My final week in Israel, I had a chance to meet up with some of the new friends I have met so far on my trip. Justin, who I originally met on the Old City tour in Jerusalem arrived in Tel Aviv and we got together several times. He was couch surfing with an Israeli woman whose parents immigrated to the country as refugees after the Vietnam War. Tiviat is obviously Vietnamese by heritage, but has lived in Israel all her life and speaks fluent Hebrew (and English and Vietnamese.) One night we went out with her to some sort of web developer networking event and then to several other bars, including one that was featuring a really interesting photography exhibition about modern life in Israel.
I ended up staying out later than planned that night and was afraid I had missed the last bus back to Herzliya, which leaves just around midnight. I ended up having to take a cab home and had kind of a frightening experience when the crazy cab driver kept putting my hand on the steering wheel and gear shift to make me "drive" the car. Unfortunately, we were on the freeway so I couldn't exactly just hop out of the cab. Luckily, I made it home safely, though it was a ride I certainly could have done without.
On Thursday, I decided to go back to Jerusalem for the day because there were several things that I still wanted to see and do there. I got a late start, so by the time I took the bus from Herzliya into Tel Aviv and then from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, it was nearly 3:00pm. I took the tram down Jaffa Street toward the Old City and then walked from there to the archaeological site of the City of David. By the time, I finally got there it was about 4:00pm and the woman at the ticket both told me they were "closed" for the day, but that I could walk around the grounds if I wanted. I guess she meant the tours of the old water supply tunnels had ended because I was able to walk around most of the actual site.
This narrow ridge just outside the Temple Mount was a walled city during the Bronze Age and according to tradition was where King David built his palace and established his capital. I was able to see the remains of tombs, the homes of high-ranking officials and the large stone structure that some archaeologists maintain is David's palace. That structure is still is the process of being excavated as those archaeologists search for proof of their conjecture. While the work continues as planned, the area around the site is considered a bit contentious as it is the location of both Arab and Israeli housing. Still, there is a proposal to make the entire ridge into a large archaeological park.
Just as it was approaching 5:00pm and the time when I thought the area would be closing, it started to rain a bit on and off so I thought it would be good to get inside. I left the site and walked down toward the Mount of Olives with the hopes of going to the Church of Mary Magdalene, which looks almost Islamic (or Russian, which it is) with its onion-shaped domed towers. Along the way, I stopped in Saint Stephen's Church, which is dedicated to the first Christian martyr. I had to admit to the Greek Orthodox priest I met inside that since I was raised Protestant I really am not familiar with the story. Nonetheless, I lit a candle and paid my respects to the revered saint, whoever he happens to be. I then walked up the hill and tried to go into the Church of Mary Magdalene, which is run by the Russian Orthodox Church, but it turns out it was only open for a few hours earlier that morning and another day earlier in the week. I had to make my way back to the Old City anyway so along the way I walked through the Kidron Valley where I passed Absalom's Tomb, which is a stone pillar traditionally ascribed to David's rebellious son, though it was actually probably created some time much later.
I now had a few hours to kill before my tour of the Western Wall Tunnels, which was scheduled to begin at 8:00pm. I ate some dinner and then lounged in a coffee shop until it was nearly time to meet up outside the Western Wall. The tour took us down into where they are still excavating the remains of the original Second Temple wall from underneath the basements of existing homes in the Muslim Quarter. The visible outdoor section of the wall where Jews from around the world go to pray is actually only one tiny section of the whole structure. We were able to see the original Herodian stones from when it was constructed during the time of King Herod, including the largest monolithic block in the entire wall. We also walked through the Holiest of Holies, which is the spot in the wall closest to where the ancient temple would have stood thousands of years ago (and where the Dome of the Rock stands now.) When we reached the end of the wall where it would have met a corner, we walked down an old Herodian market street, through a towering aqueduct and to a pool that would have served as a cistern for water. We had to walk back the way we came because apparently the tourism board doesn't allow large groups of visitors to exit into the Muslim Quarter at night. Experiencing this hidden portion of the Western Wall was definitely one of the coolest things I saw in all of Jerusalem and I'm really glad I made it back for the tour.
I had considered staying overnight in Jerusalem, but once the tour ended I decided I just wanted to get back to Tel Aviv instead of having to wait for the morning. The following day was Friday and it can be a bit crazy trying to get around even in the morning with everyone preparing for the Sabbath. I also had plans to see my friend, Shlomie, whom I had met way back in Vietnam, on Friday afternoon and I didn't want to be rushing around to get there. Shlomie lives in downtown Tel Aviv, just about one block away from the beach. Obviously it was too cold to actually go down to the water, but there was a crazy storm going on that night, which was really tossing around the waves as were we able to see from the street below.
