Destination Unlocked

Welcome to Destination Unlocked with me, Daniel Everett.

Just now ready to depart.

Destination Unlocked is the chatty travel podcast where a local expert helps you unlock their part of the world.

Today, we’re unlocking Jerusalem, a city filled with history, faith, and feeling.

My guest is Leontine Cohen of Jerusalem, Tour, private guide who spent decades helping travelers make sense of its stories and its energy.

We’re covering must see highlights, what to expect on Shabbat, what to eat, and a few things to avoid.

If Jerusalem’s on your wish list or you just want to understand it better, this is a great place to start.

So, Leontine, where are you unlocking for us today?

Shalom.

I’m unlocking Jerusalem, also known as the City of Gold, the City of religions, and the City of God.

I think Jerusalem is one of the most famous destinations in the world.

People that actually get to go there, when they arrive, what is the thing that hits them first?

Ah, that’s a good question.

When you arrive in Jerusalem, I would say the thing that hits you first are the people and the Jerusalem stone.

When you arrive in Jerusalem, you see immediately at the entrance of Jerusalem, a lot of religious Jews, a lot of trendy, beautiful women with short shorts and beautiful black, curly hair.

And then you enter the city and you see a lot of old people pushed in wheelchairs by their Philippine helpers.

And then you look around you and you see the beautiful Jerusalem stone that gave the name Jerusalem of Gold to the city.

And then, of course, the atmosphere.

We will definitely be covering the stones, the atmosphere, the food.

But before we get into some of the details, do you want to give us sort of an essential highlights piece?

Where do you need to see if you’re going to Jerusalem?

If you go to Jerusalem, you need to go to the Old City and to visit the four quarters.

And in the four quarters, you really need to see the Wailing Wall, the Kotel, of course, on top of the Temple Mount, the Dome of the Rock, and of course the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus, according to tradition, was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

I would say that those three, three.

Must sees, you’ve sort of brought together one from each of the Abrahamic faiths there, which just shows a big part of Jerusalem’s story.

It is a place that so many people feel very strongly and connected to.

Who would you say are the main people that visit Jerusalem at the moment before the war?

Because we have to be clear that there has been a terrible war.

Before the war, most of my tourists were people that were curious about what is Israel, what is Jerusalem?

They always wanted to come.

They were not necessarily religious, Christian or Jewish or Muslim for that matter, but people that were really curious to learn and to discover Jerusalem and Israel.

And because they realized that the image of Israel that they got through the media was maybe not right and that they wanted to come and see for themselves.

There are many, many tour guides in Israel and everybody has his or her niche.

And somehow my niche became curious people that felt that their life is based on Jewish or Christian religion.

They are not necessarily believers, but they feel that their was shaped by religion.

And then they want to come and see for themselves what is this country and what is happening and what is going on in Jerusalem.

What happened here.

Now, during the war, the people that came were Christians, mostly from Holland, because I was born myself in Holland.

People that really wanted to come to support Israel, so they came to visit different sites and projects that they wanted to finance.

And also Jewish people that came to visit their relatives, their family in Israel.

Right now, I get a lot of requests, people that are again, the curious ones, that feel that, oh, now we have to come back, because this is before the crowds are all coming back.

Most people that now are coming back are again, these curious people, but they’re quite adventurous because they understand they have to come now before the masses will come back.

I think that’s such a good point about getting there before the crowds, because the crowds will return.

The old city can get extremely busy, so actually having the opportunity to see it with slightly fewer people there is unusual.

I can see why people are taking advantage of that.

In terms of your niche, these curious people that maybe felt something was there for them, it was maybe a little loaded on, but by family, as they were growing up, they felt a bit detached, but then something was pulling them back in as well.

What is the reaction when they’ve had their first day in Jerusalem?

What are they saying to you at the end of it?

This is what makes my work so beautiful.

And I always say that being a tour guide is the most beautiful work in the world, because not only do you need nice people, but you’re also outside walking, looking at beautiful things.

I’m also a licensed tour guide in France, so I’ve been guiding for dozens of years guiding in France.

I love it.

I really think it’s wonderful.

But the special thing with Jerusalem is that at the end of the day, people feel so connected.

