Jerusalem on Good Friday

In the homestretch of my 90 under 30 Travel Project, I visited a lot of new countries in recent months. With time running out, I focused my April travels on the Middle East, making Israel the 89th country on my list. In honor of counting countries, I’ll write about my travels to Jerusalem on Good Friday in a post-by-numbers.

2: Number of important religious holidays that took place on the day I arrived in Jerusalem. Good Friday and Passover were both in full swing when I got to the old city.

Visiting Jerusalem on Good Friday was a unique experience. The city came alive with processions, places that were normally closed opened their doors, and there were special foods on offer in the open-air markets.

Throughout the streets of the Christian and Muslim quarters, processions of Christians retraced Jesus’s footsteps down the Via Dolorosa. They covered the Stations of the Cross as they made their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

In the Jewish quarter, large signs requested that people refrain from eating leavened bread during the Pesach holiday.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

1: Number of times I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. According to traditions dating back centuries, the church is home to the two holiest sites in Christianity.

The first is the place where Jesus was crucified. The second is Jesus’s empty tomb, where Christians believe he was resurrected.

Given these events happened over what is now Easter week, it was special to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during my time in Jerusalem on Good Friday.

After standing in awe of the building’s storied history and beautiful art, I waited in the long, rather unruly line to visit the tomb chamber where Jesus’s body was laid following his crucifixion.

I ducked my head as I entered the two small rooms, which were rather sparsely decorated save for the beautiful lamps that hung from the ceilings. The marble slab over the rock bench on which his body lay was the main event.

Quarters of Jerusalem on Good Friday

3: The number of distinct cities that Jerusalem seemed to contain. Divided into Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian quarters, the city seemed to have three very distinct cultures (the Christian and Armenian being one).

Cross a street, and I feel like I’ve entered a different world. The only other place I’ve seen this is Damascus, but in Jerusalem it felt more distinct.

I spent time exploring each quarter of Jerusalem on Good Friday, from the historic streets of the Jewish quarter to the markets of the Christian quarter and the churches of the Muslim and Armenian quarters.

It was amazing to see them all and get a feel for how different they were.

Famous Sites in Jerusalem on Good Friday

3: Number of world-famous sites I visited in Jerusalem on Good Friday. There was the aforementioned Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), and the Dome of the Rock / Temple Mount.

I had heard of all three before visiting, but seeing them in person was an altogether more powerful experience. To be in the presence of so many of the world’s most sacred sites at one time was awe-inspiring.

Lunch in Jerusalem

2: Number of lunches I ate in Jerusalem on Good Friday. As I was enjoying a falafel sandwich at a cafe in the old city, two locals told me about a nearby hole-in-the-wall eatery that had the best hummus in Jerusalem.

Given I only had one full day in the city, I walked straight over for lunch number two. The hummus at Abu Kamel was as good as the recommendation suggested, and I ate until even my dessert stomach was full.

Hotel in Jerusalem on Good Friday

1: Number of nights I stayed in Jerusalem. It was a shame that I couldn’t stay longer, as the city had so much to offer.

But seeing Jerusalem on Good Friday was so special I felt like it counted for extra. An added bonus was that my accommodation, the Gloria Hotel, was located inside the old city.

That gave me convenient access to the sightseeing highlights of Jerusalem, which was great.

Markets in Jerusalem

Endless: Number of markets in Jerusalem’s old city. I didn’t go anywhere without walking along tiny streets lined on both sides with vendors selling everything from Jesus statues to souvenir T-shirts.

There were a lot of Easter pastries and foods for sale, too. I loved seeing the colorful eggs embedded in dough.

And while I was at the markets, I even got a marriage proposal from one of the proprietors. An Easter miracle.