"Well... that's kind of a famous thing..."

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ORIGINALLY POSTED: 30 Mar 2008
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We returned to Israel on Thursday the 20th - crossing back across the desert and to the King Hussein bridge.

Through many of the good ol' stuff we'd almost grown used to we'd seen so much...

How fast things like that go from being foreign to just another part of life here!

Jerusalem was only a few miles away. Very few...

...it was our next stop.

No words...
Seeing Jerusalem for the first time is like nothing else I've ever experienced. To see something ultra-famous like the Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids, or something like that pales in comparison...

I'm talking first kiss material here...

And its quite dramatic, too. The highway leading into Jerusalem takes you through a few tunnels. Then, one final long tunnel curves over to the left and you see the light. As you approach the tunnel exit, I felt it coming. You can physically feel it...

"Here it comes," I said.

"How do you know?" said the guy sitting next to me.

"It just is," I put my camera to the window moments before the sunlight blinded us.

I couldn't really see what I was shooting at for a moment, but that's the first frame I took.

"Well...that's kind of a famous thing..." someone said.

Our first experience is Jerusalem would turn out to be a good one. We had to have lunch beforehand, though, and Avner - who had (thankfully) returned to us - took us to a mall in a young section of Jerusalem.

While there, a man behind the counter in the fish market called me over and asked for his photo to be taken. Of course...

He thanked me in broken English and I went on my way.

What a GREAT country! People just ask for the photos to be taken! I don't know... maybe full-body SLRs make you look "official" or something. Oh well... Speaking of that, this was my first opportunity to look for a replacement to my 18-135mm that I dropped in Nazareth a few days ago... no luck.

We visited Golgotha - the place of the Skull - that has become a haven for people who want to avoid the Sepulcher (see THAT later) - and probably has just as much right and likelihood to be the location of Jesus' crucifixion than anyplace (Matthew 27.33). Truthfully, nobody really knows.

Why is this place a possibility?

Because there's a skull - eyes and nose, at least - in the side of the rock... and this, from archaeological finds, is a place they used to crucify people back in Roman times. There used to be what looked like a mouth, too; however, it was partially eroded after being damaged when the Jerusalem bus station moved in next door.

Hmm... to some, it may be like looking like an ink-blot test... I made it simple and put the eyes and nose in the middle of the frame.

Anyways, also nearby is a newly quarried tomb that nobody else had ever been laid (Luke 23.53) where there is a track where a gigantic stone had once rolled (Luke 24.2) and marks on the outer walls that signified it had been sealed (Matthew 27.66) - carbon dating saying that it was around the time of the 1st century.

So, this is here now...

These people wearing the blue hats are all from Nigeria. Their government began to finance all-expense-paid trips to Mecca for the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage. Well, considering Nigeria has a substantial Christian population, too, they allow all practicing Christians to make a pilgrimage to their holiest land, too.

So, here they are... en mass. And this is the time of year when it is the busiest - Easter.

And they are vehement about it, too.

I really thought we were about to have a brawl outside Jesus' tomb... The group on the right are European (either Dutch or German) and came up to attempt to cut in line from the right. This woman actually stood in the doorway and made sure the rest of her Nigerian friends could get in who had been waiting in line for so long.

I decided to sit back and wait for the whole progression to die down... then I went in by myself... unmolested.

Just me and my friends.

We then had a little sit-down and read the verses from the parts of the Bible that pertains to this Garden.

Just a short thingy...

Remember Tommy, one of my companions from Italy...

We went to the top of nearby Mount Scopus for an overlook of Jerusalem. The whole thing - from the Dome of the Rock to the new parts of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.

Avner gave us the traditional Israeli greeting of salted bread. How traditional? Long long time ago when travelers would come across the desert, their hosts would give them salted bread - because salt was a commodity in the ancient world and bread... well... just because its bread.

Of course, we had a bit of a lesson complete with notes to be taken. I'm sure we'll appreciate it someday...

Meet Sneaks... writing in his Moleskine...

Being watched by these little creepy things the panhandlers were selling...

...yep, complete with the little squeeze-box in them that says in a high-pitched voice "I LOVE YOU!" when you squeeze them. Nothing like squeezing a camel to hear a little affirmation from those you love...

And to segue that...

To those I love:

I've had the D80 for a little over 9 months now and I'm maxing around 25,000 photos. I know that's probably not much in comparison to pros or anything, but its pretty darn good for me! I say that to say this: taking that many photos, there are probably less than 100 of those frames - maybe even less than 50 - that have me in them. This irks my close family to no end.

Driving through the narrow streets of Jerusalem yield fascinating little locations for the photographer's first time through. Its like a treasure trove of opportunities I just wish I could get out and walk around to take advantage of.

Or this little architectural jem...

What a contrast! Notice the buildings in the foreground with that thing in the background...

I absolutely love bus stops, too... talking cross-sections of society, Jerusalem literally has it all. From the ultra-orthodox Jews to the most pierced and tattooed of society, by the end of our trip I really think I had seen it all.

For some reason, this image caught my eye when going through the day...


Don't know why, really... Just something about... sometimes can't explain...

And I think this one I CAN explain why I like it...

...see if you can see it, too!

;)

All with the Sigma 28-70mm I do believe.

And then my fortunes changed!

Our hotel was in the middle of the deep downtown Jerusalem where there are pedestrian streets and shops and taverns. I had been doing some research through Nikon's website for a dealer in Israel and the closest I could find was Tel Aviv. So, my only other option was to start asking around the local camera shops.

The second camera store I went into the man at the counter spoke very good English and said I could try up the street at a place called "Take 1 Photo". The man had an impressive collection of cameras including a Bronica and old Kodak and Jupiter rangefinders, by the way.

So, I headed up the street and down a side street where I saw "Canon" plastered all over the outside - an example of never judging a book by its cover. I went in to find Nikon Mecca. A huge collection of D3's and D300's and a huge assortment of lenses... including a replacement for my own 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6.

I looked at the 18-200mm VR honestly, but couldn't justify twice the price. Evidently they're rare in Israel.

I paid - in shekels - and seeing four digits on a receipt for a standard lens would make anyone take out a calculator... but considering it came with a full 3-year warranty and I didn't have to ship it OR pay taxes on it... very good price.

So, I'm back to running on all cylinders. Hooray! I LOVE seeing that 18mm end and having the space to reach out to 135mm when needed.

Anyways, I was one lucky dude... to be staying in a hotel less than a block from the only authorized Nikon dealer in the Jerusalem area...

Oh, and the "new lens smell" is near the top of my list for simple pleasures in life.

I'm that kind of nerd... it is true...

Hmm... I think that's all for now. The next few days were huge...

...if you're hanging on with me through this far, I'm so thankful...


Stay tuned,
~Noah D.