Trains, Haifa and Gilad Shalit.

I had thought about adding the Jerusalem Archelogical Park, but that might be a post all in its self.

Martin and I wanted to see Haifa.  We debated about taking the bus or the train.  Since I have a facination with trains, the train decision was obvious.  We took the train to Savidor Center in Tel Aviv.  When Martin and I left Israel, we had not figured out which platform to be at for the correct train.  I will have to find a time table book (which I saw different people looking at.)

I like the open layout of the stations.  Here is the Savidor Center:

Martin and I sat back for the long ride ahead.  The countryside was amazing.  I have traveled across the United States many times, but nothing compares to Israel.  This picture was taken just south of Haifa (not the best photo):

Martin and I took the bus up to The Colony Hotel (thanks Sheli for the sugguestion) not far from the Haifa HaShmona station.  I was very impressed with the neighborhood around The Colony.  Should I ever have a house built, I would like it to look similar to The Colony.  Here is a front view of The Colony:

Here is a view looking out of the room:

Martin sure enjoyed the room as well:

Here is the view looking (north) towards the Port of Haifa:

Although I am not fond of the Bahai Shrine, I still found it amazing to look at:

Martin took a tour of the of the Bahai Shrine the next morning.  I sat near the train station waiting for him afterwards.  We boarded the train for the long ride back to Jerusalem.  I was not used to having security check at a train station, but then I remembered where I was.  The view from the train (again) was priceless.  Here is a view of the Mediteranian Sea:

Living in the United States, media coverage of issues in the Middle East are spotty at best.  I had hear about the situation with Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit.  The majority of the news that I heard from was through my friend Uri Gobey and his Israel Muse News blog on FaceBook.  I was a bit angered at times, becase what happens in the Middle East effects the Western World.  Martin and I passed by this tent vigal for Gilead Shalit many times while we stayed in Jerusalem:

I continued to follow Gilead Shalit through the Israel Muse News blog, and was finally happy to learn that he was finally released.

Yafo Rd, Yad Vashem and Jerusalem views.

Martin and I had debated for a while about going to Yad VaShem, with Martin being Jewish and me having a lot of German ancestry.  We finally decided to go.  We took the bus into town, and then took the light rail the rest of the way.  Here is the the light rail station at King George St and Yafo Rd.:

The ride on the light rail was amazing.  Martin and I enjoyed the oppertunity to sit back and see Jerusalem.  I recomend using the light rail if you are ever in town.  As the light rail came to the end of the line at Har Herzl (Mt. Herzl), Martin and I had a great view of western Jerusalem, near Ein Kerem.  Here is a great view from the last stop:

Here was a plaque (of couse in Hebrew...) giving the names of the mountains and attractions:

Next, Martin and I started walking towards Yad VaShem.  I have to admit, I like the fact that the signs are in Hebrew, Arabic and English.  I have yet to understand Hebrew very well:

Here is a photo looking westward showing Ein Kerem and John the Baptist Church:

The path slowly meandered towards Yad VaShem, giving one a great view of western Jerusalem.  The name Yad VaShem ( יד ושם ) is taken from the Bible:

"Even unto them will I give in mine house and within

my walls a place and a name better than of sons and

daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that

shall not be cut off."

Isaiah 56:5

I took these pictures just before we entered Yad VaShem:

I did not see the notice not to take photos while in Yad VaShem.

Here is the view looking outside of Yad VaShem:

Next, I made my way to the Childrens Memorial.  I have to admit, this is the most sobering Memorial I have ever been to.

After I exited the Childrens Memorial, I came to the Education Department.  Yad VaShem has an impressive educational department.  Not one bit of information is left unstudied in the Holocaust.  Here is new construction on Yad VaShem:

After our mind opening visit to Yad VaShem, Martin and I decided to return back our aparment for the day.  We took the light rail back to the city:

Here is a view of the Old City near the Old City Hall (I will never get old of looking at the Old City):

The light rail (called City Pass) opened up the friday before Martin and I flew in.  Fare was suspended the first 2 weeks of operation.  Despite collecting no fare, the light rail was packed the entire time:

This photo was taken along Yafo Rd near where Martin and I would disembark:

Dung Gate, Mt. of Olives and Ophel

As the tour of the Old City ended, Uri, Tali, Martin and I walked our way to the Dung Gate.  Here is a great view of Eastern Jerusalem:

As we came closer to the Dung Gate, we paused for a view of the Mt. of Olives.  The view was amazing.  A majority of the Mount is the resting place for Jewish people.

