Day 1 in Florence, Travel day from Venice, no Sightseeing due to the Rain

I got up for breakfast at my hotel around 9:30 am, check out time was 10:30 am.  I knew I was going to Florence today, I had not booked my ticket, so the question was, what time would I leave Venice.  I checked trains to Florence online, the morning trains were booked, there was a train at 1:25 pm, I decided I would shoot for that one.

I left my hotel around noon to walk to Venice's main train station, about a twenty minute walk. I stopped along the way and bought a slice of pizza and a bottle of water. I went to the self-service ticket machine at the train station, the 1:25 tickets to Florence were sold out.  Rome is the final destination of the train I was taking to Venice, with several stops in between, on a weekend, the trains on this route are booked early.  I bought the 2:25 pm train ticket.

I sat on the stairs outside the train station and read my kindle, did some people watching, until about 1:45 pm, then I went to get some snacks for the train ride.  The ride was only 2 hours but I often get hungry and the bread breakfast and slice of pizza for lunch were not very filling. Just after 2 pm, the platform the train for Rome would leave from appeared on the departure screen.  I went, found my seat and settled in for the ride.

Cloudy day in Venice from the Train to Florence

The train filled up at the Bologna station, until that point, I had a row to myself.  Today's train was the nicer, high speed train, unlike the train I took from Milan to Venice, it was also more expensive, 45 Euros.  There were no slow trains available, I would have gone with the cheaper option, if there had been one.  The luggage rack was packed, I had to dig for my bag at the stop in Florence, a lot of people got of the train at the Florence stop. This is the beginning of Europe's high tourist season, I am glad I am winding down my tour of Europe at this time.  

It was raining when we arrived in Florence, I took out my umbrella but did not use it, then I ended up leaving it on the bus.  The first bus I got on was the bus to my hostel, but I did not buy at ticket and they were not sold on the bus, I got off the bus and must have left my umbrella in the seat when I got off.  I bought a new one for 5 Euros from one of the African men selling umbrellas at the station. 

Lynnae after arrival in Florence

I caught the next bus to my hostel, I could have stayed on the first bus without a ticket, but I prefer to buy my tickets, even though it is possible to get away without paying sometimes.  The bus driver stood up when we got to a stop, my interpretation  my stop was before the one we had just arrived at, he pointed in a direction, telling me to go that way.  Another woman spoke Italian to me, I asked her, before? She said, yes, before.  I started  walking, I had no map, no idea where I was, I thought I may have to hail a taxi. I somehow wandered around in the direction the bus driver pointed and found the street with the hostel, then a block later, I found the hostel.  I could not believe it, the street with the hostel was the exact way the bus driver had pointed.  

Was a challenge getting into the hostel. The hostel is located in a building with other businesses, I could not find the hostel's name to ring the bell.  I went next door, asked the man if I was  in the right place, he said yes, ring the bell, I do not  know which one it is.  I went through all the names slowly, there were names listed on both sides of the door, finally I found the right one, I rang it and the hostel buzzed me in. 

My first impressions were great of the hostel, the woman working reception was friendly, we talked for awhile, she gave me a map and pointed out all of Florence's main attractions.  I went out this evening, walking towards the Duomo, but it started to rain,  My camera stopped working so I did not get to take any pictures, I tried to charge my battery when I got back, it would not charge.  I think the battery is the problem, or I am going to hope the battery is the problem and the camera is OK.  I will figure it out tomorrow.  I may have to but a new camera, although I hope not. 

No photo album today, I only shot three pictures and the one not on the blog was a blurry shot of Venice from the train today.  Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny in Florence, my first stop will be a camera or electronics store, get my battery replaced and then go see the  sights.

Day 2 in Venice, Sightseeing on a Wet & Rainy Day

I woke up around 8:30 am, did not get out of bed until after 9:00 am, I did not want to miss the free breakfast, I could hear people talking, clanging dishes in the dining room.  The breakfast was decent, lots of bread, and cheese spread, jams, butter.  After breakfast, I realized it was raining outside, I took my time getting ready to go out, I was not excited about sightseeing in Venice while it was raining.  Finally, around 11 am, housekeeping knocked on my door, it was time for me to leave so they could clean my room.  

I asked the man at the reception desk how to get to San Marco Square, I had an idea, I knew I walked in the opposite direction, away from it yesterday, but I wanted to confirm my path.  San Marcos is Venice's main square, most of the big tourist attractions are located there. The man at reception said it would take about 15 minutes to walk to San Marco, I asked him about the weather, he said it was expected to rain all day.

I stopped for lunch on my way to San Marco Square, breakfast was not filling, I was hungry again by 11:30 am.  I got a mushroom and ham calzone, when I cut into it, I realized there was no sauce, I have never had a calzone with no sauce in Italy or anywhere else.  I asked for a side of sauce for the calzone, after going back and forth a couple of times, the man understood I wanted tomato sauce.  He gave me a tiny portion in a small paper cup.  I asked at the restaurant how to get to San Marco, the staff confirmed I was on the right path and told me there would be signs along the way to direct me.

