Arrival
October 9
Itinerary:
Train to Jerusalem
We flew all night and arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, at 3:30 in the morning. Going through Airport customs was faster and easier than I had expected. Keep the temporary personnel ID that you get printed out with your travel documents. We needed it later for our car rental and hotel check-in.
We planned on taking a train from Ben Gurion Airport to the Jerusalem central bus station, From Tel Aviv Airport to Jerusalem - Tips you need to know (YouTube) A friendly guard at the entrance to the train station helped us purchase a 'RAV KAV' smart card at one of the electronic kiosks, which accepted our US credit card. We added the amount for a Daily Pass to our card, which we used later that day. Here's a guide to public transportation in Israel
We took the first ~5 am train to Yitzhak Navom, the central train station in Jerusalem. Our plans were to go to our hotel first, which is in the old city, near the Damascus Gate. After leaving the train station and going to the central bus and light rail station across the street, we learned there is only one tram route that currently exists, which is The Red Line. Therefore, you can take any Eastbound train toward the city center to get to the Damascus Gate. The Damascus Gate is one of the eight gates within the walls surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem (Wikipedia).
Walk to Hotel
It was about a 10-minute ride to the Damascus Gate station. From there, we walked to the hotel through the Muslim Quarters of the Old City. The inner-city streets are too narrow for cars or buses. But we also needed to carry our luggage down a large staircase to the gate's entrance, as seen in the Google Street View image below.
We walked through the main market street in the Muslim Quarter. Our poor suitcase wheels were subjected to a few hundred bumpy yards of stone pavement until we finally arrived at our hotel. Although it would’ve been easier to get dropped off in front of a fancy hotel in the newer parts of Jerusalem, exploring the old city by foot is a priceless experience with a good pair of walking shoes.
Austrian Hospice
The hotel we stayed at was The Austrian Pilgrim Hospice (home page). It's located in the Muslim Quarter, within the old city, at the intersection between the Damascus Gate and the Lions Gate. We finally arrived at around 6 am. However we were met with these locked large wooden doors in this Google View below.
We were confused about whether we were at the correct location. Thankfully, announcing our names into the speaker system brought a person to open the doors for us. Hotel personnel provided storage for our luggage until we could check in 8 hours later, at 2 pm. They also opened the gate for us to access the hotel's rooftop terrace. Check out those breathtaking views in the image below.
We reached the terrace just in time to witness a beautiful sunrise over the Mount of Olives, illuminating the Temple Mount and the rest city. After all the hectic travel, it was time to reflect and let this experience sink in - we arrived in Jerusalem, God's holy city, set apart for his purposes!
Kotel / Wailing Wall
Now with just a small backpack, we were ready to explore Jerusalem. Our first destination was the Kotel (Home Page), or the Wailing Wall (Wikipedia). It's only a 5-minute walk from the Austrian Hospice Hotel. After going through a security checkpoint, we reached the Kotel Plaza, where hundreds of worshipers had just finished their morning prayers.
While we were tired from the overnight travelings, we had more time to kill before checking in to the hotel. Also, the next day was the start of Sukkot (Wikipedia), which meant that after 2 PM, all Jewish businesses and transportation would start shutting down.
Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, is one of God's seven appointed festivals in Leviticus 23:33-43 and Exodus 34:22. Sukkot is a fall holiday of joy and happiness that lasts 7+1 days. It's a time to visit the Temple and present thank offerings to God. During Sukkot, people build temporary shelters called sukkahs and eat their meals inside them. Living in these shelters reminds the children of Israel how God miraculously rescued them from slavery in Egypt and always provided them with the basics to survive in the harsh and dry desert environment. Sukkot also celebrates the gathering of the harvest. It can be similarly compared to Thanksgiving for Americans.
Breakfast in Mamilla
We started roaming the old city streets and exited at the Jaffa Gate(street-view). We were headed to Mamilla, a modern open shopping mall area. There we found a restaurant to sit outside, relax and have breakfast.
After eating, we started to feel tired and just wanted to relax for an hour or two at our table. I could not keep my eyes open and was starting to fall asleep in my chair. We still had a few hours left before checking into the hotel for a much-needed nap.
Tram Tour of Greater Jerusalem
We decided to take a tram ride around Jerusalem to see the city without walking. But first we arranged for a rental car at the Mamilla Shlomo Sixt car rental, that we would need in four days. Then we hopped on the next tram at the Jaffa station and headed North to the last stop at Heil Ha'avir. Along the way, we passed many small hillside towns as the tram meandered through these hills.
Once we reached Heil Ha'avir, we caught the next tram to Mount Herzl, the last station in the other direction.
Finally, we returned to the hotel at the Damascus Gate. We made pretty good use of the daily RAV KAV tickets purchased at the airport. History and Map of Light Rail (Wikipedia)
Secure Dinner
After a long and much-needed nap, we needed to find a place for dinner open on Shabbat. Fortunately, we spotted a Muslim restaurant right in front of the hotel.
At this point, it was evening and the first day of Sukkot. According to Jewish tradition, the next day always starts in the evening. The street was bustling with Jewish families traveling to and from the Kotel. About six soldiers stood at the intersection across the street. They were young guys and gals carrying machine guns. I remembered seeing soldiers standing at the same spot earlier that day. That's when I realized we had a 24-hour armed patrol stationed directly in front of our hotel. Back home in the US, this would seem extreme. But here in Jerusalem, it's completely normal. It was reassuring to know that armed soldiers were protecting the public every few hundred meters.
