It was a sea of people around every corner in Old City Jerusalem. A mixture of tourist and locals going about their daily chores of shopping, sightseeing, selling and more.
Jerusalem is the most visited city in Israel. About 3.6 million people visit the city annually.
Conversations in the Old City
In the Old City of Jerusalem you see shoppers making their way home from a day of purchases, you see beggars asking for change, you see the aged sitting in chairs along the streets talking, laughing, smoking. You see life, some of which resembles the way life may have been in the late 1500's.
Today, Old City consist of an estimated 27,500 Muslims, 5,681 Christians and 3,089 Jews.
The area is mixed with different religions all living together. Sometimes they live in harmony and sometimes they don't. It can be a mixed bag of rest and fighting. The United States Department of State reports, "Jerusalem has been assessed as Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution"
In a May 2018 edition of The Guardian, Harriet Sherwood wrote, "Christians in Jerusalem’s Old City say their presence at the geographical heart of their faith is under threat from intimidation and aggressive property acquisition by hardline Jewish settlers."
Life. It can be different from what we think depending on where we stand.
The face of the wise
Sometimes you see people in life who you somehow know, they have a better understanding on the world around you. They know the what's and the why's - but, you don't know why?
You can tell by the face, the way some hold in their statements to let you talk. You can tell by the way anger rolls away not even touching them.
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing that solutions don’t come from individuals, but rather experiences.”
A Maze of Streets, Steps and People
In the marketplace of Jerusalem you will find vendor after vendor selling everything from foods to fabrics. You will also find a maze of walkways.
The stairs and alleys throughout the area are second nature to local residents who don’t have any problem finding their way through the maze of crowds and paths. Children who walk home from school each day are equally knowledgeable to their common route.
Each afternoon it is likely that you will see hundreds of children running through the streets excited to head home after a day of schooling. The kids will sometimes stop for a cold Popsicle, a Coca-Cola or piece of candy on their walk home. Other times, they simply skip down the steps in an attempt to get home at the same time as their friends.