There are many different ways of viewing the myriad perspectives of Jerusalem. If there are any specific symbols that represent Jerusalem, among them would be scenic views of the city with the golden Dome of the Rock highlighted, Orthodox Jews with their long beards and black hats and suits, and the Western (Wailing) Wall. But for each visitor and resident, Jerusalem means many things. Here are a few more interesting perspectives to help you tell your story and find your perspective on the Old City.
Streets
Many of the streets are sloped, allowing for interesting perspectives looking up the slope or down over the view through the street towards interesting 
builds. Look up and see interesting overhanging “window boxes”, small rooms built out from the wall to provide more room within, and often to increase the light coming into the home. Interesting stone arches connect buildings and support walls throughout the city, casting shadows onto the narrow streets. Laundry can be seen drifting in the slight wind hanging from windows and balconies.
As with any old town, pay attention to the stonework and the electrical wires criss-crossing the walls. Shop signs are fascinating with their combinations of English, Hebrew, and Arabic. Grafiti isn’t common, but it is found from time to time, often political in nature, but usually teenagers expressing themselves in all three languages in many different colors.
Long lenses allow isolating the specific subjects of interest, and wider lenses allow for street scene perspectives. A flash is recommended, including fill flash for filling in harsh shadows.
In Tel Aviv, around the intersection of Ben Yehuda and Allenby you will find many professional camera shops within a block or two in all directions.
For serious professional assistance and supplies, the Brothers Judean is located at 10 Ben Yehuda, down a small alley-like stairway to the west. It can be hard to find. Look for the sign down the narrow break next to a building atop the open staircase going down. For more information call 03-517-4829 or email jugend@inter.net.il. Web: jugend.co.il
Rooftop Views
Jerusalem is a city of levels, some going deep below the surface of the streets and others going high above them. There are many access routes to the rooftops of the city, but most are hard to find in the maze of back streets. One easy-to-find roof access is just off Habad Street south from David Street. As you walk up the slope from David Street, you will come to St. Mark Street on your right. To the left you will see a metal staircase going up. This takes you to a safe roof top area. Walk north up a slope in the roofs and turn left (west) to a raised roof top creating a large platform. One of the highest points within the area, it offers a dramatic view of the Al-Aska Mosque and Dome of the Rock with Mt. Olives and Mt. Scopus rising up in the background.
Sunrise is excellent for the warm, golden light touching the many minarets, domes, and cathedral towers. Sunset light illuminates Mt. Olives and Mt. Scopus, turning the Dome of the Rock into a glowing golden ball. Arrive at the top of the hour, especially at 9:00 AM and noon and the ringing of the bells will vibrate to your bones, and your hair will stand on end as you listen to the bells blending with the Muslim calls to prayers.
Do watch your step and take care not to trip on any of the rubbish or fall off the roof edges. Most areas are protected with railings, but do take care. Speak softly as your voice can easily be heard by those living below and around you, and take care not to stomp too hard or make too much noise to bother those below.
In addition to the views, again, look for photographic details like curtains in the windows, laundry drifting in the wind, and patterns and textures in the stone walls, electrical wires, and building details. You can use a variety of lens lengths here to capture the wide angle views around you as well as using long lenses to concentrate on the distant details.
Tower of David Museum/Citadel
Originally a citadel, or fortress, built in the Herodian period, then destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries, next to Jaffa Gate is the Tower of David Museum. Pilgrims used to mistake the 17th century Turkish minaret along the southern edge of the fortress as part of the ancient tower of King David. Thus it became known as the Tower of David, though Israelis use its traditional name of the Citadel. Crossing the ancient moat, one steps back 
into the 5,000 year history of Jerusalem. You can easily spend hours exploring the restored fortress and all the exhibitions within. English films and tours are available. Call for specific times.
The central courtyard is an archeological ruin providing interesting photographic opportunities. Climb up and walk the ramparts and the high towers for some dramatic and interesting views of the new and old parts of Jerusalem.
