Two of the most awe-inspiring testaments to history I’ve ever been to are the Israel Museum and Yad Veshem, which is the Holocaust Memorial in the Jerusalem Forest.

The Israel Museum was just reopened this past summer after a major renovation and expansion.  It is a beautiful setting with a collection that is vast, from Israeli art to French masters.  There is, of course, a great deal on the history of Israel.  This is not just the recent history of the last 60 years. This includes artifacts found as much as a million years ago of inhabitants of the area.  I’ve seen antiquities before.  But nothing like this.  One of the most impressive exhibits are four synagogues moved into the museum whole and renovated.  Yes, entire synagogues.  Now these are not big ones.  They are from small towns where Jews left or were forced out.  Of course, the biggest draw of the museum is the Dead Sea Scrolls found some 50-60 years ago.  Seeing parchments dating back 2000 years ago is incredible.  I wish I had given it more time because there is so much to see.  They also give several free tours a day for the various exhibits.

You can’t take pictures in the museum but there are sculptures outside as well as a 1:25 scale of the Old City during the time of the Second Temple.

Yad Veshem is another excursion that needs at least a full day.  More than a museum, it is a living memorial to the Holocaust, with gardens, sculptures, exhibits.  It takes hours just going through the Holocaust Museum, let alone the entire complex.  The setting in the Jerusalem Forest is beautiful and offers a serene setting needed to absorb it all.  Again, no matter your religion or lack of belief, one can’t help getting emotional at this place, the horror brought to a people simply for being born as they were born.  I’ve been to the Holocaust Museums in DC and LA, but to me what sets this apart is that it focuses on the individuals and their stories more than the other museums.  Entire exhibits of art by artists who survived the camps are on display and the horror that comes through these pieces are devastating.  In the Memorial Museum, a spectacular piece of architecture, entire streets are recreated with the actual cobblestones of the ghettos, rail tracks, and carts used to remove the dead.  And at the end is the Hall of Names–images of the victims who died and survived are on display with volumes and volumes of books containing their names, with the collection growing as more names come to light.

The Old City is the obvious top must-see in Jerusalem.  It is where the heart and soul of the city beats.  It’s divided into four quarters — the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Muslim Quarter and the Armenian Quarter, each with a distinct feel.

A word to the wise.  If you are traveling alone or even in a pair prepare to be bombarded with people trying to whisk you into their shop, give you a free tour and then whisk you into their shop, give you a free tour and invite you for a cup of tea by whisking you into their shop, tell you how much they love America and then whisk you into their shop.  Once they’ve whisked you into their shop, the hard sell begins.  It is exhausting.  If you hate this (and I do), go with a tour group.  There are free walking tours as well as paid excursions that take you around Jerusalem as well outside the Old City.  If you refuse to go into the shop, they try to get you in by saying they want to give you their card.  This occurs in three of the four Quarters.  The only Quarter where I didn’t experience any of this is in the Jewish Quarter.  It was like exhaling when I finally got past all this.  That aside, it’s really cool with all the little streets and alleys to imagine people living here centuries ago.  Despite the hard sell, it is worth seeing the bazaars as the sites and smells of spices, etc. are something to experience.  And whether you are religious or not, the sense of history and religious foundations and the fighting over this small plot of land, not just now but for thousands of years, really takes you somewhere like you’ve never imagined.

I arrived in Jerusalem on Friday afternoon just before the Sabbath.  If security was tight in Tel Aviv, it is even more so here.  I took the 480 bus from TA to Jerusalem, waiting in the long queue as several buses filled up before I got on.  Apparently, only a few weeks ago there was no snaking queue to get on the bus.  Just a free-for-all of people pushing their way on.  I think I’d have walked before dealing with that!  I arrived at the apartment I rented and I must say that while I’ve enjoyed renting apartments along the way, this one is by far the nicest.  It’s like a little cave with all the stone and thick archways.  It’s small, but so cozy.

Here are some other shots taken around Tel Aviv…

Carmel Market and area – huge outdoor market of fresh produce, meats, clothing, etc:

Etc:

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The first Jewish neighborhood built outside of Jaffa in the late 19th century is an area called Neve Tzedek.  While the buildings are not nearly as old, they certainly have stood the test of time.  It had become run down until about 30 years ago when renovations began to take place to restore the area to prominence.  In addition to historical buildings and homes, there are higher end shops, galleries and restaurants.  Definitely a must-see for any visit.

Without a doubt if there is one place not to be missed in Tel Aviv is the ancient port of Jaffa which dates back some 4000 years.  Ancient buildings are mixed in with retail and cafés, outdoor markets and a well-known flea market.  There are galleries along winding stone walkways that seem to go on and on despite it being a very small area geographically.  I walked along the Mediterranean (so I was in the water after all!) and spent most of the day in the area.

Next stop was Tabgha, the Byzantine monastery recently built when the site of the church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes was discovered, having been destroyed by the Persians in 614.  This original symbol of the Loaves and Fishes is still in the mosaic on the floor of the church.

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The next stop was Capharnaum, located in Galilee, and the remains of the old synagogue from the 4th century.  It was believed to have been built on top of the site of the synagogue where Jesus taught.  Next to it is another modern church, again built on another ancient site, the house of Saint Peter.  This is all set with the Sea of Galilee as a backdrop.  If you want to get a sense of the vulnerability of Israel to Syria prior to the six day war, you can get it here by seeing how close the Golan Heights (and formerly Syria) is before the capture of the territory.

I’ll admit my knowledge of biblical history is not as good as it should be, so what better way to brush up than to go to the source.  So I booked a day trip to Nazareth, Capharnaum, Galilee, and the Jordan River.  The first stop was Nazareth, which is more of a small city than the image the name conjures up when picturing Nazareth in Jesus’ time.