the spot where Jesus had been buried before his resurrection. This is one of the holiest places in the world for Christians. I was surprised to see people cutting in line, pushing each other, and otherwise being unkind; I would expect this place to evoke more respect. I guess long lines and lack of air conditioning bring out the worst in people:
Jerusalem:
Wailing Wall:
Largest synagogue in Jerusalem:
I believe this was the grotto where the sheppards saw the star that proclaimed Jesus's birth:
When we were in Israel, the situation between the Israelis and Palestinians was stable. Therefore, we stayed in hotels in Bethlehem, in Palestinian territory. While tour buses can pass the border without much hassle, the Israelis have built huge walls to cut off the Palestinians. Technically, Israelis are able to enter Palestinian areas whenever they want, they just do so at their own risk. Palestinians, however, are not allowed to cross without a visa, which is very hard for them to get. Here's a picture (which I was not supposed to take) of the wall:
Banksy, the famous graffiti artist, completed a whole series of works in Palestine, bringing attention to the injustices and hypocrisy of the region. Here's one he did of a dove with a bulletproof vest:
And the wall from the Palestinian side:
Here's an interesting sculpture. It symbolizes two broken wall fragments with a tree growing out from the center, like the two groups coming together in peace. I really wish we could make this a reality.
And here's my mom with our tour guide at the Wailing Wall:
And here it is in the daytime:
The Dome of the Rock is the main Muslim structure in the holy land. It is located right behind the Wailing Wall, leading to much friction between the two groups. There is limited access to the Dome, as both sides fear terrorist attacks. The architecture is stunning though:
After Jerusalem we drove to another Palestinian area, Jericho. It is said to be the oldest city on earth, though there have been times in history when in has been abandoned. Damascus, in Syria, is the oldest continuously functioning city. We saw some really old ancient ruins in Jericho. They are so old we really don't know much about them:
We also went to the Bet She'an National Park, with Roman ruins:
Ride back to the tour bus:
And of course, a trip to the Jordan River to watch people get baptized:
No comments:
Post a Comment