A city divided

So we just took our first tour of the city of Jerusalem. It's divided in to two parts - East and West, and then contained in East Jerusalem is the "Old City". Right now as an extra precaution we're not allowed in to East Jerusalem because it is Palestinian occupied and with recent conflicts is a bit more dangerous - this makes things difficult because that's where most the shops are located! I guess this is bad for my camera and good for my wallet right? Well anyway, with a tour guide we were allowed today to see most everything, and let me tell you there is a LOT to see. It's fun to see all the shops and different people there are, but more amazing are all the historical sites that are just right next door. The Dome of the Rock and the Temple of the Holy Sepulcher are only a few. It's also interesting to see how the people change so drastically from East to West Jerusalem. East Jerusalem is occupied by Palestinians (like I said before), and West Jerusalem is more occupied by Jewish people. Their life styles are very different and this becomes evident in the places they live and the shops they keep. It'll be neat to learn more about this! I was telling some of the others here that I can't imagine coming here and not having the opportunity to learn like we do from our classes - it will make the experiences so much more meaningful. Well anyway its off to lunch now! More later