The walls are very thick and offer interesting pattern possibilities. They also keep the temperature cool, so bring a sweater or sweatshirt even during the summer if you are prone to the cold. Bring a flash to photograph within the rooms of displays (ask permission first) and to overcome any bright sunlight outside. Due to the high walls, the courtyard is in shadow much of the day except midday. Use caution with a tripod as the walkways are narrow and can be crowded on busy days.
The Ramparts
The Ramparts are the wall sections around the entire Old City. There are two sections of the city wall which are accessible: The North side and the West and South sides. The Northern section begins at either Jaffa Gate or Damascus Gate. The Western and Southern section begins either at Tanners/Dung Gate or by the Tower of David and Jaffa Gate. Walking along the top of the wall offers some interesting perspectives on the Old City as well as the surrounding new city area. There are some very high steps, but in general it is an easy walk.
Long lenses will isolate interesting views of the buildings and towers, and moderate to wide angle lenses will give you a wider scenic view. Opening at 9 AM, during the winter you can catch a bit of the warm morning light, or take advantage of winter clouds for gentler light. Winter allows for some sunset light when the sun sets early, as the wall closes at 4PM. The 
wall can be windy as it is exposed, and during the summer it can be very hot with direct exposure to the sun. It is narrow in places, so take care if using a tripod.
Doors
The doors, windows, and walls of Jerusalem are fascinating. Especially the doors. Some are ancient, some are just worn from use. All offer great photographic 
opportunities in color, texture, and patterns. A moderate to wide angle lens is recommended as the streets are narrow and you can’t move back very far. Fill flash or full flash will help fill in some shadows and low light areas. A tripod is a must for longer exposures in the low light. Look for interesting door knobs, locks, handles, door bells, knockers, and address blocks or tiles. The styles of the doors and architecture changes from area to area, with the newer and more substantial looking doors found in the Jewish Quarter and the older looking doors found in the Arab areas.
The market areas of the old city represent the heartbeat of the area. During the morning and afternoon they are filled with people shopping, browsing, and passing through on their way to home, work, prayer, and social events.
Look up into the roofs and ceilings of the market "halls" (streets) to find interesting patterns and textures. From the many sloped streets you will find interesting perspectives looking out across the old city through the narrow confines of the streets.
Many merchants, with permission, do not mind people photographing their wares, but politeness also begs that you actually pay attention to their wares. Spend a few minutes in the shop, and talk to the shopkeeper about his business, and you will often receive not only permission, but possibly the invitation to sit and share a tea or turkish coffee over conversation, making the experience pleasant for all. If you are not in a mood to purchase or chat, make sure your photographic endeavors do not interfere with their business.
Damascus Gate is a prime area for photographing the market activities. Explore inside and outside the gate and along the outside of the northern wall. They sell everything and anything and it changes from day to day. Colors, patterns, and textures create anarchy before you. Take care to simplify your composition to create more dramatic images. Be cautious about obviously photographing the Moslim women, but the men don’t seem to mind. Ask if you feel nervous about what you are doing. Most of them speak English, or one or more of the languages of Europe. A few words of Arabic will get you big smiles, too.
Have fun with your exploration of Jerusalem. Have someone in your party dress up as Arafat or a Jordanian in a traditional headscarf, or drape themselves in colorful scarfs. Or photograph people or your fellow travelers as they pick up the various items and explore the marketplaces. A person dressed in western clothing next to traditional Arab clothing provides an interesting constrast and helps tell the story of the new meets old.
care to keep your equipment close to you and out of the way. Keep watch for workers hauling supplies through the street in oversized carts, occasionally pulled by a donkey. There are many garbage collecting or street cleaning micro-vehicles that cruise through the narrow streets at high speeds, crowding everyone to the side with little regard for safety. Security checks are usually found near the Dome of the Rock and Western Wall, but occassionally there will be random inspection checks. You may have to open your bag for inspection. Just stay calm and answer their questions politely.
