Day 5: Ramparts Walk, Shuk and Birthday Celebration

Today was my 34th birthday and what an amazing place to celebrate... During this week, CJ's girls are in school so rather than have them all miss the entire week, we are just pulling out one each day so we can spend some quality time with each niece and Stella and Sebi can hang with each cousin separately. Today the adventures continued with a trip back down to the Old City to do the Ramparts Walk and see some of the Muslim Quarter which we didn't get to see in our first tour.  

The Ramparts walk is where you get to get up on the wall surrounding the city and walk around it.  We were told by security that we were not allowed to go into the Muslim quarter beyond the shuk so we couldn't do the full walk.  Luckily the main area we were wanting to see in the Muslim quarter was the market, so we weren't too disappointed.  And it did not, disappoint.  It was fantastic, with a fast paced hustle and bustle, tons of bright colors, the smell of fresh falafel and spices, and the storekeepers constantly shouting out in Arabic for you to buy their goods.

After our walk on the walls and about 20 minutes of shopping, it began to rain. And it rained hard, so hard that all of our clothes were soaked and we were freezing after a few hours in them. We warmed up with a nice warm lunch with hot drinks and then headed home for a cozy evening in the house.  Kari made me an amazing cake and it was the perfect way to end another amazing day!

Mike and Sebi walking the wall.

Stella loved walking the wall and imagining she was a soldier shooting intruders.

Here's a view looking outside of the walls.

Walking the wall.

Hannah wasn't as sure about some of the higher parts of the wall.

A view of a mosque in the old city from the wall.

Stella and Hannah in front of the Dome of the Rock.

Day family photo #1

Day family photo #2

Stella waiting for her fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.

The girls sharing a fresh pomegranate juice in the Shuk. 

The crew walking through the shuk (Arab market).

Embracing the culture... falafel and pomegranate juice.

After a long day of walking and shopping in the Shuk.

A man carrying a cross along the Via Delarosa to pay homage to the suffering by Jesus.

CJ bought an umbrella for 20 shekels (about $6) it was the best investment of the day!

We had to visit the Church of the Holy Sepluchre one more time and this time Stella and Sebi got to experience it too.

Inside the Church of the Holy Sepluchre, this is the spot where they believe the cross was hammered into the ground.

Silly cousins, smiling despite the downpour of rain!

Lunch at the focaccia bar, it was the perfect warm, delicious comfort food on a cold rainy day.

Fresh hot cocoa, perfect way to warm up.

Thanks to Kari for making this amazing cake... it was above and beyond, she woke up at 5am just to make me a special cake. I felt so honored:)

Great way to end yet another amazing day!

Day 4: Bethlehem

You can't take a trip to Israel without visiting the birthplace of Jesus... despite the red sign below.  Bethlehem is in the West Bank and is not actually a part of Israel.   It is controlled by the Palestinians and is not policed by any Israeli troops.  Although the sign is ominous, the town of Bethlehem is filled with some very nice people and the Church of the Nativity was without a doubt one of the highlights of our trip.  However, the feel of the city is much more "Middle Eastern" than the modern Jerusalem and the angst with Israel is definitely more palpable.   C.J. arranged for us to have a police escorted tour of the church which not only made us feel very safe, but we were able to go right to the front of the crowds and see some places that were not available to the public.  After the tour we went to a local shop to get some ornaments from an Olive Wood carver that had an amazing rooftop view, hit up the local Stars and Bucks for a coffee, and stopped at an fantastic local cuisine restaurant before heading back to Jerusalem.  Definitely a great day!

During the morning hours before we left, the girls had to put on a show for us.  A cover of "Let it Go," Starring: Brooklyn as Anna, Haydin as Elsa, Hannah as Olaf and Stella as Sven. It was pretty great.

This sign was placed outside the city of Bethlehem. Israeli's not welcome.

More anti-Israel propoganda.

The Church of the Nativity.

Here is exact place that is believed to be where Jesus was born.

As mentioned, we had a police escort through the church. We entered this area through the back entrance and the police held back the line of tourists awaiting their turn while we got to cut in front , take a moment and get pictures.

The Manager - the right side is where Jesus was placed after birth.

The line we were able to cut in front of!

The Catholic side of the Church

In the courtyard

C.J. and the kids... rocking it!

Sebs taking in the sights with one of our guards.

Tombs of the children slaughtered by King Herod.

Bones of the slaughtered children.

Inside the wood carver's shop.

