Every corner you turn in the old city, it seems like there’s another monastary, chapel (or Jewish or Muslim equivalent), or religious shrine of some kind: I wandered past Ethiopian, Russian Orthodox, Franciscan, and Armenian monks today, each with their own turf and area of influence. This afternoon there the Franciscans led a walk along [...]

I wandered around the old city walls as the sun came down this evening. Near the opposite site of the city to the Jaffa Gate (near my hostel) lies the Mount of Olives, with a Orthodox church on the site of the original Garden of Gethsemane. The Jewish Cemetery stands on the same slope, opposite [...]

The Holy City

Success – across the border, in Jerusalem, and no stamp on my passport! To be fair though, five hours to travel 40-odd miles is a little tedious.
Jerusalem is spectacular, no two ways about it. The mighty walls, narrow streets, and hordes of tourists and pilgrims – wearing hats and head-coverings of all shapes and [...]