Jerusalem- take 2

      This past weekend, some friends and I headed to Jerusalem. We had a 5 day weekend, thanks to Rosh Hashanah (Shanah tova everyone!), which is the Jewish New Year. People celebrate by eating a lot of sweet things, especially apples and honey, to wish for a sweet year. Now that's a tradition I can get behind! Rosh Hashanah kicks off the start of the Jewish holidays. Next up is Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, which is a solemn day of repentance. After that is Sukkot, the festival of tabernacles, a week long celebration that remembers when the Holy Presence was in the tabernacle before the Temple.
     What does all this mean for a non-Jew living in Israel? I only have 5 days of class over the next three weeks. It's time to put away the books, pull out a suitcase, and travel. Our trip to Jerusalem was amazing. We stayed in the old city, which is like another world. Tiny cobblestone streets, busy shuks, and more tourists than locals. The best part of staying in the old city was being there after the tourists had gone.

Our first night stop was the Western Wall.

So great being there when it wasn't crowded! The next day we walked the ramparts of the city. We saw phenomenal views like this one

while walking on small sections of stone like this

my classmate Seth

So we were excited to take a break at a beautiful outdoor cafe

major props to Seth's guidebook!

Before gearing up for the next stage in the adventure

L-R Esther, Seth, and Angel

We wandered to the pools of Bethesda. Now, as a Minnesotan, when I hear about water, I tend to get a little excited. There's not a lot of standing water in these parts. So imagine my surprise when we arrive and see this

oh look, more rocks

I guess the last time the pools were full was in the Roman era. Too bad, I'm always up for a swim. We spent a large portion of the weekend wandering and getting hopelessly lost, only to realize we knew where we were after all. When things got too busy on the street, we climbed to the roof for amazing views like this one.

  I can't wait to continue exploring this country I now call home. There are so many places that I haven't seen, and so many places I want to go. Medical school isn't a big time commitment, right?