03.00 AM. My alarm rang but I was nowhere near ready to get up. The night before had…
Times visited: 1 (17 days in 2019)
Cities visited: Jerusalem, Haifa, Akko and Tel Aviv
UNESCO sites visited: Bahá’í Holy Places in Haifa and the Western Galilee, Masada, Old City of Acre, Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls and White City of Tel Aviv – the Modern Movement
I grew up learning about the Holy Land in school, and although I always wanted to go there myself to learn through my own eyes, I didn’t think the opportunity would come so soon. But after converting to the Bahá’í Faith in early 2019, I was invited to go on a pilgrimage to the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa and Akko along with a group of Greenlandic Bahá’ís in December 2019.
But there was no way I was going to Israel without exploring Jerusalem, a city that breathes history and is of major importance in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. So I headed to Jerusalem solo as soon as I arrived in the country.
But I was never really alone in Jerusalem. I met like-minded travellers at my hostel, met up with my friend Amiel, and bonded with Rory from South Africa over the feeding of street cats. These people shaped my time in Jerusalem. What was supposed to be days of sightseeing turned into a learning experience, where I got a much better understanding of and appreciation for a religion I knew next to nothing about beforehand, Judaism.
I took one day off from learning when I went on a tour with my new friend Carolina, an experience that involved sunrise hiking and trying (= failing) to float in the strong waves of the Dead Sea.
After five days, I said farewell to Jerusalem and headed to Haifa for a nine-day quest for more knowledge on my own religion. Those days were bliss. I met people from all corners of the planet, all united for the same beautiful purpose.
My time in Israel ended rather strangely as the skies opened up and spit a year’s worth of rain on me while I tried (= failed) to explore Tel Aviv 😂
