Most of the engineering department for the company I was working for at the time was based in Israel, so I had the privilege of making a couple business trips to Tel Aviv. I did not have the opportunity to spend much time outside of work, although the beautiful balmy evenings on the Mediterranean beaches of Tel Aviv were quite nice! The beach scene was amazing - open-air bars and cafés on the sand came alive after sunset, and summoned patrons with soft mood lighting and techno music. They were packed with crowds of young people late into the night, and everything had a very relaxed feel. I would have enjoyed staying up all night hanging out on the beach, but I really didn't need sleep deprivation in addition to the jetlag I was already fighting.

We did get to spend one day touring a couple of the major sites. Several of us were visiting from the United States and the company organized a bus to take us out to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. It was an enjoyable and educational day. On the busride our guide explained some of the background of the current political situation, and pointed out the West Bank and Gaza Strip on a map he had in his back pocket. Although I'd seen basic maps on the U.S. nightly news countless times, it never really sunk in how tightly situated things are in this disputed region. The tension seemed to be in a bit of a lull these days, but clearly was ever-present. As we passed a checkpoint at the West Bank border our driver almost made a wrong turn and the guide frantically yelled, "No no no no, that road goes to Ramallah!!" A quick correction and we were en route to the Dead Sea...

After a winding drive through some very dry countryside, we arrived at the Dead Sea - an acrid body of water that is so salty you cannot sink even if you try. I do not float well in your average swimming pool, but here I could float on my back, raise both arms and legs up out of the water, and still keep my face above the surface to breath! It was pretty cool, although you do not want to get this water in your eyes. The area around the sea appears to be barren, but there are several spas that cater to visitors seeking to take advantage of the alleged healing properties of the climate and minerals here. Indeed, we saw several older folks glopping the sticky mud from the sea bottom all over their bodies. Of course, we had to try it out for ourselves...

After a couple of hours in the sun at the Dead Sea, we packed up and headed to Jerusalem. Since Jerusalem is on the edge of the West Bank, we could see the barrier being erected by the current Israeli authority in a nominal attempt to prevent Palestinian bombers from simply walking over to Israeli targets. The presence of the wall saddened me, although I must say that it's hard for me to imagine what life must be like with the daily spectre of immenent violence. Our first stop in Jerusalem was at the Mount of Olives, an important site for Jews - when the Messiah comes, the dead will be resurrected here, so there are something like 150,000 graves in the mount. (Wonder what it takes to reserve a place for yourself these days?) From atop the Mount of Olives we were treated to a nice view over the Old City of Jerusalem, which helped us orient ourselves.

We spent the afternoon visiting the Old City itself, strolling around the old alleys and checking out the souvenir shops. With the most important holy sites for Christianity and Judaism essentially on top of each other, with the third-holiest site for Islam just a stone's throw away, it's no wonder that tension is high. It was interesting to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built around the location of the crucifixion and subsequent burial of Jesus. The "immovable ladder" in the window above the church entrance is a perfect symbol of the quibbling between the various Christian factions that has led to the current status quo. The ladder was placed there over 150 years ago, and now cannot be moved for fear of upsetting one faction or another. Much of the church is apparently in a state of disrepair and no one can agree on how to go about improvements. No single faction can be entrusted with the keys to the church, and they have instead been in the keeping of two Muslim families for many generations.

Although today I don't practice any particular religion, I was brought up in a protestant Christian household (indeed, it's hard not to associate yourself with Christianity if you've been raised in the United States). So visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre certainly connected some of the dots that had been floating around my head since Sunday school, and helped separate the history of Jesus' crucifixian from the mythology that surrounds it. A constant stream of visitors (of all different belief systems) move through the church on a daily basis, many coming to worship, some to check the box on their travel itineraries, and many more I'm sure trying to gain some perspective on the spark that ignited one of the most influential religions in the world today.

We also visited the Western Wall, an ancient section of a retaining wall built to support the construction of the Temple Mount by Herod the Great before the dawn of Christianity. It is also commonly referred to as the Wailing Wall, since many Jews come here to mourn the destruction of the original temple built by King Solomon in the 10th century BC, which was the center of ancient Judaism for ten centuries. Indeed, we watched many orthodox Jews stand facing the wall in prayer. A group of armed soldiers visiting the wall also caught my eye, and in general it was a fascinating place for the casual observer.

We didn't visit the Dome of the Rock (the "oldest extant Islamic building in the world" according to wikipedia), and looking back I'm not sure why. I guess it had already been a long day, and I'm sure the tour was expected to wrap up at a set time. We were ready to get back to Tel Aviv, soak up the remaining rays of sun on the Mediterranean shore, and perhaps take a nap before venturing back out to the beach for a bit of the nighttime scene...