Living in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem feels like its a world away. Especially with all of the current violence, its hard to remember how close the holy city really is. Before all of the recent chaos began, I took a 45 minute bus ride to Jerusalem and stayed at a hostel for a few days to explore the old city with some friends. 
We traveled the via dolorosa, also known as the way of the cross, following the stations of the cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Whether or not you are a christian, doing the via dolorosa is an amazing way to experience the old city.
It begins in the Muslim quarter and winds through the bazaar, with churches of all denominations packed in around you. 
It took us half the day because we were stopped so many times by the extremely convincing shop owners, which im not complaining about. We stopped at a family run jewelry making shop and bought roman glass necklaces, at a restaurant for falafel and hummus, and about five different cafes for an ice coffee. That day was the beginning of the riots on the holy mount, so our walk through that area of the city was hastened by soldiers and swat teams pushing us out of the danger zone. As well when we finally arrived at the church of the holy sepulcher we were swept up into a religious procession of an unknown christian denomination. 
Whenever I go to Jerusalem, its always full of crazy experiences, some a little terrifying. It was an amazing day that I will never forget.