Everybody feels connected to Jerusalem.

Everybody feels that they own a little piece of Jerusalem in a way.

When you visit Jerusalem, you cannot avoid the Bible Whether it’s the Jewish Bible or the Christian Bible, whether you’re religious or not religious, you cannot avoid the Bible.

But to connect the Bible with the history, you know, it’s written in the Bible and this is where it happened, that is very meaningful for people to see that Jerusalem does something to people and to be a little bit part of that is extremely rewarding for me.

One of the big things that I feel, and I think Jerusalem represents this probably better than anywhere else on earth, is that when you’re traveling to a place, you’re not really traveling geographically, you’re traveling to an idea, something that you can connect with that makes you feel something or changes the way you think.

You can see the pictures of a place without going there, but you can’t feel it.

In Jerusalem, that feeling is perhaps most noticeably felt.

Friday.

You come out of a Friday afternoon and into Shabbat and something about the city changes.

Friday afternoon is very special.

Shabbat is the resting day for the Jewish religion, which is Sunday for the Christians, Friday for the Muslims.

But that’s a little bit different because in Islamic people do work and go shopping, etc, But Friday afternoon, Jerusalem is preparing for Shabbat.

So on Shabbat you’re not supposed to work, but you’re also not supposed to cook.

The shops are closed.

So everybody, until the beginning of the afternoon, everybody is out because it’s like a Saturday for people in England, for instance.

Everybody is out shopping and having a brunch or a lunch outside.

And then people go home with their bags full of food.

And then in the afternoon, people are all inside cooking and preparing as the weather in general is very nice.

The windows are open so you can hear the sounds of people cooking.

You know, you can hear on the fire and the.

The clanging of the pans and so on.

And then slowly, slowly, as the afternoon continues, it’s getting quieter and quieter.

Less cars, no public transportation anymore.

And then at the end of the afternoon, there is a silence that starts.

And then around the time when the sun is going down, you will see people coming out of their houses, going to the synagogue, walking.

Yes.

So you’ll see fathers with children.

And then when you walk through the city, you can hear the singing in the synagogue.

Because the service on Friday evening is mostly singing.

The order of the service is the same.

So when you walk by synagogue, you can hear at what’s points of the service they are by hearing the melody.

And then in the beginning of the evening, you see all these people walking back home.

And then in the Evening, you can hear people having dinner.

It’s very nice.

You know, the windows are open, you can hear people talking, and you hear the clattering of the dishes.

Again, some people sing at the table.

So, yes, it’s very, very special.

If you are visiting Jerusalem, you’re a tourist, is it a good idea to try and be there over a Shabbat, or is it a better idea not to?

If everything’s closed, what do you do as a tourist on that day?

Okay, so if you are not Jewish and not so interested in religious affairs, don’t come to Jerusalem on Shabbat, because, first of all, there’s no public transportation.

Jerusalem is complicated if you don’t have your own car.

Secondly, many places are closed.

So there are many places that you cannot go to, mostly Jewish sites, but also, for instance, you cannot go to the top of the Temple Mount on Shabbat.

So if you’re not interested in keeping Shabbat, don’t come to Jerusalem on Shabbat because it’s a bit of a waste of your time.

Now, if you are interested in experience, this one I just described, then yes, do come.

Come on Shabbat.

If you are looking for that Shabbat experience as a tourist, how can you get it?

Who should you contact?

Or can you just turn up at a synagogue?

Yes, the synagogues are open to everybody.

There is one synagogue that I go to that is really for people that live in Jerusalem that come originally from America.

So there a lot of things are in English, and everybody that comes there speaks English.

So if people want to go to a service, I can recommend them to go there, and I can tell the rabbi that this person is coming, and then the rabbi will even come to that person and talk to him or her.

So that’s fine.

Or I recommend they go to the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem.

It’s very grand, very beautiful, with lots of singing every now and then.

They even have a choir.

Quite often, actually, there is a choir.

It’s twice as long as a regular service, but it is worth your while.

But you can also just go to a regular little synagogue in the neighborhood where you’re staying.

But if you are not familiar with Judaism, then you might wonder what is going on.