I set out in the rain again, my shoes were beginning to get soaked, the bottom parts of my jeans were wet, I still had a long way to walk. The umbrella was good for keeping my upper body dry, but the streets of Venice were wet, it was also windy, making it hard to keep my lower limbs dry.

As I walked, every time I approached what appeared to be a square, I wondered if I had arrived at San Marco.  The walk to San Marco seemed long, because it was rainy, wet and chilly.  I paused at the different squares, took pictures of Cathedrals, etc. with my free hand, tried to balance my umbrella so it would keep me dry and not get into my pictures.

Venice on my way to Piazza San Marcos

I followed the Per S. Marco signs and finally reached Venice's main square, it was flooded.  There was very little space to walk in, almost impossible to avoid stepping in an ankle height puddle of water.  I looked around and saw people in the middle of the square, some barefoot, many with shoe coverings, reusable, bright yellow galoshes that fit over their shoes.  I debated what I should do, return to my hotel and try to go out when it is dry tomorrow, I thought it was going to rain all day.  Or try to get some pictures in, who cares if I get a little wet, I am in Venice.  I considered going into the Basilica, and hoping things would be dried up by the time I exited.  I decided to take a few pictures while I decided what to do.

Lynnae in front of St. Mark's Basilica

I decided to buy some of the bright yellow shoe coverings so I could walk through the water and not get any wetter than I already was.  I asked the couple who took the picture me above, where they bought their galoshes, they told me they were sold in all the stores along the route to the Piazza. I went back, found a store selling the boots, and bought a large pair for 12 Euros.  After I put on my galoshes, I went back to St. Mark's Square and began walking around in the water, taking pictures, looking at all the sights.

Standing in the water with my disposable Galoshes 

Lynnae near the bay in St. Mark's Square 

After walking around St. Mark's square, with my feet protected from the water by my new disposable galoshes, I started debating what paid sights I wanted to visit in the square.  I decided on two, I would go into the Basilica, entrance was free, I paid a total of 5 Euros to access the paid areas.  I also went to the top of the Bell Tower for a spectacular view across Venice, I could see many of the islands, the red roof tops, and all the water.

Inside St. Mark's Cathedral 

View from St. Mark's Bell Tower

View from St. Mark's Bell Tower

After going to the top of St. Mark's Bell Tower and seeing the inside of the Cathedral  I set out to find the Rialto Bridge. There were signs, Per Rialto, pointing the path to the Rialto Bridge, just like with St. Mark's Square.  According to the guidebooks, the Rialto Bridge provides the best views of the Grand Canal, it is also line with shops and crowded with tourists trying to take photos of the view. I thought the view from the bridge was overrated, but I took my pictures, walked across the bridge, looked at some of the shops.

Lynnae at Rialto Bridge 

After Rialto Bridge, I headed back to my hotel, my feet were soaked, despite buying the galoshes.  I took the galoshes off when I got to the bridge, hoping to give my jeans and shoes a chance to dry off, since the rain had stopped and the flood waters receded.  My shoes and clothing were too waterlogged, the sun did not help dry them out.  When I got back to my hotel, I changed out of my wet clothes, my feet were cold and damp, it took them awhile to warm up, they may still be a little cold.

I considered going out in the evening, Venice is supposed to be nice after dark, classical music concerts in Piazzo San Marco, etc.  I did not go out, St. Mark's Square flooded again tonight, the woman at reception told me, if you go out tonight, be sure you have a boat.  I was not going to pay for a boat, so I stayed in.  I went out and got Spaghetti for dinner, I think my first pasta dinner of my trip to Italy.  The spaghetti was good, nothing special.  I stayed inside the rest of the evening. Tomorrow, I go to Florence, I have not bought a train ticket yet, I will probably leave in the late morning or early afternoon.  I think I have seen all of Venice for this trip, probably will not do any sightseeing here tomorrow. 

Day 2 in Venice Photo Album 

Day 1 in Venice, Train Ride from Milan, Walking around in the Afternoon

I woke up around 7:45 this morning, I got up a little after 8 am, I waited for two hostel mates to finish using the bathroom.  I knew I was taking a train to Venice today, I had not purchased a ticket in advance, did not know what time I would leave, but I wanted to get started early, I knew the train ride would be at least 3 hours.

I checked out of my hostel room around 9 am, asked for directions to Milan's central train station, and had yogurt and granola cereal for breakfast.  This hostel has free breakfast, so I decided to take advantage of it, before going to the train station.

When I arrived at Milan's Central Station, I saw the line to purchase a ticket from a person was long, I did not want to wait, I decided to use the self-service ticket machine instead. There were several trains from Milan to Venice, one was 20 Euros cheaper than the others, the time was about an hour longer, I decided it was worth the extra time to save 20 Euros, I bought the second class seat on the 11:25 am train.  I had about half an hour before the train left, so I went and bought a sandwich at a cafe in the station.  I also bought some Haribo gummy candies for the ride.

The train was already at the platform, it is unusual for trains to be at the platform over half an hour before departure.  After buying my snacks, I boarded the train, it was not full, I thought I may have a seat section to myself, but as departure time approached, more and more people boarded the train.  By the time the train departed, my four seat section was full.  The trains in Europe often feel cramped too, you are often facing a person, knee to knee in the four seat sections, that's how the train was today.

The train ride to Venice was uneventful, I read my Kindle, and nodded off a couple of times.  The Asian woman in front of me broke into song every now and then while listening to music on her Iphone or she had very loud conversations in Korean, loud enough for the entire train to hear her, even if they did not understand what she was saying.

More and more passengers exited the train as we approached Venice, I had the four seat section to myself when I noticed the water, which indicated we were almost at Venice's Saint Lucia station.

View from train approaching Venice

I knew I would take a water bus to my hotel from Venice's train station, when I got off the train, I went to a booth selling water bus tickets, I bought a one-way ticket for 7 Euros.  The water bus stations were located just outside the train station.  I had to look around before finding Line 1, the line that would take me to the station closest to my hotel.  I asked a woman to take a picture of me, we ended up waiting for the same water bus.  She did not speak any English, but after asking one of the bus conductors something, she gave me her ticket, I think she said train in Italian.  My impression, she did not have time for the water bus ride in Venice, needed to catch a train and was giving me her ticket. I thanked her in Italian and English for the extra ticket.

Lynnae before getting on the Water Bus

The water bus was easy to navigate, it had stops just like a subway or bus, and the line was posted in the bus. I waited for my stop, 3 away from where I boarded the bus, and had no problems until I got to the area near my hotel.  I copied the directions to the hotel from its website, they were clear until the very end, the street the hotel was on, it took me a few minutes and asking a couple of people to find it, once I found the street, I saw the sign for the hotel immediately. I checked into my room, picked up a couple of brochures on walking tours in Venice, charged my camera battery and got a slice of pizza for a late lunch.

I did not have any plans for this afternoon in Venice, I figured I would take it easy and do my serious sightseeing tomorrow.  I decided to walk to St. Marks square, after my camera finished charging, and acquaint myself with the city.  I left for my walk at about 5:30 pm, I ended up walking in the diretion opposite of St. Mark's square, ending up back at Venice's train station.  I walked over the bridge near the train station and explored the areas around there, I did not see any of Venice's landmarks, but it is not guaranteed I would have recognized them if I did see them. 

Lynnae on walk through Venice 

After my walk away from the center of Venice, I turned around and headed back to my hotel. I think I walked for about an hour, I did not look at the time, so I am not sure.  I did not see a car during my walk through Venice, all transportation was on Venice's canals, I saw private boats, Gondolas, water taxis, water buses, and two men kayaking.  The only motor vehicles I saw were when I passed Venice's bus station, I could see a highway in the background too.

Kayakers on Venice Canal 

After my walk, I did not do much, I overheard talk in the lobby about flooding tonight.  The woman at the reception desk was advising people to be in by 10 pm unless they had a boat, because the city would be flooded.  I read online that sirens are sounded in Venice when flooding is expected, I heard a series of long sirens during my walk, possibly to alert residents of the impending flood.  When I went to get dinner at 9pm, a woman at the restaurant said they were closing early because of the flooding.  I asked her if they would make me a pizza for take away, they agreed.  I got my usual, spicy salami, Europe's pepperoni. The pizza was good, it was not as good as what I got in Naples, but Naples is the home of pizza.

Tomorrow, I will get to the major landmarks in Venice.  I have not decided if I will go on one of the walking tours or just visit the sites on my own.  I will figure it out when I get to St. Marks Square sometime tomorrow.  

Day 1 in Venice Photo Album 

Day 1 in Milano, Self-Guided Walking Tour Around the City

Milan was an unexpected stop on my trip through Italy, I had not initially planned to spend anytime here.  However, when I was searching for flights to Italy from Tel Aviv, Meridiana's direct flight was the best option.  Going to Rome was more expensive and required a 10 hour layover in Istanbul, I decided a trip to Milan would not be so bad, another city to explore.

I went to sleep late last night and got a slow start today. I woke up around 9 am, Italy time, which is one hour behind Israel.  I stayed in bed most of the morning, I was in no hurry to get started, had no big sightseeing plans for the day, no walking tour to go on.  I read my Europe travel books, had an idea of the sites to see in Milan, and I figured a day was plenty of time to see the city.

I began my day with lunch at a nearby cafe, I ordered the calzone, it looked good from the window, I saw another customer eating it too.  The calzone was good, not outstanding but good, and a nice change from the Middle Eastern fare I have burned out on over the past two weeks.  After lunch I headed to Piazza Duomo, Milan's Central Square, a short walk from my hostel.

The most prominent building in Milan's main square is the Gothic Cathedral, which is one of the largest Gothic Cathedral's in the world. I briefly went inside the Cathedral  I took out my camera to take a picture and was approached by a woman who told me I would have to pay 2 Euros to take photos.  I decided I have enough pictures of interiors of European churches, I am not going to pay to accumulate more. I did not stay at the cathedral long, did not pay to go to the roof or the baptistery.  I was keeping my Milan tour basic,  I explore the interiors of building in more depth in Rome and Florence.

Lynnae in front of Milan's Cathederal

After spending some time at Milan's Cathedral, I went across the Piazza Duomo to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuale, a glass-domed gallery designed in 1865 by Giuesppe Mengoni, who was killed a few days before it opened when he fell to his death from its roof, according to the Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget.  I walked through the gallery, there were a lot of high end shops and some expensive restaurants.  I asked two police officers how to get to Castello Sforzesco after I finished looking around the gallery.

Lynnae in Galleria Vittorio Emanuale

Castello Sforzesco was my last stop on my self-guided tour of Milan, is there more to see in this city, definitely. There is a canal district and the Church of Santa Maria dell Grazie, which is famous for the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.  The Last Supper viewing required advanced purchased tickets, Milan was an unexpected stop on my trip to Italy, I did not book anything in advance. 

Lynnae at Castello Sforzesco

After my walk around Milan, I went back to my hostel, met a hostel mate from Brazil and later 2 from Finland. I am in a mixed dorm in this hostel, men and women, the female dorms were booked.  This time there is an even gender split, 3 men and 3 women.  In Jerusalem I spent 3 nights in a mixed hostel where I was the mix, I prefer the mix in this room.  I got pizza for dinner, nothing special like the pizza in Naples, it was average, a thin crust pizza I could find in the US.

Tomorrow I go to Venice for two nights, I will have my own room there, with a shared bathroom  at an inexpensive hotel.  I finished booking my Italy trip, it ends on May 31st, them I go to Barcelona, booked the flight already.  My tour of Europe will end in a couple of weeks, I may go teach English in Istanbul or go and get my TEFL certification, I have not decided yet.  Well, it is time to get some sleep, I have a train to catch to Venice sometime tomorrow, I did not reserve a seat in advance. 

Day 1 in Milan Photo Album

Day 3 Back in Jerusalem, Western Wall Tunnel Tour, Depart for Milan

Today was my last day in Israel, I planned a full day, wanted to hit some last minute sights before my night flight to Milan, Italy.  I woke up around 7:45 am, fifteen minutes before my cell phone alarm was set to go off.  Yesterday, I scheduled a tour of the tunnels below the Western Wall for 9 am, so my day started early.

I got up, packed, and checked out of my hostel by 8:15 am, the hostel also booked my shuttle to the airport for my flight to Italy.  I wanted to give myself enough time to make it to the Western Wall a few minutes before the tour began.  Most tours I have gone on begin at Jaffa Gate, I knew I needed more time to get to the Western Wall, because I had to go through Jerusalem’s Old City to get there.

I walked at a quick pace to Jerusalem’s old city, when I went through the walls I had to decide, take the route I know to the Western Wall through the Jewish sector or go the shorter way through the Arab sector.  I decided to try the shorter route through the Arab sector, I saw an orthodox Jewish man walking and decided to follow him, I thought he may be going toward s the Western Wall. 

After the man I was following turned, I turned, but I decided to ask for directions to confirm I was going the right way.  I asked another Jewish man, this man was wearing a Kippah, he told me I could get to the Western Wall the way I was going, but there was a shorter way, he would show me.  I followed the man, he pointed me in the right direction.   I got to the meeting point for the Western Wall tunnel tour about ten minutes before it began.

Lynnae at Entrance to Meeting Point for Western Wall Tunnel Tour

The Western Wall tour lasted about an hour, we walked down a flight of stairs until we were below present day Jerusalem’s Arab sector.  Our guide gave us an introduction and brief history of the Western Wall excavations, he explained they began in 1967, when the excavations began the area was filled with garbage and sewage. 

Our guide gave us some background on Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the Western Wall.  He explained what the tunnels were years ago, that they were part of Jerusalem.  As we walked he explained where we were, we went from being below the Arab sector to the Western Wall, which extends miles below present day Jerusalem.  There were people praying at the subterranean Western Wall, I only saw women.  There were also notes left in this portion of the Western Wall, just like above ground.

Lynnae Touching the Western Wall beneath Jerusalem's Old City

Women Praying at the Western Wall Beneath Jerusalem's Old City

The tour ended at a cistern, full of water, our guide explained it was part of an aqueduct.  After the tour, our guide told us we would exit in the Arab sector and be escorted by security guards back to the Western Wall area.  He said if we wanted to shop in the Arab sector it was OK to separate from the group, but they provided security because of past incidents exiting through the Arab sector of Jerusalem. I went with the group back to the Western Wall, I planned to go to Oskar Schindler’s grave afterwards, and the easiest way was to cut through the area with the Western Wall.  I went through security, walked past the Western Wall, exited, and walked to the road outside Jerusalem’s Old City. 

Lynnae at the Aqueduct in Tunnel below Jerusalem's Old City 

The cemetery where Oskar Schindler is buried was open today, or I made it before it closed.  There was nobody working at the cemetery, there was one other woman who arrived at the same time as me, she was also looking for Schindler’s grave.  I walked around the cemetery, but could not find the grave, finally a tour group arrived, I figured they would know where the grave was, I went to where they were, planning to follow them to Schindler’s grave.  Turned out, the tour group did not know where the grave was either, eventually, someone pointed to the woman who entered at the same time as me, she had found the grave.  I walked down to where the grave was, took some pictures before the tour group descended on the area.  Schindler’s grave is covered with stones, I do not know if this symbolizes something.

Entrance to Cemetery w/ Oskar Schidnler's grave

Oskar Schindler's Grave

After visiting Schindler’s grave, I planned to go to the Israel Museum, the museum was not at the top of my list, but since I had an extra day, I decided I would go see it.  I stopped by a restaurant called the Burger Bar on my way to the bus stop to go the museum.  I was tired of eating Falafel and Shawarma, I got a good burger for the same restaurant in Tel Aviv, I figured  it would be good in Jerusalem too.  The burger was decent, I got the meal with fries and a drink. 

Burger Bar Lunch Jaffa Street West Jerusalem

I finished lunch then went to the bus stop to go to the Israel Museum.  One of my hostel mates told me where to catch the bus yesterday, turned out it was not exactly the right spot.  I had to ask a two bus drives before finding the right bus, one of the drives pointed me in the wrong directions, or it was the language barrier, always hard to tell.

When I got to the Israel Museum, the woman working at the entrance told me it was closed, on Tuesdays the museum does not open until 4pm.  I had to write off a visit to the Israel Museum, my shuttle to Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport would pick me up from my hostel at 4 pm for my 8:20pm flight to Milan.  I briefly considered exploring the government area, the Knesset, but decided I would just head back to the hostel.  The Knesset is not accessible like most Parliaments, you cannot see the building from the street, I do not know if visitors are allowed on the grounds without an appointment. 

Entrance to Israel Museum 

Me in front of Israel Museum

I caught the bus back to my hostel, I did not realize the bus stopped in front of  my hostel when I boarded it, it was a pleasant surprise.  I relaxed in the lobby until the shuttle arrived to take me to the airport.  I went to the ATM to get money and bought a snack at the bakery too

.

The airport shuttle arrived about five minutes early, the driver came into the lobby, asked if I was Lynnae, I packed my backpack and headed out the door with my luggage.  We went through Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood on the way to the airport to pick up more passengers.  I had not walked through the neighborhood but saw it close up on our drive through. 

The ride from Jerusalem to the airport was about an hour after all the passengers were picked up.  My stop was terminal 3, along with most of the passengers on the shuttle.  Security was my next stop, I had heard stories about Israeli airport security, I was about to experience if for myself. 

Israel has an extensive check-in security procedure in place; Israel teaches other countries how to conduct security screenings.  After being thoroughly searched by Israeli authorities, seems TSA in the US is just playing games with American aviation security.  The first step in security screening was questioning by an Israeli security agent before going through the baggage screening process.  The security agent asked me why I visited Israel, he asked about my trips to Jordan and Egypt, he asked where I stayed, whether I made any friends in Jordan or Egypt, etc. 

After the security questioning, I got in line for the luggage x-ray machine.  After my bag was x-rayed, I was instructed to stand in the line to have my luggage examined, it seemed all the passengers were instructed to do the same, no random search, no profiling.  The baggage examiner told me to unzip my bag, she took out all my electronic devices, which were mainly power adapters.  She went through my luggage and then swabbed everything with what I think is an instrument to detect explosive residue.  She went through this process several times, then swabbed my power adapters, etc.  Once she was finished and everything was tested, she instructed me to repack my bags and said she would walk me to the check-in counter so I would not have to wait in line.

Check in went smoothly, then I had to go through security again, for my carry on baggage and metal detector.  The same process, less time consuming was followed for carry on screening, the agent emptied all my coins out of my wallet and my backpack, separated my electronics, swabbed my bag and my shoes for residue, tested everything and then I was allowed to pass through.  The entire process took about an hour and a half, I am confident nobody is sneaking anything through Israel’s airport security, cannot say the same for the US.  There have been several undercover investigations where unauthorized items were smuggled past TSA, I would be surprised if this happened in Israel. 

After security, I went to passport control, no problems here.   I waited for my flight, got a snack, and relaxed until boarding time for the flight to Milan.  It was strange leaving Israel after spending so much time there and meeting so many interesting people, but I was ready to see and do something new.  I am also looking forward to getting some good Italian food, I have had my fill of Falafel and Shawarma for a long time. 

The flight to Milan from Tel Aviv was about four hours, our flight boarded late, and we must have departed late, we did not arrive in Milan until after midnight. Our flight was scheduled to land at 11:20 pm, they never posted a delay on the flight board at the airport in Tel Aviv.  When we landed, our plane pulled up between two planes on the tarmac, we disembarked onto the tarmac, instead of directly in the terminal.  I took a taxi to Milan, 55 KM from the airport, for about $100. The public transportation seemed to be shutdown, I was not going to try to figure it out in the middle of the night either. 

Lynnae after plane landed in Milan 

Check in was easy at my hostel, after banging on the door to get someone to let me in.  The hostel provides a lot of services most hostels do not, they print things for free, gave me a free bottle of water when I arrived, etc.  I was going to get online when I got to my room, but my computer's battery was dead, and there was no electric outlet near my top bunk.  I made up my bed and went to sleep. 

Day 1 in Milan Photos

Day 2 Back in Jerusalem, Holy City Walking Tour

I woke up a little after 8 am this morning, about half an hour before my alarm was set to go off.  My plan was to go on the Holy City walking tour that started at 9:30 am at Jaffa Gate outside Jerusalem's Old City.  I decided to go on this walking tour and see the things I had not yet seen in the Old City, round out my trip to Israel.

I left the hostel around 9 am, I talked to one of my hostel mates for awhile before leaving.  I was hoping I gave myself enough time to get something at the corner bakery and make it to the Jaffa Gate before the tour began.  I stopped at the bakery, got a few pastries, went to the ATM, then had about 15 minutes to make it to the tour's meeting point.  I walked quickly down Jaffa street towards the gate, checking the time on my cell phone from time to time.  I made it to the meeting point 2 minutes before the tour was scheduled to start, plenty of time to get my ticket, these tours rarely leave exactly at the scheduled time.

Our tour began outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, our tour guide pointed out that the view outside the  old gates was once the desert, now it is Western Jerusalem, with trees, buildings, etc.  Our guide gave us background on the area, I cannot remember it all, so I will not try to recount all of what he said. After the background information, we went to the Church of the Eternal Dormition, where it is believed Mary fell into an eternal sleep.  I had already seen this church on my own, the guide provided the historical information, so it was not a waste of time returning to the same place.

Lynnae at Dormition Abbey

From Dormition Abbey we went to the statue of Kind David, the tour guide asked who the man holding the harp was, I said King David, I had already visited the site, I knew the answer.  Also, our tour guide had asked earlier why we did not answer his questions, I responded, because we don't know the answer, everyone in the group laughed.  I figured since the guide wanted participation, if I knew the answers, I would answer.  Our guide also forgot the word for sling shot when talking about the story of David and Goliath, I told him, he gave me a high five. We visited Kind David's tomb and the Room of the Last Supper, our guide explained nobody knows if these are the real locations, but it is about faith. 

Woman praying at Kind David's Tomb

Next, we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, I had gone to the outside of the church, but had not yet gone inside.   Inside we saw more of the stations of the cross, these stations mark where Jesus carried the cross when he was condemned to be crucified.  The church is believed to be the site where Jesus was crucified, our guide showed us the hill, now part of the church where Jesus' crucifixion is believed to have happened. There was a slab of rock, where it is believed Jesus laid before he was placed in the tomb, the church also contains the cave where Jesus was resurrected.  There were lines of pilgrims to see the church, the line for the cave had a 1.5 hour wait time.

Rock believed to have been on hill where Jesus was Crucified 

Lynnae touching Rock where it is believe Jesus laid after Crucifixion 

Lynnae at Tomb where Jesus was Resurrected 

After the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we followed Jesus' steps along the Via Dolorosa, visiting more stations of the cross.  At station six there was another slab of rock where it is believed Jesus placed his hands, rested, while carrying the cross along Via Dolorosa.  The stations where Jesus carried the cross along Via Dolorosa are marked with a cross, this is believed to be the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion.

Station of the Cross 

Station of the Cross where believe Jesus touched his hand after stumbling

After walking the Via Dolorosa, we went to lunch.  We had a meal of hummus, falafel, many other spreads, I cannot remember the names and pita, a typical Israel meal, I have had often.  Today's falafel at Abu Shukri restaurant, was the best I have had yet, the mint lemonade was outstanding too.  The Temple Mount was our destination after lunch, our tour guide wanted to get in line early, he expected long lines.

