Where to next?

Now that my journey to the Baltic is complete, the jitters from my traveling addiction are setting in and I'm in need of my next fix.  Where should I go?  There are 900+ places I have yet to visit and I need to prioritize.  I've asked a trusted friend and fellow travel gal (who also lives by the 1,000 places book) for her recommendation as to my next journey. Thought I'd share the first of her recommendations, Jerusalem, here. 

Guest Blogger: Travel Gal Alicia
Another small town girl crossing off one place at a time.

Jerusalem, Israel
I have never been so excited to visit anywhere than when I toured Jerusalem – I mean, it is THE city of history, religion, and every major news story since World War II. And there I was, half way around the world rolling into town in a 50 passenger bus. Over the next week I was able to explore the old city, historical sites and tourist traps alike, and to write about one week could easily fill 20 pages. So I’ll stick to a few of my favorite highlights.

When most people think of Jerusalem, the Old City is probably the image that pops into their head. Old Jerusalem is divided into Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian quarters, but there is an easy continuity between them. Everywhere you look silk and tapestries hang over the narrow passageways while merchants line the cobblestone streets beckoning you into their shops with promises of the best deals in all of Israel. No matter who’s selling you the postcards, olivewood chess sets or Holy Land themed t-shirts, there’s always a “Made In China” box sitting behind the counter. And on the days their own sections are closed for their days of rest, it’s not uncommon to see patrons exiting the shops in the neighboring quarters.

The heart of the Old City is the Temple Mount and its Western Wailing Wall. Every day hundreds, if not thousands, of devout Jews congregate at the Wailing Wall, praying and socializing together, and almost always celebrating at least one bar-mitzvah.

And while all this is going on at the base of Temple Mount, the platform up top is swarming with tourists and Muslim guards. The area is large enough to fit 12 Great Pyramids, the largest man-made platform in the world, and is filled with gardens, arches, a mosque, and of course the Dome on the Rock – which is not actually the mosque, but a shrine. One of my favorite pictures is from the Mount of Olives with the sparkling gold dome in the background.

Strongly contrasting the vivid golden dome was a building on the other side of town: a dark metallic structure telling the story of the Holocaust. We all learned about the Holocaust and World War II in school, but this place brought it to life. I’ve never seen such a large collection of letters, photographs, vintage film, and videotaped interviews with survivors. The inside of one building was lit completely by candle light, with a voice reading off the names of every Jew who perished in the Holocaust. In the year since it opened, they had only reached the H’s.

And another building contained the complete known collection of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Can you tell I’m a little excited by history?  I could go on and on – the Via Dela Rosa, the Bell Caves, the endless archaeological digs - but I think it would best if you just took a trip there yourself. I promise, it will be the trip of a lifetime.

Date of Completion: May 2006