JERUSALEM — The Old City of Jerusalem is a tourism paradise for history buffs or religious pilgrims, featuring the epicenters of all major monotheistic faiths. But calm it is not.
The major landmarks in the Jewish, Muslim and Christian quarters recall the ancient violence that took place — the destruction of the Jewish Temples, the crucifixion of Jesus, the massacres of the Crusaders — and the multilanguage cacophony of chatter in alleyways and the pushy locals can make even the most spiritual visit unnerving. The occasional stabbing serves as an all-too-real reminder of modern-day tensions that remain. The quietest quarter is the Armenian, and there, too, you’ll find reminders of century-old genocide.
If you are looking for a place to soak in the past and present in a more relaxed manner, your best bet might be on the balcony atop the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center. There, just across from the New Gate into the Old City, you can finally enjoy some quiet and peacefully take in the magnificence of the city.
A glass of wine helps, and the breezy rooftop wine and cheese restaurant offers a variety of (albeit pricey) options. Straddling the invisible line between east and west Jerusalem, it offers an elevated view of the adjacent holy sites: the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher beyond the Old City walls.
