Jerusalem

to Tel Aviv

Early Morning Visit to the Church of the Holy Sepluchre

There is something almost seductive about the early hours of the morning.

John and I are out of the apartment shortly after 5am. The streets are almost empty but there is someone playing on the outdoor piano.

Down the street six young orthodox Jewish men are singing and jumping from lily pad bench to lily pad bench in a parkette.

The streets of the Old City are empty and all the stalls are locked down, only the cats and a few people are out and about. The air still smells of exotic spices even though the shops are closed.

Some military guards relax and joke with each other, automatic rifles at their side.

Door in the Face

The sound of chanting floats out through the open door of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

John and I came this early in hopes of having a shorter line to get into the tomb where Jesus rose from the dead.

An Orthodox Greek service, the source of the chanting, is in progress in the doorway of the tomb. Priests are moving back & forth from the chapel that covers the tomb carrying different objects.

When they finish a tour group of Asian people who were waiting before we arrived are led to the the doorway accompanied by three priests. John and I get in behind them. We are heads taller than most of them.

Finally the door opens and the group start shuffling in, John and I shuffle along behind them in hopes of getting in. Just as we get to the doorway, the doors are firmly shut in our faces.

We talk to another priest who tells us that the early hours of the morning are reserved for special services and the tomb is not open to the public until 9am…I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

We head back to the apartment. There are more people on the streets; the city is coming to life.

Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum

After packing and breakfast we all catch a tram and head to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum.

Entrance is free but you have to book tickets in advance. We tried booking tickets when we arrived in Jerusalem but all the slots were already taken for days we are in town. But we were able to get tickets to visit the exhibits on the museum grounds.

There is really so much to see and think about. The Children’s Memorial is especially moving. You go into a dark, mirrored room with a few candles that are multiplied by all the mirrored facets to look like they are thousands of stars in the sky while a voice names child after child after child along with their age and country of origin.

Another monument is a replica of one of the cattle train cars that people were packed in and transported to concentration camps.

We go to a number of monuments and a few indoor exhibition areas. We are there for almost two hours. Even with just a grounds pass, it is well worth a visit.

Travel to Tel Aviv

We take the tram back to the apartment to collect our luggage and head to the train station.

After packing up a few items we roll our luggage a number of blocks to the tram stop…I really should have brought my back pack instead of lap top bag because I am finding this moving process a bit awkward.

We make it to the train station and grab the train to Tel Aviv. Once in Tel Aviv, we run from here to there trying to get a cab. One driver says he won’t take all four of us. Others just drive past. Others want a longer ride than where we are going. We finally get a cab which we probably over pay for but at this point we just don’t care.

Our apartment is a few blocks from the beach which of course is the first place we explore.

Tel Aviv Beach Vibe

The beaches have a bit of a Miami vibe to them. Techno music blares from beach bars, people are on the beach or streets and doing their thing.

We stop at a pricey bar for drinks to watch the sunset.