Relaxation in Jerusalem

Friday, February 7th

9:30 am. We just woke up in time not to miss breakfast in our hostel. After that, we take some time for ourselves (it's really bad weather outside anyway), so it's already half past 12 when we leave the hostel. We first walk through wind and rain to the Mahane Yehuda Market, where today it's chaotic for two reasons. Firstly, it's covered, so some people seek shelter from the stormy weather there. Secondly, it's only a few hours until Shabbat begins (every Friday at sunset), so the Jewish residents of Jerusalem are doing some last-minute shopping before the holy day starts. We can hardly move and squeeze through the crowd, but manage to buy some Halva nuts and fruit.

At 2 o'clock sharp, we meet Clara and Aisha at Jaffa Gate, where we want to join the Free Walking Tour again today. The weather doesn't look very promising, but it's not forecasted to be better in the coming days either. So off we go through stormy Jerusalem. We start again with an explanation of the four quarters in the Old City and then walk through the Armenian, Jewish, Arab, and finally the Christian quarter. Today, we come across a lot of Orthodox Jews walking quickly, some even carrying big cooking pots. Our guide explains that the preparations for Shabbat are in full swing. If water flows out of the houses in the Jewish quarter, it's from the last cleaning – on Shabbat, at least for the strictly observant, any physical work is prohibited.

We take a look at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the golden dome of the Dome of the Rock from a small viewpoint and end our tour at the Church of the Holy Sculptures – the church that is said to stand at the place where Jesus was crucified and buried. There are fewer people inside today compared to other times (during peak times, tourists queue up far beyond the entrance gate), so we decide to also visit Jesus' tomb today. During my last visit to Jerusalem, we skipped it due to overcrowding.

However, the appearance of a short queue is deceiving. A service of the Armenian community in the great church interrupts (in total, there are 6 different denominations housed here), so the queue stands still during that time and it takes two hours in the end until we enter the holy shrine. Inside is the cave where Jesus is said to have been buried. It's similar to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. In groups of four, you can crawl into the small cave for about 10 seconds, where Jesus' lifeless body is said to have lain, and then it's the next group's turn.

However, Lea and I are quite happy with this program today. After all the hustle and bustle of the past few days, standing in line and touching holy stones is exactly what we need. Afterward, we take a look at the other rooms of the huge church, light a little honey candle, and then stroll through the alleys of the Old City towards the Western Wall, which Lea hasn't seen yet. But for me too, the sight is new today on Shabbat. On the way to the security check, we encounter a lot of Orthodox Jews again, dressed in their familiar attire, while on the square in front of the Western Wall, dozens of people are still bustling. We are warned by security personnel that no cell phones are allowed here today on Shabbat and then watch the men who are standing in front of the Western Wall and praying. This special sight is only possible here in Jerusalem.

We join Clara and Aisha for dinner once again and then make our way back to West Jerusalem, where our hostel is located, through the deserted Old City. Also, the Mahane Yehuda Market, which turns into a bar strip in the evening. Now we realize that not only the Old City is deserted on Shabbat – even in West Jerusalem, where predominantly Jewish Israelis live, everything has closed by now and only a few people are on the streets. I don't know why none of us thought that the bars in the Mahane Yehuda Market would also be closed. Maybe because our spoiled minds don't expect a bar to be closed on Saturdays. But that's how it is – where this morning we almost got claustrophobic, there's now an eerie silence.

So we walk through the entire market street to make sure that every single shop has really closed, then we make our way back to our hostel. Surprisingly, the neighboring Irish pub is open. So we treat ourselves to a beer, which is really nice. In general, we really needed such a relaxed day like today. Peacefully, we lie down in our beds.

This picture says it all about today's weather

Free Walking Tour in the underground Jerusalem

In this picture of old Jerusalem, the artist seems to have had some fun

Later, with a clear sky: the Dome of the Rock looks beautiful again

We are being watched during our tour

A-uuuuu

Today, closed shops in the Arab quarter

Before going to Jesus' tomb, we quickly touch the anointing stone once again

... and soon it resembles a bazaar – all kinds of objects are rubbed on it. Unfortunately, I missed photographing the pink plush camel

After a 2-hour wait, the time has come: We enter Jesus' tomb

Afterwards:

a few other rooms...

... in the really huge church

We admired this beautiful mosaic ceiling last time as well

... as well as these angel heads

In the middle: our honey candles :-)

The church building from the outside

In the evening, by the Western Wall

From the women's area, we can take a close look at the notes in the Western Wall

Empty market alley in the evening

But at least:

We can admire the graffiti at the stalls