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The Christian Crusaders, their adrenaline pumping, large crucifixes around their necks, converged on the Holy Land in July 1099, at the urging of Pope Urban II, to free it from the clutches of the Muslim non-believers (in 2005 this sounds vaguely familiar, but with a certain role reversal). On the way, as they traveled through Europe, they got into the spirit of things by killing all the Jews they could find. The man said “non-believers,” didn’t he?
After a siege of 5½ weeks, the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem and rampaged through the streets, killing anyone in their paths – Muslim or Jew. So the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was born – a feudal monarchy that lasted 200 years.
Aquabella, Latin for “beautiful water,” now known as Ein Hemed, is a national park just off the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway (a 10-minute drive from Jerusalem). It is built around the remains of a two-story Crusader manor house where feudal lords kept an eye on the peasants who farmed their land – a convenient arrangement these Christian knights brought over from Europe.
The Crusaders chose this spot because of the nearby spring, fed by rainwater from the hills, which flows into a series of pools and brooks that run through the park. On the hot summer’s day we visited – almost 906 years to the day that the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem - the flow was down to a slow trickle. This feature of the park is probably nicer in winter.
But the grassy areas, dotted with picnic tables (and small grills) are cool and inviting. A forest of ancient oaks provides leafy shade, and as you walk through the park, following the route of the creek, note the wild fig trees, heavy with fruit, sprouting on the banks. In one corner of the manor house, with its vaulted ceilings, thick stone walls and arched doorways typical of Crusader architecture, are remnants of an old olive press.
During the summer, open air concerts are held on the grass, and for couples in search of an unusual wedding venue – a Crusader castle may be just the thing. Leave a Comment Address: Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, turn off to Abu GhoshPhone: 02-5342741Directions: Hours: 8 - 5 p.m. (April-Sept) 8 - 4 p.m. (Oct. - March) Admission fee: 18 NIS for adults; 8 NIS for children
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 by gilabrand
If you walk up the street past the Crusader church and turn right, you will see a small shop with a crudely painted sign outside that assures you this is THE Original Abu Daoud. Don’t be put off by the dirty plastic table and chairs outside, or the primitive looking interior. This is an Arab bakery that specializes in the Middle Eastern pastry known as “baklawah.” Original or not, this place offers some of the best baklawah I’ve ever tasted.
Baklawah are sweet little pastries filled with pistachio nuts and cinnamon, and drenched in honey or sugar syrup. They are baked on large metal trays and cut into a variety of shapes – circles, rectangles, diamonds, and so on.
Most baklawah are made from phyllo dough that has been shredded into something resembling fine noodles, or shaped into little round bundles. You will also see trays of ma’amoul, a date-filled pastry made from a delicate cookie dough, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and knafeh, a flaky pastry filled with sweet cheese.
Baklawah is often served as the last course of Israeli weddings, along with tiny cups of Turkish coffee, or as a dessert at Middle Eastern restaurants. Usually I don’t touch this stuff, because I find it too sweet. But Abu Daoud’s pastries are REALLY good.
My advice is not to eat it there. Fill a Styrofoam tray with different types of pastry, which they will cover in plastic wrap, and take it with you. It also makes a wonderful gift. Leave a Comment Address: 2 Hahomah Street, Abu Ghosh
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 by gilabrand
The Sataf, located a few minutes’ west of Jerusalem, past Ein Karem, is an attempt to recreate the ancient technology of farming on terraces. Now, I’m not talking about your feeble attempts to get a potted plant to stay alive on your balcony, but agricultural terraces built on the mountainsides (from the Latin word “terra,” which means ground, as in “Terra Sancta” or Holy Land).
Farming in the Jerusalem district was backbreaking work. Narrow ridges were cleared of stones and thistles, and crops were coaxed from the arid soil by harnessing the water of nearby springs and collecting rainwater in reservoirs located higher up the mountain. The water flowed by gravity into a network of channels and ditches on the terraces below.
It was a technique that the author of Song of Songs seems to have known well: “A fountain locked, a sealed up spring…an orchard of pomegranates and of all luscious fruits” (4:12-13).
The water here comes from two springs, Ein Sataf and Ein Bechora. The deep rock-cut reservoirs are filled with water. When we visited, a noisy group of teenagers was having a grand old time splashing around and swimming in one of them. There were some steps carved into the side, but the water level was nowhere near them, making the descent quite precarious. Not to mention the signs saying “No Swimming.”
Old fogies like us opted to watch from the sidelines. Leave a Comment Directions: From Herzl Blvd, turn right to Ein Karem. Turn right at the sign to Mevasseret. At the roundabout, look for the sign to Sataf. There is a parking lot at the top of the hill, but continue around the bend and look for a spot closer to the entrance.
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Trekking up to the monastery in Latrun (or walking a few feet from your parked car), the first thing you come upon as you enter the monastery gate is – what else – a gift shop. Most people buy bottles of wine produced by the Trappist monks who live here. Rows and rows of dark, somewhat dusty bottles are lined up on the table, waiting for takers.
But in the gloom of this cavernous room, decorated with a scraggly plastic Christmas tree (at least when we were there), we saw that there were more interesting products for sale – olive oil and home-cured olives, honey, and best of all, banana-lemon marmalade with tiny bits of lemon rind to cut the sweetness. It was so good I ate it by the spoonful (although other family members said it reminded them of baby food…).
The monastery itself, with its reddish stone and long row of arches, is very impressive when seen from afar, as you drive along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. Up close, I found it less so, despite the palm trees and flowering gardens all around.
Trappist monks are said to take a vow of silence. I was hoping to see some monks and check it out, but I never saw a single one. I was also a little disappointed by the ordinariness of the church interior, although a large flock of black birds flying round and round in the gray sky overhead added a touch of atmosphere.
But we didn't end our visit here. We climbed up the hill behind the monastery, past the olive groves, the grapevines and the beehives, to the ruins of a 12th century Crusader castle. Strewn all over the hilltop, are old stone arches and the remains of Crusader halls. Le Toron des Chevaliers (Castle of the Knights), as it was called, became “Latrun" in the parlance of the natives.
Carefully picking our way between the ruins (be careful: there are open trenches all around, dug by the Jordanian army before 1948), we chose a nice place to sit and had our picnic lunch, contemplating the lovely scenery below (not in silence, I’m afraid). Leave a Comment Directions: It's a 25-minute drive from Jerusalem. Take the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and turn left at Latrun Junction (if you turn right, you will get to the Armored Corp Memorial).
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 Rockerfeller Museum by ettenajLeave a Comment Directions: Located diagonally across from Solomon's Quarries, opposite the Stork Tower on the north east corner of the ramparts
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 Hurva by ettenajLeave a Comment Directions: Jewish Quarter
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 Dome of Rock by ettenajLeave a Comment Directions: On the highest point of Temple Mount
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 Western Wall by BavaviaLeave a Comment Directions: Walk through the market and you will eventually find it! i got lost many times in the markets, but someone always directed me. Eventually, i learned how to get there without getting lost!
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 Kitties were very happy to
have dinner by BavaviaLeave a Comment
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Go to Mount Olives and get a panoramic view of Jerusalem Old City. The view will take you back to the biblical time.
The place has many significance associated with the life of Jesus Christ. He has preached here, wept over Jeruslam on Palm Sunday and ascended to heaven from here. Leave a Comment Directions: Across the Kidron Valley, east of Old City
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