The “Other Sides” of Jerusalem, Israel

When you think of the ancient city of Jerusalem you probably think of the old city with its ancient landmarks, cobblestone streets and markets. However, Jerusalem is a bustling modern city with numerous districts and neighborhoods worth exploring. Lindsay and I first discovered this by accident after arriving at the busy and chaotic central bus terminal. I decided to follow my “travelers senses” and thought I could walk us from the terminal to Damascus Gate (old city) just based on my memories from studying maps of the city. We started in the direction I thought was correct and within a few minutes we quickly realized we were extremely lost. However, we had wandered into a very unique neighborhood full of orthodox Jews. Almost every person we saw had the black clothing, hat and ringlet hair that is worn by orthodox Jews. The women were also dressed in very traditional Jewish clothing. They were all running errands, picking their kids up from school and staying busy while Lindsay and I just wandered through enjoying the scene. Although we discovered it by accident it was a beautiful and unique area we will never forget. On another occasion we decided to take the short walk from the old city to Ben Yehuda Street which is an area of the city known as “New Jerusalem.” This pedestrian only promenade feels very European and was perfect for people watching and strolling. There were beautiful buildings lining the street, open cafes with people eating/drinking, street performers, etc, etc. It was a fantastic scene and Lindsay and I were simply walking slowly trying to take it all in. It happened to be dinner time and we noticed a falafel place that was very busy. We took this as a good sign and decided to indulge. To this day Lindsay swears that this was the best meal she has ever eaten. We both ended up with a soft bread tortilla type thing filled with warm falafel, lettuce, spices, etc, etc. We just sat on a bench savoring every single byte and truly felt like we were in heaven. As we continued to explore this area we ended up walking through some fascinating neighborhoods full of local street life. There were numerous markets selling fish, food, etc, etc. We wandered through these markets and also explored the fascinating neighborhoods that surrounded them. It is hard to explain what these neighborhoods looked like but it was very similar to a New York City neighborhood yet had a very Middle Eastern feel. Mixed amongst these neighborhoods were plaques that talked about some of the families that had been living in the area for centuries. The entire area had a real “off the beaten path” feel and Lindsay and I were very much enjoying it. On another day Lindsay and I decided to find Oscar Schindler’s grave and started off on our trek to explore (really only knowing the general area where it was located). This took us through some fascinating areas of the city (mostly around the “Jewish Quarter”) and we actually ended up in a very weird grassroots museum about the Holocaust. It was run by a somewhat extremist group and we were the only ones in there which was a bit awkward. The young Jewish man at the entrance was very awkward, and rough around the edges, but we couldn’t resist going in to explorer. When we left I felt extremely bad because it was a non-profit and they asked to “pay what you can” but I only had a few shekels on me. On this particular day we wandered past one of the old gates that leads into the Jewish section of the Old City. There were thousands of bullet marks in the old stone which was a remnant of the intense fighting there during the Six Day War. This was probably one of the coolest sights we saw in Jerusalem as it was so raw. It was also on this walk that we saw numerous school groups (little kids) being led along by a teacher and followed by an armed guard (with a huge gun). This was quite the sight and really gave Jerusalem a very “intense” feeling. We ended this particular wandering route by looking through a vast cemetery for the grave of Oskar Schindler (man made famous for his “list” which saved numerous Jews during the Holocaust). All we knew is that his tombstone had numerous rocks placed on top which is a sign that numerous faithful Jews have offered prayers here. We eventually found it and took a few moments to pay our own respects to this amazing man. Although the highlight of Jerusalem is the old city there are numerous other neighborhoods very worthy of exploration. It truly is a unique and beautiful city that Lindsay and I hope to return to someday.