Explore the area 
The streets connect with David Street which heads west to Jaffa Gate. This street, which becomes Bab el-Slisileh Street (Street of the Chain), heads east to connect with El-Wad Road. Along David Street and Bab el-Slisileh you will find merchants offering traditional tourist fares such as wood carvings, scarves, silver work, chess/backgammon boards, jewelry, and religious items. Few products actually come from Israel or Palestinian workers. Most come from other Arab lands like Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Egypt. You will also find a lot of clothing and handiwork from India.
Do look for hand cross-stitch work, usually found on pillow coverings or small bags, often in vivid primary colors featuring flower-like swirls and geometrics. These are often made by Palestinian or Beduin women. Red is a favorite color, often embroidered against black or upon various shades 
of red. They also create rough but lovely woven rugs and blankets, along with embroidered and applique patchwork quilts.
Other photographic elements to watch for include the various colors, textures, and patterns of the nuts, spices, fruits and vegetables, and even the great trays of sweets and candies. Use a macro or medium length lens to get close enough to fill the frame with the patterns. Fill flash might be needed for low light situations and dark shadows. Along with the interesting textures of the stones in the walls, pay attention 
to the details of the 
spots where they can do the most murder and mayhem to attract the media to the scene. Randomness we can’t do anything about. You have a greater chance being in a car accident than being a victim of terror in Israel. Since we know that terrorism is directed towards USA, the civilians, and that terrorisms love a big party, we avoid public gathering places.
ways. When there has been a recent bombing, we tend to avoid that area. This is mostly because so many people go to "lookie-loo", but also because the terrorist have struck the same place twice just to show they can. We also stay out of Jerusalem when the security warnings are high as Jerusalem, outside of the Old City, tends to be a target in the areas we like to visit. Many of our friends, natives and temporary residents, completely avoid Jerusalem out of fear. Just like with anything else, you get used to it and keep on living your life. After all, you only have one life.
Hebrew is written from right to left. The graphic shown below is "Lorelle VanFossen" in Hebrew. The top is the proper typed letters. The lower version is the handwritten version. The handwritten letters are similar to some of the typed letters, but not all. Then again, English handwriting is also very different from the printed letters.
studying passionately even before we arrived in the country. I, meanwhile, was busy moving us to Israel and setting up a life for us here, distracted by the day-to-day care and maintenance we need to survive. So my Hebrew is at what I call the "shopping level". I can ask for what I want, point to what I don’t know the name of, and pretty much get around.
Most restaurants are certified "kasher" (kosher), which means they will not serve meals which combine dairy and meat. This means you get pizza with lots of cheese and vegetables but no sausage, pepperoni, or bacon. Or you can get all kinds of vegetable or cheese stuffed ravioli but not meat stuffed as they use a cheese cream sauce. Not all restaurants are strict kosher, but some are. Check ahead if this is an issue for you, one way or another.
the pop-up window called INTERNET OPTIONS there are a series of tabs. The first one is GENERAL. This is where the most important functions of the program are controlled.
The ADVANCED OPTIONS tabs brings up a long list of things you can turn on and off in Internet Explorer. For HELP, click the [?] button at the top right corner next to the [X] button then click on the line you have a question about. You won’t recognize all of the technical terminology in the list but there are a few things to look for:
Another place to enter a web page address is from the START button at the bottom of your computer screen. Click START, then RUN, and type the web page address in the pop-up window. This window also features Autocomplete, as the software helps you finish the web page address, saving a few keystrokes.
You can also use the address bar to search the Internet. Just type in the word or phrase you want to search for. The Autocomplete function will recognize the difference as you haven’t typed in “www.” before the word and the pop-up window will say “Search” and list the word you are searching for in quotes. Hit the ENTER key and the program will automatically begin a search for that word or phrase using the default search engines.
Next to the button you will see a small arrow. Click on that arrow and a menu will pop down. This is a list of the last few web pages you have visited. Click on the one you want to return to instead of just hitting the back button over and over again.
