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On to Jerusalem

Our trip down from Galilee into Jerusalem took us down Highway 90 through the Jordon Rift Valley past Jericho, then west on Highway 1 into Jerusalem. The valley was formed by the movement of the Arabian tectonic plate. The Jordan river flows down to around 1,370 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea, which has no outlet. During the descent, the landscape becomes increasingly arid.

Politically, the valley is also the eastern portion of the West Bank, a contested area with a largely Arab population that came under Israeli military control during the Six-Day War in 1967. Villages of Bedouin desert people were visible beside Highway 1 on our climb out of the valley up to Jerusalem.

Our hotel for our five nights in Jerusalem was the Leonardo Plaza, yet another well-maintained but clear representative of 1970's architecture.

Next: Day 4: Bethlehem