The wood carver's roof.   Amazing view and the kids loved the uneven ground.

Sebs with his olive wood top, a gift from the carver.

Strolling back to the car.

On our way to restaurant.  This wall separates the Palestinian side from the Israeli side.

Graffiti on the wall.

The restaurant, nicely situated by a guard tower.

The biggest and best lunch ever!

Lunch at Kari's favorite Kabob place. They served mint lemonade, hummus, pita, grilled lamb, chicken, beef, and all of the sauces you could possibly want. We finished it up with a picture of the kitchen and a overstuffed belly!

Always need to finish with a coffee from Stars & Bucks!

Perfect!

Day 3: Tour with a Palestinian and the Marine Ball

This trip has already been so incredible and we are only on our 3rd day. We have learned so much and have had our eyes opened as to what the real situation is here.  Today, we were honored to have my brother's co-worker Ala give us a tour of "his" Jerusalem. Ala is Palestinian and a Muslim.  He took us to areas of Jerusalem and Palestinian neighborhoods that are considered "war zones' or "unsafe". It was shocking to hear the other side, the side that is never told in U.S. media. There is so much hatred, so much oppression and such a lack of humanity it is intolerable.  This is definitely not the place to get in to politics, but let's just say that there is an untold story here and it is painful to see and experience.  I feel so honored that we got to experience the Ala tour, something most visitors and tourists will never see.

Mike and I with Ala following our morning tour.

Ala took us to his favorite breakfast spot (he's been going here since he was 5 years old). They served us a typical Arab breakfast of hummus and falafel. It was delicious!

Here is a picture of one of the main streets in East Jerusalem, very different from West Jerusalem.  Palestinians/Muslims can not get permits from the Israeli government to build or reface structures. If they do, they will be demolished. Therefore there has not been a structural or cosmetic change to any buildings since the 1960's.

This is the wall that Israel has put in place to separate Israel from the Palestinians and "keep peace." It is so awful looking and so depressing.

Ala took us to the boy who was kidnapped and killed father's shop to show us the memorial that was set up. The story of this boy's death and the way it was handled by the Israeli police and government is shocking. It is one of the killings by Israelis of the Palestinian people that caused the recent shootings in the synagogue.  Of course, one of these was highly publicized and one was not. It's pretty clear in this example which side of the story is being told.

After our incredible tour with Ala (which we never wanted to end), we met up with CJ and the kiddos to eat Shwarma and see an olive wood carver.  CJ took us to one of his favorite shwarma places, it was... interesting. Not my favorite food I've ever had, but it wasn't terrible either. Just different. Stella and Sebi weren't big fans, but we told Stella that part of experiencing a culture is eating their food (a sentiment I have to remind myself of often:))

The crew eating Shwarma

Here it is- a tortilla style wrap filled with turkey, veggies and a typical Arab cucumber relish.

Stella bravely conquering the shwarma.

Following lunch, we headed to a friend of CJ and Kari's olive wood shop. Here he hand carves each piece out of Olive Wood found in Jerusalem. His work was amazing. Mike and I have been searching for a good nativity set and we found an amazing set here. We're so excited about it, it's beautiful, hand carved and made right here in the Holy Land. 

This isn't the nativity set we bought, but here's an example of his incredible work.

Tonight the adults had tickets to the Marine Ball held at the Waldorf Astoria.  It's an annual black tie event celebrating the birthday of the Marine Corps- Mike and I were so excited to be a part of it. Other than my wedding day, I haven't had the opportunity to get this dressed up and fancy since prom. CJ and Kari set up a babysitter for the evening and actually by the time we left, Stella and Sebastian were both in bed sleeping so it was pretty easy.

The ball was amazing, I loved witnessing the ceremony of the Marines, seeing them in uniform, watching them march and cutting the cake with a sword. We had a great night of conversations, delicious food and endless dancing.  It was fun to meet CJ's co-workers and to experience the camaraderie of his team here.  They are great people and it makes me happy to see CJ and his family so happy here.

Cousins being goofy and enjoying the game they created called, Hoppyville while the moms got dressed for the ball.

Kari and I at the Ball.

Mike and I with a selfie during cocktail hour.

This table is set as you walk in, in honor of the fallen marines with a lit black candle representing an eternal flame.

CJ as the Narrator of the evening.

The marines walking the cake in before the cutting ceremony.

Our table

Our place setting as Baltz Guest.

Mike and I enjoying the dinner.

CJ and I busting moves on the dance floor. Or not.