A Favorite is a web page address you want to return to. The list is called your FAVORITES. The FAVORITES button brings up the list in a window pane on the side of your screen. From that window you can ADD the page you are visiting, and ORGANIZE your list to make sure that everything is sorted so you can find it. Simply highlight the web page title you wish to visit and click it to go to that page.
The View Menu offers a variety of choices on how you view Internet Explorer and the web page you are on. As you look down the menu list, notice keystroke commands next to the command word. These are keyboard shortcuts. If you find yourself using the BACK button a lot, the menu shows ALT+Left Arrow is the keyboard shortcut. Using that keystroke might speed up your time instead of hunting for the button. I will highlight some of the good menu items to remember.
Size matters, especially when it comes to 
Nope, this is a bad word choice for the language controls of the program. Language as in foreign language characters. Click on ENCODING and the menu lists different languages. You can have the program Auto-Select the languages, or you can force the program to temporarily allow you to view other languages such as Russian, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and the list goes on and on. Click MORE to see the different languages. You will recognize that the ENCODING isn’t working when a web page is filled with boxes, symbols, squiggles, and nothing makes much sense.
Tip: RIGHT CLICK brings up several options from a link. You can add the link to your Favorites List. You can print the linked document. You can also “Copy Shortcut”. This copies the link web page address onto your clipboard. You can then paste the web page address into an email or document in which you want that web page address.
If you find a web page you want to take more time to read and consider than just the time tying up the phone line, or you want to save the information for research or to show someone else, you can simply save the web page like you do any document you are working on.
Your Favorites List has another function which allows you tosave a web page offline for reading later. In the ADD FAVORITES window, near the top you will find a check box and the instructions “MAKE AVAILABLE OFFLINE”. By clicking the check box and clicking OKAY, you will save the web page right then and there for viewing offline.
There are many graphics on the web which you may want to save for various reasons. I’m a big fan of the images coming from space, particularly the Hubble telescope. I like saving those pages to use on my computer as wallpaper (the pretty picture you see when you start your computer) and also as screen savers. As long as you are using a graphic for personal use, they are free to use.
There are several ways to search a web page and web site. We will cover the traditional avenues of exploration on a well designed web site.
Toshi, the traveling kitty, loves exploring new worlds and new civilizations. He boldly goes where few cats have gone before. In just two years, he traveled over 60,000 miles back and forth across North America, and together, we both learned a few things about life.
Start by observing their current behavior. Many animals already have behaviors and abilities that will transfer to riding in cars. Does your pet have a favorite toy or sleeping bed? Toshi didn’t take to animal carrying bags in any way shape or form. I tried a variety of them, costing a lot of money over the years. But he LOVED my purse or any fabric bag. I had a huge oversized “sack” I got in Mexico many years ago and he calls that home. He just curls into a ball with the curve of the fabric and I throw it over my shoulder and set off, him bouncing against my body, totally happy. Many animals, especially cats, just love crawling into boxes or paper bags. If your pet is comfortable and familiar with these things, don’t add something new. Stick with the old to start and when the animal is ready for a change to a serious carrier, introduce it slowly.
Find some kind of container the cat is happy in, even if it is a plain box, and make it “home” for a couple of weeks with favorite toys or blankets. Cats really like small blankets, or some kind of warm fuzzy like a sheep skin pad. After a week or two of familiarity and comfort with the case, put it in the car with your pet for a few minutes every day, slowly increasing the time to an hour. Sit in the car with your pet in his “home” and talk to him, maybe even stroke him through a small opening. As the time increases, leave him alone for a bit, always using a reassuring voice when you get back in the car. NEVER leave an animal in a closed up car when it is too hot or too cold.
A collar is cute but a harness is better for the traveling cat. It gives you more to hang onto without hurting the cat. When you attach a leash, the harness takes the pressure off the cat’s throat and puts in on the upper back, not far from the “scruff” where their mother carried them, a more familiar pressure point.
Use a travel carrier