Back to Jerusalem
Back to Jerusalem again, this time for a two-week trip. The room at the Sheraton Plaza Hotel had a wonderful view with windows that actually open. On the other hand, the bed and shower were uncomfortable and internet access cost 80 shekels ($18) per day.
We arrived on Saturday afternoon. With nothing else open, we took a walk around the Old City. The Tower of David is the first things after the Jaffa Gate. It now holds a museum.
The place was packed full of small shops catering to tourists. With the war, it seemed that we were the only ones around. The shop-owners had nothing else to do but to jump out and try to sell us trinkets. All deliveries and trash removal happen using small three-wheeled carts. the streets are made with steps to make them level for the shops. They also have sloped ramps to accomodate the cart pushers. The uneven streets with sloped blocks were fairly difficult to walk over without tripping. In many cases, ceilings have been built above the narrow streets to create a second level of paths and buildings.
Here is a wide intersection. Every bit of space gets filled with goods for sale.
There is a whole street with nothing but butcher shops. You can find just about any part of any kind of edible animal hanging from a hook or laying in a bin.