Jerusalem, Israel has completed most of the spring exhausting holiday season.
A very different holiday season it was!
Sunday, May 3, 2020, slowly some businesses and classrooms reopened.
Finally, lights were on inside the Knesset Building, not just holiday lights strung on the street.
The Kotel, Western Wall was divided into smaller prayer areas.
Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, was empty for Yom Haatzmaut, Independence Day,
instead of being crowded with families and friends gathered for the usual mangals, BBQs.
Tourism is a huge factor in life in Jerusalem and its economy.
The municipality is looking for ways to slowly get back to “normal.”
Jerusalem Botanical Gardens is one large open area where people could social distance.
Gazelle Park is another large open green space.
The Biblical Zoo, as the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem is called, is another popular open area that could be reopened.
However, the new Jerusalem Aquarium which is further down the road from the zoo might be one of the last sites to be fully open again to the public.
At the end of January 2020, I finally got to the Aquarium.
I have had it on my list to share and now seems like the right time.
Remember that cute video of penguins walking around an aquarium after it was closed?
Sorry. It was not the Jerusalem Aquarium but could have been.
The Jerusalem Aquarium is an accessible and temperature-controlled space.
The inside venue would have been perfect for a hot summer day visit for all ages.
Beautiful tanks of fish and underwater flora line the walls.
Sections are divided according to Israel’s local bodies of water.
The Dead Sea exhibit will have to be updated.
Recently they have found life in the freshwater sinkholes.
I could have spent hours watching the seahorses.
There was an area to take a break and rest and listen to trained guides.
Have you heard of the LongHorn Cowfish before?
Can you find Nemo? Especially for children of any age or size, there is a special tank. You can get inside to search for and be photographed with the real fish that famous animated feature Nemo was based on.
Coral reefs provide background in one of the seas.
Large tanks of large fish,
and small tanks of colorful fish are inside the Aquarium.
There’s much more to see and to do to keep all ages engaged.
It was a wet wintry-like day when I finally got to the two-year-old tourist site for the first time.
Sure hope it is not another two years until the giant seahorse outside greets visitors.
Who could imagine that an enclosed and interactive space would be a problem?
At least the cold wet weather and this most unusual spring was good for the roses.
Stay well and healthy.
Hope to see you all on the Jerusalem streets one day soon.