You know, people are standing and then they sit again, and then they start to turn to the left and the right.

Then you need to be a little bit more of an insider to know what is going on.

But yes, you can definitely walk into any synagogue.

You don’t need to be Jewish, but it’s important to Be dressed properly, so don’t come in shorts.

For women, it’s better to wear a T shirt that covers your arms and a skirt maybe that goes below the.

Knee on that as well.

Worth saying.

A lot of people take photographs when they’re on their holiday.

And so you wouldn’t be wanting to take your camera if you’re going to a Shabbat service either, true?

Absolutely.

No camera, no telephone.

So you need to be a little bit prepared.

So if you would want to go to a synagogue, do ask me before and then I’ll give you some instructions and then, yes, you can go.

Absolutely.

And for some people, it’s an amazing experience.

We’ll get on to how people can ask you in a moment.

But whilst we’re on the topic of Shabbat, it sort of leads me into something which I think is massive in Israeli culture.

It’s certainly huge in Jewish culture, and that’s food.

What would you be looking for?

If you’re in Jerusalem, you’re looking for a typical local meal.

There are two ways to do it.

Either you go for a typical Jerusalem meal, which means that you have a hummus in a small snack bar, basically, or amazing restaurants that are.

That serve lots and lots of different foods.

One of them will be hummus, but also lots of different meat dishes.

And there are lots of dishes with vegetables and salads.

Lots of different salads in Israel.

So you would either go for the huge meal where you get lots and lots of different dishes, or just go to a small hummus place and have your little hummus.

You dip your pita bread in the olive oil hummus and just enjoy that.

What sort of meats are popular in Jerusalem?

Clearly, pork is unlikely to be on the menu, but what will be?

Yeah, lots of chicken in all kinds of grilled.

Lots of chicken, lamb and beef.

With spices.

Lots of spices.

Spices doesn’t necessarily mean hot and spicy, though, does it?

No.

Lots of cumin, lots of za’, atar, lots of sumac.

So it’s very delicate spices.

There are some amazing spice places in the Old City, actually.

That’s often.

I go by those places with my tourist and I recommend them to buy a mix of spices.

And it’s very rarely that they’re spicy.

I mean, you can ask for spicy, but it’s not something that people do so much in in Israel.

But the spices, especially the cumin, is very present in the food.

What about street food?

Is there a certain piece of street food that is worth picking up, and is it safe to just pick it up from any stand or should you be selective?

I rarely hear of people getting sick or a stomach ache or whatever.

Of course, the typical street food is hummus again.

And falafel.

Yes.

So falafel are fried bowls of chickpeas with lots of parsley and different spices.

You have different kinds of falafel?

Some like it very green with lots and lots of parsley.

Some like it more with cilantro, for instance.

You need to try different ones and see what is your favorite.

The falafel comes in a pita bread and in the pita bread they put falafel balls that they should fry fresh in front of you.

So it’s important that the balls are not already sitting there for an hour and the grease has become cold.

It’s not so nice.

It is true that if you eat a lot of it, then you might get a little problem with your stomach.

So go slowly on the falafel.

Don’t eat it twice a day, every day.

Yeah.

With that amount of chickpea, it sounds like a very windy city.

Yeah, absolutely.

What about tipping?

Is there a tipping culture?

If you go to a food place, how much is appropriate?

In Israel you do tip and people do expect it.

In restaurants, the tip is very expensive because the waiters receive very little salary and depends really on the tip a little bit like in the United States.

So in the restaurants you would tip a minimum of about 15%.

That’s a minimum if you’re happy, even more.

Now if you take a taxi, you do not tip and the taxi drivers don’t expect a tip.

But in general, otherwise, yes, tipping is very, very important.

What about tour guides?

Yes.

So what about tipping of the tour guides?

Personally, I ask for a decent fee.

I’m European, okay?

And I’ve been a tour guide in France for many, many years.

In Israel it’s a bit different.

The guiding fees are lower and it is a big, well known secret that half of the salary of the guides is the tip.

Okay.

The problem for me, when I came from Europe, I find that it’s not very fair because what some guides do is that as they are afraid that people will not tip, they will push people to go to a certain shop to buy things and then they will get a commission.

