It all starts when you come across your rabbi at the airport
And that you haven’t been to the synagogue since your Bar Mitzvah…
A few hours later, you are in Yemin Moshe, Jerusalem
Yemin Moshe is an upscale neighborhood surrounded by gardens with a panoramic view of the Old City walls. The original complex of buildings has been turned into a cultural center and guesthouse for writers, intellectuals and musicians. The windmill (last picture), as the hallmark of Yemin Moshe, is featured in paintings and literature about Jerusalem and marks the Jewish expansion of the city towards the west. (Wikipedia)




The Old City, Jerusalem
The Old City (העיר העתיקה) is a 0.9 square kilometers walled area within the modern city of Jerusalem. Today, the Old City is roughly divided into the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and the Armenian Quarter. Israel controls the entire area, which it considers part of its national capital.
The Old City is home to several sites of key religious importance: the Temple Mount and Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims.






Overlooking the Western Wall, Jerusalem
Prayers, Jerusalem



Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem
Popular with locals and tourists alike, the market‘s more than 250 vendors sell fresh fruits and vegetables; baked goods; fish, meat and cheeses; nuts, seeds, and spices; wines and liquors; clothing and shoes; and housewares, textiles, and Judaica. In and around the market are falafel and shawarma stands, juice bars, cafes, and restaurants. The color and bustle of the marketplace is accentuated by vendors who call out their prices to passersby. On Thursdays and Fridays, the marketplace is filled with shoppers stocking up for Shabbat,until the Friday afternoon sounding of the bugle that signifies the market will close for the Sabbath. However, although the market stalls close before Shabbat, some cafes and restaurants now remain open. (Wikipedia)



Going to the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
“The Mount has been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years, and holds approximately 150,000 graves, making it central in the tradition of Jewish cemeteries“ (Wikipedia)
The streets of Jerusalem








A relaxing cup of mint tea
THE RED SEA
The water is turquoise. It’s not too hot as it is still April. How cool?
Dolphin Reef, Eilat
I’ve got to say I find dolphins very boring, so I just focused on that amazing turquoise sea.



THOUSANDS OF CATS
I made a bunch of friends.



Sun rising over Eilat
The rose city of Petra
Let’s be honest for a second: it’s not all roses. There’s a bunch of annoying tourists (like me) and the guys offering to take you for a ride are not the nicest I have met. But in the end, you’ve gotten some cool pictures.
Note, if you wish to see more pictures of Jordan, I suggest you got take a look at Michael Fergusson’s ones, great work: https://mfergusson.exposure.co/jordan



THE CAMELS
I made a bunch of friends here as well. Hope the cats aren’t too jealous about it.



Portraits of Petra
In this situation, I’ve found that asking permission to take portraits worked pretty well.







Walking with the Bedouins
Ok I’m lying here: we were driving while they were walking their camels.

Mitzpe Ramon
On the way back to Tel Aviv, we stopped in Mitzpe Ramon, a city more or less lost in the Negev desert.
THE FLEA MARKET – TEL AVIV
There’s obviously nothing to buy for someone that likes iPads and iPhones, but some cool street scenes here.





Cafés of Tel Aviv
Ok, it feels like we’re back in the Western world now.




The streets of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv (תֵּל־אָבִיב) is the second most populous city in Israel. Tel Aviv was founded by the Jewish community on the outskirts of the ancient port city of Jaffa in 1909. Jewish immigration meant that the growth of Tel Aviv soon outpaced Jaffa, which had a majority Arab population at the time.
Tel Aviv is an economic hub, home to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, corporate offices and research and development centers. It is the country‘s financial capital and a major performing arts and business center.
Tel Aviv has the second-largest economy in the Middle East after Dubai.




By the sea
Tel Aviv promenade (known in Hebrew as the Tayelet) is a promenade that runs along the Mediterranean seashore in Tel Aviv.





TIME TO SET SAIL
Maybe you noticed…
…but it’s fair to mention that I was in very good company during these 10 days. Thank you Charlotte!

Love these pics of Israel. Well-done, Emmanuel!