The four of us walked our way out of the Dung Gate, to find the police clearing the area ouside the Dung Gate and an empty bus in the road.  I took a picture of the bus, and noticed a back pack still on the bus (more on this in a bit):

Next we walked south of the Dung Gate, towards the Ophel.  The Ophel is known as the Inner Citadel and included the palace and royal administrative center (this is covered in the book "The Complete Guide to the Temple Mount Excavations" by Eilat Mazar).

The Ophel is located 3 times in the Bible:

"He (King Jotham) built the high (upper) gate

of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of

Ophel he built much"

II Chronicles 27:3

"Now after this he (King Manasseh) built a wall

outside the city of David, on the west side of

Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the

fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised

it up a very great height, and put captains of war

in all the fenced (fortified) cities of Judah."

II Chronicles 33:14

"More over the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, unto the

place over against the water gate toward the east,

and the tower that lieth out.

"After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over

against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the

wall of Ophel."

Nehemiah 3:26-27

As we walked north along the Eastern Wall of the Old City, we came closer to the Mt. of Olives.  To see the resting place of many Jewish people was amazing.  There must be 10's of thousands of graves.

I believe this is the tomb of Pharaoh's Daughter (which Pharaoh I do not know:)

We continued to walk north along the Eastern Wall, taking in the view.  We came to the Golden Gate and the Gate of Mercy:

We stood here for a minute looking at the great view of the eastern side of Jerusalem.  Here is the Church of All Nations:

Here is a great view looking eastward of the Eastern Wall towards Mt. Scopus:

As we walked back towards the Dung Gate for a bit of a rest, we noticed that the bus was still sitting in the road.  All the buses were empty and the bomb squad was on location.  After a few minutes the back pack was detonated.  That will teach someone to leave their back pack on a bus in Israel.

As the tour slowly came to an end, we walked along Ma'ale Ha-Shalom St to Mt. Zion (where Oskar Schindler is laid to rest.)  Again, we had another great view of the southern neighborhoods of Jerusalem.  This photo is looking south towards Giv'at Khananya:

Just before we headed to the parking deck, we came across this building:

In the bottom center of this photo, you will see a box on a thin wire.  This building and box was used to send supplies to the Israeli soldiers during the 1948 War (if I remember correctly.)

Old City Jerusalem.

Martin and I woke up early to be ready for our friends to pick us up.  Uri and Tali were taking us on a tour of Old City Jerusalem.

Left, is the photo of Tali taken around Ashkenazi Square.  Right, the photo of Martin, myself and Uri at the Jaffa Gate.

Tali and Uri gave Martin and I a great tour of the Old City.  Below is a little fuzzy photo of a typical market street:

As we slowly made our way around the Old City, looking at all the things that I could stuff my suitcase with.  I decided to not buy much, knowing that I would drive security crazy at Ben Gurion.  We found our self in the Muslim Quarter.  I was not 100% comfortable, but being with friends I was "grinin' and bearing" where I was.  We steped outside of the Damascus Gate:

Next, Tali and Uri took Martin and I up to the roof of the old Austrian Hospice.  The only drawback was the elevator in the Hospice was not working.  That ment climbing a few flight of stairs.  I am not fond of climbing stairs at the moment, but I knew it was worth it.

Tali and Uri tried to see if we could walk up on the Temple Mount, but I guess we came on the "wrong day."  I was upset, but tried not to show it.  I was not happy being at the whim of a Muslim, I wanted to walk on the Temple Mount.  This was as close as we could go:

As we made our way around the Old City, we just had to take a trip back to the Western Wall.  No trip to Jerusalem is complete with out a trip to the Western Wall.  Here is Martin, Uri and Tali in the Western Wall Plaza:

Here is another great shot to show you how large the stones of the Western Wall are:

Martin celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall (could not think of a better location.)

Here is a small synagogue located on the Western Wall Plaza.  I was impressed to see how many people were there praying.  Uri told me that the large wooden structure was the Ark of The Torah:

 Next, Uri and Tali took Martin and I to a great observation point that gave us a great view of the Western Wall Plaza and the archeological dig underneath:

Next we toured the Roman Cardo (street) near the Western Wall.  In the first picture is how the Cardo looked:

Here is a view of a synagogue that was originally destroyed in the 1948 War, and recently rebuilt: