I just returned from a fabulous Travelujah day tour - to the market in Jerusalem. Walking along the narrow streets through the market, tasting cheeses from around the world, learning about the different types of olives and getting a behind-the-scenes peek in a sourdough bread bakery were just a few of the day's highlights. A group of 25 women from Ra'anana and Ramat Efal met up with Elisa from Travelujah for a sensory-overload experience. I could hardly make it back to the bus because I was shlepping (yiddush for carrying!) my day's purchases which included 2 whole salmon, sea salt, frozen borekas dough, homemade granola, vanilla beans, and a pistachio-cranberry salad topping mix! We had a wonderful guide for the tour, Tali, who is also a master chef and apparently quite well known in culinary circles. Her explanations about the fresh produce and her stories about the people in the stalls were fascinating. I was frustrated that I couldn't carry more because I wanted to buy the fresh peaches which were HUGE - and I've seen some pretty big ones in South Carolina and Georgia! They were the size of grapefruits. The best thing about the trip though was the camaraderie and spirit - it was like a school outing (for grown-ups!). A lot of fun, new friends and great bargains. Thanks, travelujah!

Tags: food jerusalem culinary machane yehuda market 

Last week I went on a fascinating tour sponsored by the Bible Lands Museum (thanks Travelujah for the heads-up on the event!). The tour, with only 6 of us, was led by Eli Shukrun of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who led the excavation of the Second Temple Pool of Siloam. The pool was the site of Jesus's healing miracle. Eli also excavated the pilgrim road leading from the pool up the Temple Mount. Apparently for many years, historians were convinced the pool was in a completely different location and only by chance (when the city of Jerusalem was digging a new drainage pipe) was the pool found. I thought his story was fascinating even though he told it in such a dry, matter-of-fact way that it seemed he almost didn't grasp how exciting it was. I guess when you are a famous archaeologist, you are used to uncovering real-life remnants of Biblical stories. He also led us through ancient water tunnels, past the Gihon spring, and underneath the Western Wall - some of which are not even open to the public yet. It was a powerful experience to sit on the stone staircase surrounding the Siloam Pool or walk up the old Herodian street leading to the Temple, thinking about who else had done the same.

 

Although I didn't capture any video of this new tunnel - the video below showcases a related tunnel (Hezekiah's Tunnel) which is open to the public and can be accessed by visitors at the City of David Archaeological Park.

 

Tags: jerusalem western wall tunnels kotel archaeologist herodian street