Jerusalem

David Tower at the Old City. Click to enlarge photoJerusalem is the capital of Israel and is with no doubt the most beautiful city. Population as for April 04 is 692,000.

Located on a mountain and surround by mountains the city has magnificent view of the surrounding area.
One would need more than a page to write about Jerusalem. I would say you would have to dedicate a whole web site just for it, but here are some highlights.

The old city is surrounded by 8 gates: Golden Gate, Herod’s Gate, Lion’s Gate, Zion Gate, Damascus Gate, Jaffa Gate, Dung Gate and the Sha’ar Hagai (Valley Gate in Hebrew).

Places to visit:

• The Western Wall – Getting There: By bus, take routes no 1, 38, 88 | By car: there is a parking lot near the Dung Gate (the Gate of the Old City nearest to the Wall). But it’s suggested to park near the David tower, and through the allies of the ancient city, get to the Western Wall. There are directional signs or just ask anyone. The allies are busy all the time with lots of tourists from morning to evening.
  

  Hall of Names. Photo: Sasson Tiram, courtesy: Yad Vashem

• The Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
• The Gates.
• The German Catholic Institution, located Near the Jaffa Gate.
• U. Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art | WebSite
• The Botanical Garden of Jerusalem – comprises more than 6000 plant species, the Botanical Garden is a micro cosmos of typical landscapes from around the world, Australia, America, Africa and more. The place holds events throughout the year. April 2004, is the “international flower festival”. See it in the Mandess Gallery.
• Yemin Moshe neighborhood and the famous windmill and the horse carriage.
• The International Convention Center
• Dormition Abbey.
• Church of St. Mary Magdalene
• David Tower.
• Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial

Hotels:

• Jerusalem Inn
• many more

Night Life | Where to seat:

• there are quite a lot of nice bars and cafes around the “Russian lot” (in hebrew “Migrash Harusim”)
• There is a famous nightclub called Haoman 17
• Yellow Submarine – the place for music  in Jeruslem
• Uganda – bar / café, specialist record / dvd / comic store & a venue

Related Links:

Windmill - Yemin-Moshe neighborhood. Click to enlarge photo

• http://www.jerusalem.muni.il/- City’s website (Recommended!)
• http://www.imj.org.il/- The Israel museum, Jerusalem
• http://www.mada.org.il/english/- Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem
• Dale Chihuly – A glass artist, in Jerusalem
• http://www.yadvashem.org/- Holocaust History Museum

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are connected by the highway #1.
In between are many recommended attractions and stops like forests, parks, villages and nice landscape.

Between Jerusalem & Tel Aviv (road #1):

• The Latrun Monastery
• Mini Israel park
• Ein Kerem (Village)
• Saints forest
• Abu-Gosh village & the Crusader church

The Dormition Abbey. Click to enlarge