Because I was in the Holy Land on the Sabbath, I don’t really think there was much of a question what my final morning in Jersualem would include. I attended a morning mass in Latin at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (I didn’t see any information on English services but was told they can be done upon group request). What I assumed would be in the major basilica part of the structure, actually was a quaint gathering directly outside of the Holy Sepulcher itself! Temporary pews were set up to the left and right of its entrance, while priests lined a pew that faced the church directly. Not more than 20 people attended (probably because it was at 6:30 AM) and it was a great experience.
Today was a day of transit to Tel Aviv, a growing coastal metropolis where the airport is. Since I have an early flight to Crete I will have to be at the airport by around 4ish AM and I felt more comfortable being in the city first. But since I’m here, I obviously had to explore this completely opposite example of Israeli life (juxtaposed against Jerusalem). Tel Aviv is known for its beach and IT development (known as the second most tech savvy city outside of California), therefore from the beach, there is a direct view to an up-and-coming skyline over the now dilapidated Old “Jaffa” part of the city. There used to be a fortification at its port and many monuments of powerful navy empires, but those seem to have been pushed to the wayside in exchange for tourism.
I spent my couple of hours at the beach (which included a shard of glass from a bottle to the toe which I allowed the Mediterranean to heal) before going to what the person at the front desk of the hostel circled as the “City Center.” Judging by what I had seen of the city driving it, I had assumed it would be similar to the downtown or Minneapolis, in that it is a pedestrian center (which she mentioned) surrounded by high rise buildings. To my surprise, it was dozens of adjacent blocks of market! Over various forms of honey sweets/Baklava, I began to question what the true identity of Jerusalem really is…
I went back to my hostel and attempted to go to bed around 10 for my 2:30 wake up time and taxi to the airport with some other backpackers from France. After getting to bed well after 11, I was awaken by a butch looking Brit who was drunk and confused about whether or not the beds were for him and his son or if someone else was also in the room (the son couldn’t have been older than 12, wasn’t drunk, and seemed to be making fun of his dad a bit). After the man calmed down and I told him my next stop was Crete, he began telling me about his life as a guide both there and in Tel Aviv 20 years ago. He brought his son back to show him what the area was like (probably the reason for the drunkenness) and therefore began explaining to me through half coherent sentences of strings of swear words how terrible the development of each place has become (obviously paraphrased). After he explained a few sites that I should see that aren’t overdone (which included sleeping on the beach, I got to thinking again: There seems to a trend in many cities (Tel Aviv, Paphos and Heraklion on this trip) that have found themselves attractive to tourists, Subsequently allowing that fact to dictate their development (or in this situation overdevelopment). This is a scary thing for an area with so much to loose if left unappreciated (cultural heritage). There are responsible ways in which to attract tourists to a town, hence my interest in Heritage Preservation. As with the Nicosia Master Plan, the hope is that the revitalization of the OLD city (note the capital letters for emphasis on the fact that there is a past that must be dealt with) will lead to the celebration of culture and therefore draw people into the city, rather than building over the top of it. In my opinion, the character of a place is not defined by glitz and glamour, but the years of functionality and vernacular style.
Because I was in the Holy Land on the Sabbath, I don’t really think there was much of a question what my final morning in Jersualem would include. I attended a morning mass in Latin at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (I didn’t see any information on English services but was told they can be done upon group request). What I assumed would be in the major basilica part of the structure, actually was a quaint gathering directly outside of the Holy Sepulcher itself! Temporary pews were set up to the left and right of its entrance, while priests lined a pew that faced the church directly. Not more than 20 people attended (probably because it was at 6:30 AM) and it was a great experience.
Today was a day of transit to Tel Aviv, a growing coastal metropolis where the airport is. Since I have an early flight to Crete I will have to be at the airport by around 4ish AM and I felt more comfortable being in the city first. But since I’m here, I obviously had to explore this completely opposite example of Israeli life (juxtaposed against Jerusalem). Tel Aviv is known for its beach and IT development (known as the second most tech savvy city outside of California), therefore from the beach, there is a direct view to an up-and-coming skyline over the now dilapidated Old “Jaffa” part of the city. There used to be a fortification at its port and many monuments of powerful navy empires, but those seem to have been pushed to the wayside in exchange for tourism.
I spent my couple of hours at the beach (which included a shard of glass from a bottle to the toe which I allowed the Mediterranean to heal) before going to what the person at the front desk of the hostel circled as the “City Center.” Judging by what I had seen of the city driving it, I had assumed it would be similar to the downtown or Minneapolis, in that it is a pedestrian center (which she mentioned) surrounded by high rise buildings. To my surprise, it was dozens of adjacent blocks of market! Over various forms of honey sweets/Baklava, I began to question what the true identity of Jerusalem really is…
I went back to my hostel and attempted to go to bed around 10 for my 2:30 wake up time and taxi to the airport with some other backpackers from France. After getting to bed well after 11, I was awaken by a butch looking Brit who was drunk and confused about whether or not the beds were for him and his son or if someone else was also in the room (the son couldn’t have been older than 12, wasn’t drunk, and seemed to be making fun of his dad a bit). After the man calmed down and I told him my next stop was Crete, he began telling me about his life as a guide both there and in Tel Aviv 20 years ago. He brought his son back to show him what the area was like (probably the reason for the drunkenness) and therefore began explaining to me through half coherent sentences of strings of swear words how terrible the development of each place has become (obviously paraphrased). After he explained a few sites that I should see that aren’t overdone (which included sleeping on the beach, I got to thinking again: There seems to a trend in many cities (Tel Aviv, Paphos and Heraklion on this trip) that have found themselves attractive to tourists, Subsequently allowing that fact to dictate their development (or in this situation overdevelopment). This is a scary thing for an area with so much to loose if left unappreciated (cultural heritage). There are responsible ways in which to attract tourists to a town, hence my interest in Heritage Preservation. As with the Nicosia Master Plan, the hope is that the revitalization of the OLD city (note the capital letters for emphasis on the fact that there is a past that must be dealt with) will lead to the celebration of culture and therefore draw people into the city, rather than building over the top of it. In my opinion, the character of a place is not defined by glitz and glamour, but the years of functionality and vernacular style.
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