The Jerusalem Hotel

 

The Jerusalem Hotel is where Erik and the Great Lakes Jerusalem Program planned to spend both the beginning and end of their journey in the Middle East.  As it turned out, the program only had the opportunity to stay here for the first 3 weeks or so.  Still, in those short three weeks, the entire group developed a great fondness for the hotel's incredible staff and very luxurious facilities.  Indeed, our time in Jerusalem wouldn't have been half as fulfilling without the kindness of the staff and the comfort of returning to the hotel after grueling days of touring and classes in the hot Jerusalem sun.

Despite its large name, the Jerusalem Hotel is a rather small, family-run hotel in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian side of the city.  It's located just two blocks from Damascus Gate and the Old City, and also only a moment from the Green Line and West Jerusalem, the Israeli side of the city.

Here are just a few snapshots of the hotel and our friends on the staff, taken both during our initial stay there and during Erik's later visits in December, 2000.

 

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My room.  You can see the classy water fountain in the foreground, and my bed on the right.

 

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The view of Jerusalem from my room's window.  You can see the City Walls just peeking through the palm trees.

 

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Len and Kirtland prepare for dinner on one of our first nights at the hotel.

 

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Beth and Morgan, hanging out.

 

 

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Kurt and Morgan waiting for the bus to take us to class in West Jerusalem.

 

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Kurt enjoying himself after a long day with Anna and Maddie.

 

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Enjoying some nargulia in the hotel's restaurant.
From left to right: Lisa, Morgan, Erik, Kurt, Anna, Beth, Whitney, Jenny, and Larry.

 

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The hotel looking much more somber, in December 2000.
Erik, Whitney and Leah visit Faris, one of our best friends from the hotel staff.

 

Tour of Jerusalem