In Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Ein Gedi and Masada, people speak mostly Hebrew. In Bethlehem, Jericho and Jordan, people mostly speak Arabic.
Shekels are used in Jerusalem, as they are throughout the country of Israel. I did notice a lot more shops and restaurants accept U.S. dollars in Bethlehem, Jericho, and Ein Gedi than in Jerusalem and Haifa.
I bought a 1.5-liter plastic water bottle for seven shekels, which is equivalent to 1.98 U.S. dollars.
I tried schwarma for the first time. And wow. I was left speechless! Schwarma consists of thinly sliced cuts of meat, like chicken or beef, rolled into a large piece of flatbread that has been heated. Inside the flatbread, foods like hummus, tahini, pickles, vegetables and even French fries are added. It has got to be my favorite food so far!
On bus rides, I heard music in Hebrew, but in all the stores I walked into, I heard one song specifically. I figured it was a popular Hebrew song. My friend who's Jewish and speaks fluent Hebrew told me the name of the song and said that it was actually Italian. Part of the song was even in Spanish! I thought it was super interesting that an Italian song was so popular here!
