Don't photograph the American Consulate!!!

June 21, 2013  part 2

After a hearty breakfast, we set out on foot, walking east along the northern wall of the Old City.  Our destination today was modern Jerusalem.

This photo shows the bedrock on which the walls of the Old City are built.  The Herodian stones have a special edge finish that isn't found in later stones.

Along the northern wall there is a vast cave that extends under the city.  Legends associate it with both King Solomon (stone quarry) and King Zedekiah (hiding place during Babylonian invasion of 586 BC).  It's more likely that King Herod cut stone from this area to use in his many building projects, including modifications to the second temple.  Unfortunately the cave wasn't open today.

Pete was able to get this photo through the gate.  Spooky, isn't it?

Close-up of the sign.  Hope we can go inside one of these days, maybe on the way back to the hotel.

Still on the north side of the Old City -- these walls are so massive!

We rounded the corner of the Old City and headed south, then crossed the highway and to an outdoor shopping mall.  It was full of upscale stores, including many that we have in the USA.  Lots of people were out shopping today.  

We liked this medallion design that was laid into every intersection.

There was some fun public art:

The stones in these old-looking wall were all carefully numbered, indicating (we think) that it had been moved from another location.  We don't know the story.

We did some window-shopping and got directions to a grocery store.  On the way to the grocery store, we were surprised to see an American flag.  We realized we were at the American Consulate.  We sat down on the bench across the street to rest a minute and take a photo.  As Pete was aiming the camera, I could see a man in front of the consulate take out his phone/radio and make a call while looking in our direction.  Soon a uniformed guard walked over to us, asked if we had taken photos of the consulate, and demanded to see the picture.  We'd only taken one, and apparently it was not objectionable.  We are not scary-looking people, after all, right?  BUT DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!

American Consulate, Jerusalem:

We found the grocery store.  We wanted juice, fruit, and some snacks.  There were plenty of familiar products.  Look closely to see the Hebrew lettering.

We passed the Jerusalem Great Synagogue.  Its architecture is reminiscent of the models I've seen of both the first and second temples.  Tours are available but must be booked in advance.

We decided to take the light rail to get us closer to our hotel, at a cost of less than $2 each.

Clean, quiet train and well-behaved passengers!

We stopped at St. George's Cathedral on the way back to the hotel.  It's a beautiful Anglican gem right there in the Moslem area.  I'll save that for the next post.