Lynnae at Lunch

The line was not bad for the Temple Mount which opens from 1:30 to 2:30  in the afternoons for non-Muslims.  We got past security without incident, but I was stopped by the Temple Mount's Islamic police, they determined I needed to cover myself.  The tour guide prepared me in advance for this and men with capris length shorts were also forced to cover their exposed legs with a shawl. I did not bring a shawl, so I had to buy a 20 shekel shawl from the Temple Mount authorities.  The Islamic police repeatedly told me to cover myself after I had put the shawl on, I figured they wanted me to cover up the area exposed by my Gap  V-neck shirt.  Apparently the sleeves on my shirt were too short too.  At some point, the Islamic police stopped telling me to cover myself, but they followed our group the entire time.

Lynnae in front of the Dome of the Rock 

I wandered away from the group and  asked a group of women to take a picture of me in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque, since I was on the Islamic police force's radar, they came over to me after my pictures were taken and told me I had to stay with my group, a lie.  I could have gone to the Temple Mount without a group, there is no requirement to tour the outside of the Temple Mount with a tour guide.  The women I asked to take my picture did not appear to be Muslims, I think the Islamic police did not like the idea of me taking a picture in front of the mosque, who knows why they bothered me, again. I apologized for straying from the group, told the police I did not know.

Lynnae in front of Al-Aqsa Mosque

Our tour guide gave us free time to take pictures atop the Temple Mount, I took some more, the Islamic Police did not approach me and demand I return to my group, I was no near the mosque anymore either.  Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the Dome of the Rock, it is Muslim controlled and only they can enter.  The surrounding area is beautiful with a great view of the Mount of Olives.  As 2:30 pm approached, our group reassembled and left the Temple Mount. 

Mount of Olives

After the tour, I went to buy tickets for the tunnel tour beneath the Western Wall.  The tickets were sold out for today, I will go on the tour tomorrow at 9 am, I may go to the Israel Museum afterwards  depends on the time, I have a flight to catch tomorrow night. I walked to the cemetery with Oskar Schindler's Grave after  I bought a ticket for the tunnel tour, the cemetery was closed, I may go back tomorrow, I have not yet decided.

Entrance to Cemetery with Oskar Schindler's Grave

I walked back to my hostel after going to the cemetery with Oskar Schindler's grave, I did not do anymore sightseeing today.  I relaxed in the hostel, did laundry and went out for pizza with one of my hostel mates this evening. 

Day 2 Back in Jerusalem Photo Album

Day 1 Back in Jerusalem, Dead Sea Chill Out

I checked out of my hostel in Masada just after 10 am this morning and caught the 10:45 am bus to Jerusalem for the last leg of my trip to Israel and the Middle East.  I will spend two days in Israel, then head to Milan Tuesday night, back to Europe after a two week break.

Getting to Jerusalem from Masada was no problem, I met some Bulgarians at the bus stop who offered to show me around Sofia when I visit, take me to the mountains, etc.  We waited for the bus in the Masada heat, half afraid it would not show up, it arrived about 5 minutes after the scheduled time.  The Bulgarians were on their way to Wadi David and had missed their stop, and got off in Masada. We exchanged contact information, I gave them my CIA/FBI business cards, maybe I will see them in Bulgaria someday.

The ride to Jerusalem from Masada was about an hour, the bus was almost empty, I was not on the main Jerusalem-Eilat bus line, so I had the bus almost to myself.  People got on and off the bus along the way, but the bus never filled up, I got to stretch out, had two seats to myself, it was a comfortable ride.

When we arrived in Jerusalem, I walked to the hostel from Jerusalem's Central Bus Station.  I got turned around initially, asked a man for directions and made it to the hostel quickly, it is 3 stops on the light rail tram line.  I arrived at my hostel an hour before check-in, I used that time to get online and book the Dead Sea Chill Out tour through my hostel.  They asked if I wanted to go today, I said no, I had planned to go Tuesday.  I thought the tour started at 2pm, then I realized the tour started at 4:30 pm, a perfect time for me to get checked into the hostel and go to the Dead Sea.

I went up to my room at 2 pm, I had a hostel mate from Tucson, AZ, it is rare I meet someone from AZ, we started talking about home immediately.  She teaches in Iraq, and gave me some tips on teaching English overseas, my goal after I complete my tour of Europe.  I found out she was going on the Dead Sea chill out too, it is a popular tour.

My hostel mate and I went to the bakery next door to get some snacks before going to the Dead Sea.  The tour was full, I got the last seat on the bus, it is a small bus, bigger than a minivan, smaller than a tourist bus.  A few people on the bus were going on a desert ATV tour, something I am not interested in.  I grew up in AZ, I have seen enough desert for the rest of my life, I have no desire to ride around on an ATV in any desert.

We passed through the Israeli controlled part of the West Bank on our way to the Dead Sea.  We passed some Israeli settlements, saw some camels in their natural environment, not dressed up for tourists and passed a Bedouin Camp.