Many guys get a salary through the client that pays them the shop or the restaurant that they go to with their tourists, and then of course, they expect a tip.

This is just my personal way of seeing things.

I never propose people to go to a shop, but if people Want to go to the shop?

I tell the shopkeeper as we enter that I do not want a commission, that I do not want him to charge the people higher because I will come back to get my commission.

You’ve been tour guiding for several decades now, but you started in France.

Talk us through your personal tour guiding journey and how you then set up this tour guiding company in Jerusalem.

I moved to France when I was 23 because I met a French husband.

My dream, of course, is to live in Paris.

I always loved history when I was in school, but I became a social worker.

And then one day I met a Dutch man, he’s a guide.

And he saw me with my two children, very young.

He said, you know, don’t you want to become a guide?

So he told me, okay, come with me tonight.

I’m doing a tour on a bus through the city of Paris.

And I came with him on the bus and it was like a whole new world opened up to me and I just love the work.

I divorced, I remarried, and with my second husband we had this plan to one day move to Israel because we are Jewish and we felt this was our journey.

This was incredible.

I’m very blessed to be able to guide in three languages.

So that helps, obviously.

So I guide in Dutch, French and English.

If somebody wants to book a tour with you, your company is called Jerusalem Tours Private Guide.

They would go to your website.

Is that the best place?

I think the website is the best.

And then there is my email and telephone number everywhere.

The easiest is to send me an email.

So the website, in case you are looking for it, is Jerusalem.

Then a-tours-private-guide.com so jerusalem-tours-private-guides.com and there’s loads of information on your website as well.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Leontine Cohen, their private tour guide in Jerusalem.

And if you’re interested in heading over to the holy city, then have a look on her website and see what you find.

Maybe head out on a private tour with her.

Whilst you’re here though, do make sure that you followed the podcast.

That way you’ll be able to come back and join us for other journeys on the way.

So many very interesting destinations in the schedule over the next couple of months.

So I know you want to stick around.

Hit follow wherever you’re currently listening and then you’ll get a notification when the next episode comes out.

Well, let’s get into a bit of a quiz about Jerusalem and then Leontine can give us some more insider tips.

Question number one.

Which hill offers those famous panoramic views of the Old City?

Mount of Olives.

And Jerusalem is a very hilly city.

Yes, it’s built on seven hills.

So when you come, bring walking shoes, water, hats and good spirits.

If you’re not very sportive, it’s good to do a little bit of training before you come.

Just go walking every day for about an hour around your house because you do walk everywhere.

We don’t say hills actually, we say mountain.

It’s interesting because if you look at certain things on the map written down, you think, oh, that’s really close.

And then you realize you’ve got an up and down to get there.

Absolutely.

Sometimes journey times make sense when you’re just looking at a flat map.

Very true.

And it is true that everything is very close actually, because Jerusalem, it’s a huge spread out city.

But the things that you want to come and see are all within a few miles.

Question two in our quiz.

What is the name of the bustling market known for spices and sweets?

The Machane Yehuda Market that is in West Church, Jerusalem.

It’s an amazing food market, especially on Friday morning where all of Jerusalem comes there to do their shopping.

But also during the week it’s nice also because it’s calmer and in the evening it becomes one big trendy party place.

The vegetable stores and so close.

And then you have lots of cafes that open up with great music.

Beautiful young people are dancing and eating and drinking.

So that’s the Machane Yehuda.

And then there is of course in the old cities, the Shuk.

We don’t say, we say shouk.

But the difference in the old city is that in the evening everything closes.

So around five, six, at the end of the day, everything closes down in the Old city.

Don’t go to the Old City in the evening because there is nothing going on there.

I’ve got a true and false question next.

True or false?

The Western wall is part of King Solomon’s Temple.

False.

It’s the retaining wall of the Temple Mount.

But it’s okay because everybody thinks it’s part of the wall of the Temple.

So do not feel ashamed or embarrassed when you are sure that this was the wall of the Temple, because this is what everybody thinks.

But it’s not.

It’s the retaining wall of the mountain on top of which used to stand the temple of King Solomon.

Which stone gives Jerusalem its golden glow?

Limestone.

So Jerusalem limestone.

