Israel (Jerusalem)

Being in the military has its ups and downs. One of the "ups" is the opportunity to travel all over the world (of course this sometimes takes you to places no sane person would ever want to go....but that will be a series of different posts).



On this trip, I went to Israel (sorry can't say why); however, during some time off, we got to visit Jerusalem. I was really impressed with the city. The mix of religions and political ideologies makes this city a mass of confusion unlike anything I have ever witnessed in my 18+ years of military travels.


This is a picture of a wall being built to segregate Palestinians and Israelis. It reminded my of Berlin (I was stationed there in 1990). You can see a checkpoint here in the foreground and part of the wall being built. There are check posts all over the country; a necessity given the violence there.





I was particularly impressed with the Wailing Wall. All these people swaying and praying in one spot is interesting to watch.






While in Jerusalem, you can travel the the path Christ walked towards the site of his Crucifixion, called the "Via Dolorosa". It was a long walk and virtually all uphill. Note that this is a huge tourist attraction, hence the "Hard Rock" like cafe located at the four "stage" of Christs' walk (nothing is sacred anymore).





All in all Israel is a very modern and truly pretty country. I highly recommend a trip there to anyone who has not visited tat part of the world.