There is a typical stone called 'Jerusalem stone', and is the signature architectural characteristic of the city since the times of king David, a rugged light colored slabs of stone which keep a certain ruff organic look and feel.

For the last two decades there is a municipal regulation that obliges the use of these 'Jerusalem stones' for all facades that are directed to the main street and entrance to the city, in an attempt to keep the original vibe, a decision that is still widely appreciated and the results are extremely positive, as Jerusalem must never fall prey to the flattening power of American globalization.

As the center of cultures that it is, Jerusalem's streets are full of faces from all parts of life, all parts of the world, all parts of the religious spectrum. It is always interesting to walk around and just take in the characters you see in front of you.

The serenity of the old streets, with the small quiet neighborhoods shadowing under the local green trees, a green that is rarely green and usually more dusty than colorful, that typical color of the region. Those trees have survived the snow in the winter and the scorching Israeli summer sun, those trees are a silent reminder of generations over generations of immigrants, of natives of Jerusalem, of pilgrims and of politicians.

The new neighborhoods of Jerusalem are interesting in their own right, especially when you consider the decades of conflict that created the map of the city, but I am always rushing to the old part of town the minute we park. This is where the real visual treats of the past and of the culture we try so hard to maintain of a real Mediterranean multicultural capital city.

Walking down the small allies of the ancient city, with your sandals making the same noise on the big stone pavement slabs as the sandals of roman soldiers two thousand years ago, and the arcs over your head throwing geometric curves of shadows on the Jerusalem stone textured walls.

Jerusalem is a city of great stories to tell, a city blocked in time, reliving it's present as it pasts and probably as its future, and once you realize that, you can really enjoy the city.

One of the best ways to understand some of the story is to taste the local foods, a mixture of European and arab cuisine like only grandmothers know how to cook. Real soul food. Don’t be tempted by any of the glitzy expensive chic restaurants you can find around the richer parts of Jerusalem , where the tourists dwell, and look for the local eateries, the small hole in the wall places that cook the same three dishes for two hundred years.

The Machne-Yehuda market in the entrence to town is a good place to find many of these local small restaurants and café's and some of them even boast fully organic and local produce menu.