The storm was definitely not the most fun thing ever to deal with as I was trying to get into Tel Aviv. By the time I got to Shlomie's apartment in the afternoon, my shoes and most of my jeans were completely soaking wet. We went first to one of his friend's birthday parties and then left with a few people to go to a nearby Irish pub. At the pub I decided put paper towels in my wet shoes, which I proceeded to wear even after we went to meet one of his other friends at a restaurant for dinner. After dinner we went back to the apartment and a few more people came over. When they left, we were planning on going out to another party, but instead just ended up crashing. Since it was Friday night and all the buses had stopped running for Shabbat, Shlomie had told me earlier that I could stay on his couch. The next morning, we met up with two of the same friends from the night before and went to a hummus restaurant where literally the only thing on the menu was hot fresh hummus (with pita of course.)
Once the buses started operating again on Saturday afternoon I was able to get back to Herzliya. The following morning I called to check on the status of my cargo ship and they told me it was now most likely not leaving until Tuesday instead of Monday. I told Carrie that I would probably go down to Ashdod on Monday either way. However, once I did some research I realized there was no cheap place to stay there. When Monday rolled around and they confirmed that the boat would arrive the next day, I told Carrie the situation. She had thought I was definitely leaving so her daughter was coming back to stay in her room that night. I didn't know what to do, but in the meantime I had to leave to meet one of the woman from the Ein Gedi dig at the Hacarmel Market in Tel Aviv. I was running late so I tried to call her from Skype, but don't know if I had the right number since the voice message was in Hebrew. When I arrived at the market, I looked around for Iris, but didn't see her anywhere and figured she had already left. I browsed around for a bit on my own then headed back to pack. Iris later e-mailed me that she had waited around for me outside so I felt really bad that I hadn't given her another call when I arrived.
Given the situation, I realized I would be better off at least staying in Tel Aviv for the night since it would be easier to get the bus to Ashdod on Tuesday morning. The port still didn't know what time the boat would be arriving or departing, which to me was getting rather frustrating. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with Shlomie and he agreed to let me sleep on his couch again so I at least had a place to stay. Whether or not the boat would actually leave on Tuesday was still the unanswered question.
I ended up staying out later than planned that night and was afraid I had missed the last bus back to Herzliya, which leaves just around midnight. I ended up having to take a cab home and had kind of a frightening experience when the crazy cab driver kept putting my hand on the steering wheel and gear shift to make me "drive" the car. Unfortunately, we were on the freeway so I couldn't exactly just hop out of the cab. Luckily, I made it home safely, though it was a ride I certainly could have done without.
Just as it was approaching 5:00pm and the time when I thought the area would be closing, it started to rain a bit on and off so I thought it would be good to get inside. I left the site and walked down toward the Mount of Olives with the hopes of going to the Church of Mary Magdalene, which looks almost Islamic (or Russian, which it is) with its onion-shaped domed towers. Along the way, I stopped in Saint Stephen's Church, which is dedicated to the first Christian martyr. I had to admit to the Greek Orthodox priest I met inside that since I was raised Protestant I really am not familiar with the story. Nonetheless, I lit a candle and paid my respects to the revered saint, whoever he happens to be. I then walked up the hill and tried to go into the Church of Mary Magdalene, which is run by the Russian Orthodox Church, but it turns out it was only open for a few hours earlier that morning and another day earlier in the week. I had to make my way back to the Old City anyway so along the way I walked through the Kidron Valley where I passed Absalom's Tomb, which is a stone pillar traditionally ascribed to David's rebellious son, though it was actually probably created some time much later.
I now had a few hours to kill before my tour of the Western Wall Tunnels, which was scheduled to begin at 8:00pm. I ate some dinner and then lounged in a coffee shop until it was nearly time to meet up outside the Western Wall. The tour took us down into where they are still excavating the remains of the original Second Temple wall from underneath the basements of existing homes in the Muslim Quarter. The visible outdoor section of the wall where Jews from around the world go to pray is actually only one tiny section of the whole structure. We were able to see the original Herodian stones from when it was constructed during the time of King Herod, including the largest monolithic block in the entire wall. We also walked through the Holiest of Holies, which is the spot in the wall closest to where the ancient temple would have stood thousands of years ago (and where the Dome of the Rock stands now.) When we reached the end of the wall where it would have met a corner, we walked down an old Herodian market street, through a towering aqueduct and to a pool that would have served as a cistern for water. We had to walk back the way we came because apparently the tourism board doesn't allow large groups of visitors to exit into the Muslim Quarter at night. Experiencing this hidden portion of the Western Wall was definitely one of the coolest things I saw in all of Jerusalem and I'm really glad I made it back for the tour.
Given the situation, I realized I would be better off at least staying in Tel Aviv for the night since it would be easier to get the bus to Ashdod on Tuesday morning. The port still didn't know what time the boat would be arriving or departing, which to me was getting rather frustrating. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with Shlomie and he agreed to let me sleep on his couch again so I at least had a place to stay. Whether or not the boat would actually leave on Tuesday was still the unanswered question.
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