click image to enlarge

The city of San Francisco, which sits atop a hilly peninsula known as the San Francisco Peninsula, has some of the most unique and easily characterized neighborhoods such as the Mission District, Chinatown, Soma and Castro. It lies on a landmass of just over two hundred and thirty square miles with the Pacific Ocean to its west and the San Francisco Bay to the northeast. The population of this city is just over three million people.

The area upon which San Francisco sits was first discovered by Gaspar de Porto in 1769, who was scouting a location for Spain to colonize. But, it wouldn’t be until 1776 that the area was actually claimed by the Spanish as a Presidio for the western coast. The fortified city would remain in Spainish hands for forty five years until California became a part of Mexico following its independence from Spain in 1821. But, it would once again change hands as Commodore John D. Sloat claimed California for the United States during the Mexican American War in 1846. The following year the settlements name was changed from Yerba Buena to San Francisco. Another pivotal event happened in 1849 with the California Gold Rush. This period of time brought so many visitors looking to find gold that the city population exploded from one thousand residents the previous year to over twenty five thousand residents in late 1849.

	click image to enlarge

By virtue of the third bill of the Compromise of 1850, California was granted statehood and became the thirty first state of the United States.

Today, this city is a very popular tourist destination and is known for its cool summer mornings, very steep hills and a unique mix of modern and Victorian architecture. Its also know for its famous landmarks, one of which is extremely popular the world over, The Golden Gate Bridge. This bridge was built in 1937 and connects Marin County to the city of San Francisco. The bridge consist of two art deco towers that rise over seven hundred and forty feet above sea level. Attaching the towers to the road are suspension cables, each of which are three feet thick. The bridge spans nearly nine thousand feet and is a great location to see spectacular views of the city. Also in the area is Golden Gate Park. Founded in 1870, Golden Gate Park is a one thousand acre park was originally an area of sand dunes. Today, its a beautiful park that is planted with thousands of trees and has a whole host of attractions. These include the Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, the Buffalo Paddock, Steinhart Aquarium and Strybing Arboretum.

Another part of San Francisco that is heavily visited is the Fisherman’s Wharf. This wharf is always busy with fisherman bringing in their latest catches. But, the area is more than a fishing destination. All around the wharf are shops and restaurants. There are also a number of other attractions in the area.

click image to enlarge

These include the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, Hyde Street Pier and the Aquarium of the Bay. Tourist can also take a tour of the USS Pampanito. There are also various boat tours that you take book in this area that will give you a tour of the Bay or Alcatraz Island.

Alcatraz Island, also known colloquially as “The Rock”, is the site of the world famous penitentiary. This island spans an area of twenty two acres and the prison was built in 1907. It operated as a federal prison up until 1963 when it was shut down to to the high maintenance cost. During this time it was home to some of the most infamous criminals of the time such as Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and Alvin Karpis. Today, the island is a very popular location to tour.

Around 1856, the mayor of San Francisco James Van Ness put aside thirteen acres on top of the scenic area known as Alamo Hill. The area would later be called Alamo Square. This area has some of the most fantastic views of the city and is well known for its miles and miles of quaint Victorian houses. From this location you can view many spectacular sites of the city including Golden Gate Bridge, the Transamerica Pyramid, Oakland Bay Bridge and city hall.

One of the architectural higlights of San Francisco is St. Mary’s Cathedral. This Roman Catholic cathedral was built in 1971 and rises over one hundred and ninety feet. At its peak is a fifty five foot tall cross.

	click image to enlarge

This interesting church was done in the Expressionist Modern style and is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The major features of this modern cathedral include large windows and a one ton kinetic sculpture that rises fifteen stories high and is placed over the altar.

For those looking for the shopping mecca of their time, than San Francisco offers visitors Union Square. Union Square is the third largest shopping area in the United States and many upscale hotels and stores call it home. Stores such as Neiman-Marcus, Nordstrom’s and Macy’s can be found here. It also boast a thriving theater area. In the center of this district is the Victoria Monument.

No trip to San Francisco would be complete without a visit to Fort Mason. This fort was built during the Civil War and covers approximately thirteen acres. Today it houses some of the cities best museums. This fort has an indoor theater and nine mission style buildings. Events are offered here all year long dedicated to the arts, culture and the humanities. Also several not for profit organizations offer seminars and workshops here.

San Francisco also offers visitors a whole host of other tourist attractions. These include the Palace of Fine Arts, Pier 39 and Yerba Buena Gardens. Neighborhoods in the city include Nob Hill, Japantown, Sutro Heights and Haight-Ashbury. In these neighborhoods visitors are sure to find restaurants and cafes that range from the trendy to the esoteric and everything in between.

click image to enlarge

Jerusalem is the capital of the country of Israel and is also its biggest city. It covers an area of forty-eight square miles and has a population that exceeds seven hundred and sixty-three thousand residents. Of these residents, sixty four percent are Jewish, thirty-two percent Muslim and two percent are Christian. On average the population of the city grows between one and two percent per year. This city is situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea in the Judean Mountains. Jerusalem has a Meduterranean climate that has hot summers and cold winters. Summer temperatures average about twenty-nine degrees Celsius and the winter temperatures average about four degrees Celsius.

Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah for over four centuries. In the sixth century BC, the city was taken by the Babylonians and Jerusalem’s king was imprisoned. The Babylonians burnt down the temple, razed the city walls and put Gedaliah in power as the governor. Fifty days later, Gedaliah was assassinated and the remaining population of Judah escaped to Egypt. After the Persians conquered Babylon, Cyrus II of Persia let the Jews return and rebuild the temple. The temple was completed in 516 BC. Ezra and then Nehemiah was sent by Artaxerxes I and to govern Judah. After Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire, the city became subject to Greek control. When Alexander died, the city then fell under the rule of Ptolemy I. In 198 BC, Ptolemy V lost the city to the Seleucids after the Battle of Panium. Eventually, Jerusalem became a part of the Hasmonean Kingdom. The Hasmonean Kingdom remained intact for a little over a century. When the empire dissolved then the city fell under Roman rule, but retained a great deal of its autonomy. The Romans placed Herod as a Jewish King around 19 BC. In 66 CE Jerusalem rebelled against Roman rule. Titus quelled the rebellion and destroyed most of the city in the process. After the war, Jews were allowed to continue to live in the city and to practice their religion.

	click image to enlarge

Today, Jerusalem is a city that has many attractions to offer to tourists. One of the more popular attractions in the city is the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. The Yad Vashem is the countries memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It was established in 1953 and derives its name from the Bible. It is located at the base of Mount Herzl and covers an area of forty-five acres. It contains memorial sites, sculptures, a Holocaust museum, a museum of Holocaust art, a research institute, archives, synagogue, educational center and library. The Holocaust History Museum was founded in 2005 and is a triangle shaped building. Its over five hundred and forty feet long and its walls are made of concrete. The building covers an area of over twelve thousand square feet, and the majority of it is located underground. It features ten exhibition halls, with each one dedicated to a different part of the history of the Holocaust.

Another prominent attraction in Jerusalem is the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. This is a religious site that dates back to 19 BC and was constructed by Herod the Great. The Wailing Wall is a one hundred and eighty seven foot section of prehistoric wall located on the western side of the Temple Mount. The wall faces a plaza and the actual wall stretches fourteen hundred feet past the Wailing Wall, with most of it being contained behind various residential structures. The wall has forty-five stone courses, with twenty-five or so located above ground. Dome of the Rock is another prominent attraction in Jerusalem. Its an Islamic shrine which is home to the Foundation Stone. Dome of the Rock was constructed in the seventh century and is one of the oldest Islamic buildings in the World. The most pronounced feature of this monument is its Dome which is covered in gold. The inside of the Dome is adorned with marble and mosaics, most of which were added centuries after the structure was built.

The biggest synagogue in the city of Jerusalem is the Belz Great Synagogue.

click image to enlarge

The Belz Great Synagogue was built by the Belz Hasidic community during the 1980s. It was dedicated in the year 2000 and it has a seating capacity of over six thousand people. Inside is a wooden ark that is thirty-six feet high and weighs over eighteen tons. This ark is capable of holding seventy scrolls. The synagogue also has nine chandeliers. Each chandelier is eighteen feet high and eleven feet wide and contain almost a quarter million pieces of crystal. The Garden of Gethsemane is a garden located at the base of the Mount of Olives. It is known as the place where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before his crucifixion.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a Christian church that is sometimes referred to as the Church of the Resurrection. It was built on an old Roman site that had been the home of a temple dedicated to Aphrodite. Emperor Constantine I ordered that the temple be demolished and ordering Macarius of Jerusalem,a local Bishop, to build a church on the location around the fourth century. During the construction of the church, Constatine’s mother Helena supposedly discovered the True Cross and the tomb of Jesus Christ.

Other prominent attractions in Jerusalem include Notre Dame de Sion Ecce Homo Convent, Temple Mount, the Garden Tomb, Old City of Jerusalem, Mount Herzl, Hezekiah’s Tunnels, Mount of Olives, Tower of David Museum, Ein Gedi Spa, Moses Montefiore Windmill, the Israel Museum, Mount Scopus Botanical Garden, Cardo, Holyland Model, Ben Yehuda Street, Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, Kennedy Memorial, Jaffa Gate, Mahne Yehuda Market, Church of Condemnation and Flagellation and El Asa Mosque. The city of Jerusalem is also home to a wide variety of restaurants and hotels. Hotels in the city include American Colony Hotel, Beit Shmuel Guest House, Inbal Hotel, Lev Yerushalayim Suite Hotel, Neve Shalom-Wahat al Salaam Guest House and Hostel, Ramat Rachel Hotel, Royal Plaza Olive Tree Hotel, Saint Mark’s Lutheran Guest House, Notre Dame Guest House, Mount Zion Hotel and Prima King’s Hotel.