The Old City of Jerusalem

The Old City of Jerusalem has changed so much since Garth and I were here in 1971. At that time, the streets were not paved and animals were laden carrying goods and walking in the streets. Raw meat was hung outside to sell and it felt like we had gone back 2,000 years in time. Now the city is modern in many ways and a new mall with pricey stores has been built just outside the gates of the Old City. We have never seen so many cats as we have in Israel. The only dog we've seen was on our way to Haifa when a dog was helping to herd goats.

The Old City has many very narrow streets with vendors and shops on both sides and it would be very easy to get lost. It's a very interesting place to walk but the storekeepers are anxious to have our business so it is not unusual for them try to follow us in the effort to sell their wares. Business is very slow for them right now and it makes one wonder how they ever survive. How blessed we are to not have that worry and how thankful we are to have so much in comparison to those who have so little.

These are photos outside the Old City taken of the wall that encloses it.

Driving around the city can be a hair-raising experience. You cannot drive through an intersection if the light is yellow or has just turned red because cameras are everywhere and you will get a whopping ticke of 500 shekels which amounts to about $125. If you don't move IMMEDIATELY when the light turns green, you will always hear a honk! Many two lane roads merge into one so you have to learn to be aggressive and nose your car ahead of another to get into the lane you want. Yesterday Brent took us to what everyone calls "Crash Corner" because at this intersection there are not lights, no signs, no round-a-bouts, and it's more or less who can get through it first. I didn't get a photo as there wasn't time. . . we just wanted to get through the intersection safely.