J is for Jerusalem

There are a number of interesting places the visit that begins with a J.  Japan is a beautiful country with the majestic Mt. Fuji and the rugged Izu Peninsula with numerous hot springs to wash away your troubles.  I spent three weeks in Japan after graduating from college.  And then there’s Jakarta, hot and dirty but also vibrant, where you are awakened by the mosque call to prayer early in the morning.  But I’ve also been there.   So how about Jerusalem.  The name of the Holy City implies a city of peace (-salem comes from Slalom).    But it’s not a city that’s seen much peace in its long history. 

Photos from Wikipedia 

Jerusalem was the city in which David decided to make his home and later his son Solomon built the temple—a temple destroyed in one of the less peaceful times of Jerusalem’s history when Babylon invaded.  It has seen many other invasions over the centuries—the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans (a couple of times), the Moslems, the Crusaders, the Turks, the Brits, the Zionists…   In my visit, I’d take along a copy of Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad and try to walk his steps, visiting the touristy areas of the city.