Originally the stone came out of the ground of Jerusalem.

Today all the quarries are empty.

You can actually Visit some of the quarries, but they took out all the stone already.

So now the limestone comes from.

From further away from the desert, from the Negev desert.

It’s limestone and we call it Jerusalem stone.

This is something that really hits you because there is a law in Israel, since the British mandate, that every building in Jerusalem should be covered with this limestone, which makes the city so beautiful.

Final question in our quiz.

Which sweet cheese pastry do locals love knafeh?

Yes.

It’s become very trendy in the last few years.

Now you have knafe on the market, Piccadilly market or whatever, whereas 10 years ago you did not find knafe.

Knafe is amazing.

It’s made with cheese from sheep milk, and then they mix it with rose water and honey and it’s cooked in the oven.

So it’s not like cheesecake.

It really has a cheesy pattern to it.

It’s like it’s melted cheese, but it’s sweet and it’s very, very good.

But the thing is, if you buy it, you should eat it right away.

You cannot.

If you buy it and you put it in your bag and then you eat it in the evening, it’s not the same because then it’s cooled down.

Whereas Kalva, I like it because you buy a piece and you have it well wrapped and then you can eat it a week later and it’s still amazing.

Halva is made from sesame again and honey.

And actually, I am very blessed to know the best place to get the halva from.

There are some very famous places on the Machane Yehuda market.

They’re good.

But I know a better place.

It’s tiny, tiny, tiny.

It’s in the Muslim quarter.

It’s my treat.

I really love to buy it.

The guy already, when he sees me up, he sees me, he starts cutting the piece.

He knows that I will stop and buy the piece.

It melts in your mouth.

It’s very different from what you’ve ever tasted.

And then the honey and the sesame together, it’s quite magic.

I love to look at the faces when people are taking their first piece and I oh, wow, this is amazing.

You know, they all love it.

So that’s.

Halva is really what you have to try.

Well, I give you six points out of five for that quiz.

Okay.

Wow, you’re a guaranteed winner there.

If people are going to Jerusalem and they don’t speak Ivrit, will they be able to get by in English?

Yes.

In Israel, most people speak English.

The only ones that might not speak English sometimes are taxi drivers sometimes.

But in general, they do everywhere else.

Yes, people do speak English.

So just a few words in Hebrew for us.

If you wanted to just greet somebody in Hebrew and say hello, what would you say?

So it’s a nice word.

It’s shalom, which means peace also.

How about please?

Please is be vacasha.

And is that something you’ll hear?

It’s a good question.

The Israelis are not the most polite people in the world.

It’s also in the way the language was designed.

When you come into a shop and you want bread, you don’t say anir shalom, Which means, hello, how are you?

I would like some bread, please.

You come in and you say, I want bread.

Or just this one.

And if you don’t say please, nobody will be offended.

And if you leave and you say goodbye and they don’t answer you, you should not be offended either.

You know, we say that the Israelis are like a cactus.

They’re very sweet inside, but very sticky outside.

But to the bottom, they are good people.

Very good people.

It’s a blunt culture, very direct.

How about thank you, Toda Rabin, or just toda is also okay.

And if you wanted to say goodbye.

Goodbye is a bit more complicated.

It’s leit raot, leit.

So if you want to be as if you were an Israeli, you say leet.

You know, that’s easier.

Just late.

Late, late, Exactly.

Okay.

But the whole thing is late raut.

And there’s a phrase that people will hear quite a lot across Israel that sort of translates to a come on, let’s go.

What’s that?

That they’ll hear a lot.

So that’s Arabic.

Actually, it’s yallah.

I participate in a podcast that’s called Yallah Israel.

Everybody uses it.

Arabs, Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

It’s interesting because the Muslims, they will also use Hebrew words, which is a religious word.

Baruch hashem, which means God willing.

It’s something religious, Jewish, that you say, we hope to come to Jerusalem next year.

Baruch hashem.

God willing.

And what is interesting is that the Muslims, when you speak to them and you ask them, how are you?

How’s your family?

They say, they’re good.

Baruch hashem.

It’s very funny how everybody takes a little bit of their language from one and the other, and we are all very happy to give these little pieces of language to each other.

