The end of the world is October 28! Mark it down!
Trip Start
Apr 21, 2008
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174
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Trip End
Apr 20, 2009
Jerusalem, Israel
Sunday, October 12, 2008
I didn't know what to expect to see at Temple Mount as I didn't know much about it except for the fact that it is supposed to be one of the most recognized icons in the Middle East. I guess I am ignorant as I didn't recognize anything once I arrived there. Temple Mount is basically a place where Abraham was instructed by God to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of his faith. For Muslims, Temple Mount has a different meaning but I wasn't able to understand what that meaning is. Anyhow, the 2 main sites at Temple Mount is the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque. So I didn't end up seeing much at all except the outside of these two buildings.
I then went wandering around. I stepped into 1 beautiful church that I thought was Armenian Orthodox based on the clothes that the priests were wearing. I watched this amazing ceremony where the priests sang out loud and you could hear their voices echo in the church. Meanwhile, they were walking around this monument which I had no idea of what it was.
I returned to my hostel to relax as I was pretty tired. I was glad I did as I ran into Charles, a cool Dutch guy I met in Beirut. We chatted for a while and mainly made fun of the religious fanatics (mainly the Christians) we have come across while we have been in Jerusalem. One person even told him that the end of the world was going to be October 28 and that Jesus would appear only then. I marked that on my calendar. Before w went our separate ways, we made plans to go into New Jerusalem tonight for dinner and drinks.
Because it was Sunday and I was in Jerusalem, I thought it would be a good idea that I attend mass at a church. I returned to the church I visited earlier to see if they had a Catholic mass. When I arrived, there were hundreds of people there which was surprising as there were hardly any people when I visited a few hours earlier. I eventually found out that the "monument" the priests were walking around was actually Jesus' tomb. I couldn't believe that I stepped into the church earlier and had no idea that Jesus' tomb was there. I was so glad I asked someone why there were so many tourists. I came so close to not realizing it. A line was forming with people who were waiting to go inside the tomb. Of course there was no body but I thought it would be interesting to see the inside. So I joined the line and waited for 1 hour to see the inside of the tomb. I would look at the people as they returned from the inside of the tomb and some of them were in tears. This is when I realized that for some people this was a big day in their life. I am sure there are many people who save up for their whole lives so they could come to Jerusalem and visit the tombs of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Anyhow, it was a bit anti-climatic once I got inside. There really wasn't much to see except a slab of concrete and some other small religious icons. You were only allowed to stay for half a minutes so I really cant remember what I saw in there.
The rest of the day I just walked around the Old City again. This time I spent most of my time in the Christian Quarter. I never made it to mass but that was ok. I saw some nice sights instead. The one thing I don't like about the Old City though is the vendors. They never leave you alone and always try to get you to go into their shop so you could look at their cheesy souvenirs. Some will see me look in my guide book and assume I am lost and offer to provide me with assistance. When I tell them I am fine, they then say that they are a shop keeper and ask that I visit their store. It happens all the time. At first you think they are nice strangers wanting to help but then you realize they actually don't really care about you and just want you to go into their store so you could spend your money. I hate stuff like that.
At night, Charles and I met up and went to the New City - the modern part of Jerusalem. It was a bit of a shock to me when I go there as it was so different from the Old City. It didn't feel like I was in Jerusalem at all. You had Burger King and McDonald's around but no street vendors selling falafels like I was used to seeing in the Old City. You also had an area packed with trendy bars and restaurants. It seemed like everyone in this area as from somewhere in the US or Canada but it was obvious they were now living in Jerusalem for a while. I think it is quite common for young Jewish people from around the world to come to Israel and live here for a few years.
Charles and I decided to go into a small shop and grab something that we could eat quickly. After having a few beers and catching up on what we have seen since we last saw each other in Beirut, we decided to call it a night. I looked in my pocket and noticed I only had 1 shekel left. I was leaving Jerusalem tomorrow for Jordan and I needed to get my hands on more shekels so I could pay for my taxi ride to the border as well as any departure tax. I decided I would just figure out what to do tomorrow after I woke up.
Dino Vagabond