Israeli West Bank Settlements 

Bedouin Camp 

We passed the sea level point on our way to the Dead Sea, Jerusalem is 800 meters above sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest level on earth at about 400 meters below sea level.  I did not notice any physical changes as we descended below sea level or when we returned to Jerusalem, above sea level.  Our bus stopped for a few minutes at sea level, the woman from Tucson bought some necklaces from a Bedouin or a man dressed up as a Bedouin at the stop, then we resumed our journey to the Dead Sea.

Lynnae at Sea Level

Sea Level in Israel before the Dead Sea

Sea Level Town in Israel on way to the Dead Sea

We arrived at the Dead Sea around 5:30 pm for two hours of floating, mud, and relaxation.  I met a Russian on the bus on the way to the Dead Sea, we both wanted to get the Dead Sea pictures, floating with a newspaper, covered with the Dead Sea mud, so we alternated taking pictures of each other after we arrived.   We risked taking our cameras into the Dead Sea with us, we wanted the pictures, it was tough walking in the Dead Sea, the mud, the sea floor was uneven, but we did not drop our cameras and we got some great pics.

Lynnae floating in the Dead Sea 

The Russian brought a copy of the Moscow Times she picked up at the airport, I meant to bring reading material for that shot, was happy she brought some.  We both took turns posing with the Moscow Times while floating in the Dead Sea, the paper got a little wet, but we did not drop it or the cameras.  Luckily, if we tripped in the Dead Sea, thanks to all the salt, we would float and not sink.  We still had to be careful balancing with our cameras, even a little stumble and the cameras would be under water.  I may invest in a waterproof camera for my next vacation.

Lynnae reading the Moscow Times in the Dead Sea

It is hard to describe the feeling of floating in the Dead Sea, the water is thick, I got it in my mouth on accident a couple of times, salty and kind of gross.  I felt a few spots on my skin burning, they told us beforehand if we had any cuts and did not know it, we would find out when we got in the Dead Sea.  I have had a few bites that I have scratched, I think that is where the burning sensation on my skin came from. Looking at my skin now, it appears some of the scars left over from some bites I got a few weeks ago have healed even more, I am amazed and happy. I could benefit from another dip in the Dead Sea.

After taking pictures floating in the Dead Sea, reading the newspaper, we covered ourselves in the Dead Sea's therapeutic mud.  I started off with bad mud, someone let me know it was too sandy, and I may cause myself some pain using it, i.e. exfoliate myself and get the Dead Sea burn.  Our tour guide came over and showed me where to find the good, smooth mud, I got some big handfuls, someone told me I did not need that much, I told them I was taking it for other people to use too.  My tour guide said I could sell the mud I had collected, some people did not want to go out far to find the good mud.  

After covering ourselves with mud, we took more pictures, the tour guide came over and joked he did not know we would be modeling, he should have brought his camera.  We looked like the people in the tour advertisement brochure, covered with mud at the Dead Sea. 

Lynnae with Dead Sea Mud

After we shot all the pictures we wanted, we washed off the mud at the showers.  A Russian woman sprayed me down with a hose, I think she saw what I was doing was not efficient, she decided to assist me, speed up the process, so she could use the hose too.  We got back into the Dead Sea to really relax after taking all the pictures we wanted.  I felt great in the Dead Sea, the Russian and I joked, they must have put something in the water. I seemed to leave all my worries and stress at the Dead Sea, I was relaxed when I got out, felt great.

Our tour guide had dates, walnuts, and mint tea for us at the end of our Dead Sea Chill Out. He recommended wrapping the walnuts in the dates, they were delicious, I did not know I liked dates until today.  Maybe I just like the Israeli brand of dates he bought, we left the Dead Sea at 7:30 pm.  Today's trip was the first time on summer schedule, the tour left in the afternoon instead of the morning, it was perfect, not too hot, just right outside. 

The ride back to Jerusalem was uneventful, we picked up the people who went on the ATV on our way back to the city.  We passed through an Israeli checkpoint, there is no checkpoint driving into the Israeli controlled West Bank, but there is one returning to Jerusalem.  Palestinians are not allowed into Jerusalem after certain hours, some have work permits and must exit Israel by a certain time daily. I saw the red sign warning Israelis they could not enter the Palestinian controlled West Bank.  I tried to take a picture, I got a side shot of the warning, the bus moved in the middle of my shot.

Israelis Do Not Enter West Bank Sign 

Cars Driving to Check Point to go to Jerusalem 

After the Dead Sea Chill Out, I went out to dinner with a few of the people I met on the tour.  I got Shawarma, did not eat it all, it was mediocre, I think because it was late.  I am sitting in the lobby blogging, listening to a conversation between several Americans, I usually do not meet many Americans on my travels.  Israel is different, I have met a lot of Americans, in hostels, and elsewhere  there are some interesting people who travel to Israel, I have met all kinds.

Day 1 Back in Jerusalem