It’s like a lattice pie.

Totally.

We’ve spoken a little earlier about some of the main highlights, those top three that you can’t miss.

But if you’re thinking of spending a week or so in Jerusalem, where else should you be looking for something that’s a little different, but special, memorable.

Okay, so if you are a week in Jerusalem, that’s fantastic.

So of course there is the Old City there that you can spend easily a day.

Two days is even better because there’s a lot to see.

Lots of churches with lots of history.

You can visit archaeological sites in the Old City, like the tunnels that run along the Wailing Wall underground.

You can visit the City of David, which is actually outside the city wall of the Old City, but it’s there.

That’s the place where Jerusalem was born thousands and thousands of years ago.

And it’s a huge site that can be visited under the ground and above ground, of course, the Mount of Olives that we talked about, with an amazing view and lots of sites to visit as well.

And in West Jerusalem are some beautiful museums like the Israel Museum, the Bible Museum.

And then from Jerusalem, it’s very easy to go to the Dead Sea.

It’s a half hour drive.

So that is something you could spend a day, go to the Dead Sea.

You can visit sites along the Dead Sea, like Masada.

Masada is an incredible place, used to be a fortress, desert palace, I should say, built by King Herod on top of a mountain overlooking the Dead Sea.

A lot of people like to go there for sunrise.

Yes, you can go there, but then you have to walk to the top.

If not, you go a little bit later and you have a funicular that takes you up.

So that’s like a cable car that takes you up.

So that’s easy.

And then of course, a dip in the Dead Sea is incredible because we all have seen the picture of a man reading his newspaper while floating in the Dead Sea.

That is actually true.

You are floating exactly like that in the Dead Sea because of the high percentage of salt.

So you can easily, easily spend the day along the Dead Sea.

And then I really recommend that one day you take the train, because we have a fast train that takes you in half an hour to Tel Aviv and spend the day in Tel Aviv, because Tel Aviv is fun, it’s trendy, it’s hip, it’s young.

There is also a lot of history there, great markets, the ancient neighborhoods of Yafo that can be visited.

So that’s something that I really recommend.

In terms of getting around between the cities.

Do you have to get a ticket at the station?

How do you sort that bit out for those nice day trips when you come To Israel.

I always recommend that at the airport already there is an office and there are machines and you get yourself what they call RAF cards.

RAV card, it’s a green card, it’s like a credit card and you load money on top of it in the card with your, you know, through a machine or with your credit cards or through.

You can even download the app.

It’s very easy.

You put money on the card and with that money you can take the bus, the train and the light rail all throughout the country.

Because we have light rail in different cities.

It’s very cheap to take the train and bus and light rail in Israel, Very, very cheap.

And it works quite well.

Now, the bus is not as comfortable as the train, obviously, but they do run all the time.

If not, you can rent a car, but then you have to be a bit adventurous as well, because Israeli have a kind of aggressive Middle Eastern way of driving.

And then there are also in Israel driver guides.

I know a few.

They own a car and they have a special permit to drive and guide in the same time.

They are quite expensive.

So sometimes I feel it’s better to have your own driver and guide.

So it’s two different professions and it’s about the same cost and it’s a bit more relaxing for everybody.

But some people prefer to have their own driver guide.

So that’s how you get around.

And then your leg, you need to, to walk a lot.

You’re going to feel really healthy at the end of a, of an Israel trip because you’ve got so much exercise in.

True.

Yeah.

People always say to me at the end of the day, oh, you don’t need to go to the sports because I.

It’s true you walk a lot and.

I do, especially as a tour guide.

The wrap up Roundup Quickfire finish is now ready for boarding.

What would you say is the top thing to see or do in Jerusalem?

The Wailing Wall.

Yes, the Wailing Wall.

The.

Actually it’s the same that we started.

I would see the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Temple Mount.

What would be your top tourist trap?

To avoid shops and taxi drivers.

So be careful.

When you go to a souvenir shop, you can be sure they will try to rip you off.

Just know it in advance.

And taxi drivers, the problem is that often they will refuse to put on the meter and then you end up to have to pay a lot of money.

And one thing that I would also say, there are people that you will want to pay with your Credit card, everything is in Hebrew, so you cannot read what is on the machine.

And then they say, oh, it didn’t work.

And then they ask you to pay cash.

And then in the end it turns out that you pay twice.

So unfortunately, you know, in shops and so on, this happens.

Ask me because I love to answer forth and back the emails.

So I am very happy to give you a whole description of how to deal with things.

And even if you’re there, sometimes it happens that I’ve guided a person and then the next day that person is on him or herself.

And.

And then people sometimes called me, like saying, I’m in this shop and they’re saying this and that’s what do you think I should do?

And then I tell them, no, just say, no, thank you.

Don’t feel shy to ask advice.

Remember, you’re in the Middle east, it’s a different world.

That is true.

And it’s easy to forget in Israel that you are in the Middle east, but you are.

And the culture is similar to some neighboring countries.

Yeah.

When is your favorite time of year to visit Jerusalem?

I like the winter because it’s very quiet, it’s cold, so you don’t suffer from the sun and so on.

But of course, the problem in January is that it can rain, but otherwise this is for me the best because it’s empty, there’s nobody there, you have the city for yourself.

If not, if you come for the nice weather, come in March, April, May, it’s still not too hot, everything is still blooming.

You have flowers everywhere.

It’s like an ocean of flowers.

And it’s already nice and hot and sunny.

And it’s until Easter, it’s not too busy.

What would be your top book about Jerusalem?

If somebody wants to get into the mood of Jerusalem before they arrive, I’m.

Going to be very boring.

But I would say the Bible, not the whole Bible, but just already the Book of Judges, for instance, it’s like an adventure book.

And the Book of Samuel that talk all about the time of the King David and King Solomon, you know, it’s quite amazing and it really reads like an adventure book.

And it gives you really an idea of what was going on in this country.

Otherwise there is Monte Fiore, who wrote a beautiful book about the history of Israel and Jerusalem.

The problem with this book is that you understand it better if you already have a little bit of background information.

So it’s an amazing book.

It was a bestseller and everybody loves it.

But I want to be honest, I want to say that you understand much better what he’s writing about.

If you already have been in Israel and you have seen it and you know what he’s talking about.

So start with the Bible.

It’s not bad.

It’s the best selling book in the world as far as I’m aware.

What is your top food or drink suggestion?

Hummus.

I would say really every two days go to a different place and compare the hummus.

Don’t buy the hummus in the supermarkets because that’s with lots of chemicals, you know, so that it doesn’t rot.

The thing with hummus is that you have to eat it within a few hours after it was made.

And every city has its own recipe, you could say.

So having hummus in Tel Aviv is different from having hummus in Jerusalem.

And the drink we have incredible, incredible orange juice.

Obviously the famous Jaffa oranges.

So especially in the winter, the orange juice, it’s incredible sweet, full of flavors, amazing.

Ask for no eyes and make sure you see it pressed in front of you.

Great tip.

Thank you.

And final question, what would be your top authentic souvenir to take home from Jerusalem?

Not a mass produced T shirt, not a cap with the word Jerusalem on it, but something really, truly authentic.

I would say Armenian pottery.

You know, we have Armenian community in Jerusalem already since almost 2,000 years.

And one of their specialties is very colorful, beautiful hand painted pottery.

It can go from a little tile to salt and pepper set or a big jar.

Go to the Armenian quarter and look for the artisans.

There are a few, just a few of them that do really themselves.

The hand painting, it’s not crazy expensive, it’s unique because they do hand paint on the premises.

So I would say a little bit of Armenian potter.

Leontine of Jerusalem Tours private guide.

Thank you for unlocking Jerusalem for us.

Thank you.

That’s all for this episode of Destination Unlocked.

A big thank you to Leontine Cohen of Jerusalem Tours private guide for unlocking Jerusalem with us.

From the old city’s big sites to food, language and practical tips for visiting.

If you’d like to book a tour or learn more, you’ll find her details at jerusalem-tours-private-guide.com and if you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe so you can easily find your way back.

Next time.

For more interviews and travel inspiration, visit destinationunlocked.com I’m Daniel Edward.

Thanks for listening.

I’ll catch you next time.