At the end of January 2014, my girlfriend and I traveled to Israel, primarily to see Jerusalem. It was a great trip full of inspirations and great impressions. The following are some of the photos I shot there.

All were taken with my Hasselblad 500 C/M (with an 80mm, 150mm or 250mm lens) or Hasselblad SWC and on Kodak Ektar, Kodak Portra 400, Ilford HP5 400 or Ilford SFX 200.

I would like to single out the Kodak Ektar, which has become my favorite film to shoot by far. Its crisp clarity and lifelike, yet still vivid colors are simply amazing.

The flags of Israel and the City of Jerusalem atop David’s Tower, part of the Ottoman city walls of Jerusalem.

Whereever you go in the old city of Jerusalem, history looms over you.

A regular, relatively quiet day on the Western Wall plaza, with the Dome of the Rock shining atop the Temple Mount.

A regular, relatively quiet day on the Western Wall plaza, with the Dome of the Rock shining atop the Temple Mount.

The Kotel (Western Wall or Wailing Wall) is the most prominent modern site for Jewish prayer.

The beauty of the Dome of the Rock left me speechless. Its architecture and design appear perfect.

The beauty of the Dome of the Rock left me speechless. Its architecture and design appear perfect.

The beauty of the Dome of the Rock atop the Temple Mount left me speechless. Its architecture and design appear perfect.

The Dome of the Chain is right next to the better known Dome of the Rock atop the Temple Mount. Research indicated that it is older than the Dome of the Rock and served as the model for the Dome of the Rock, with which it shares its proportions.

The northern facade of the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.

The beauty of the Dome of the Rock atop the Temple Mount left me speechless. Its architecture and design appear perfect.

The south entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

The south entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

This altar in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is traditionally held to be the place of Golgota, the hill where Jesus was crucified and died.

The Stone of Anointing, also known as The Stone of Unction, which tradition claims to be the spot where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial by Joseph of Arimathea. Pilgrims rub clothes and other items over the stone, which is covered in oil, to bless them.

The Aedicule is traditionally held to be the place of Jesus’ tomb and thus his resurrection.

This mosaic of Christ Pantocrator (Jesus Christ as ruler of the world) is in the smaller dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The mosque of Omar is situated immediately next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After the Siege of Jerusalem in 637 victorious Caliph Omar visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where he was invited him to pray inside the Church. Omar declined so as not to set a precedent and thereby endanger the Church’s status as a Christian site. Instead he prayed outside in the courtyard. The Mosque of Omar was built in its current shape in 1193 in memory of this event.

The beautiful underground crypt of the Basilica of the Assumption is the place where, according to Catholic tradition, the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus, took place.

The beautiful underground crypt of the Basilica of the Assumption is the place where, according to Catholic tradition, the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus, took place.

This beautiful mosaic can be found on the altar of the Dominus Flevit Church on the Mount of Olives. Here, according to Gospel of Luke, Jesus, while walking toward the city of Jerusalem openly wept as he became overwhelmed by the beauty of the Second Temple and predicted its future destruction as well as the diaspora of the Jewish people.

The jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives is one of the oldest such cemeteries in the world. Its view on the Temple Mount is terrific, which makes it understandable that this place has such religious significance.

We had the quiet and serene courtyard of the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem to ourselves on a beautiful day.

The Rockefeller Museum offered a very interesting view into the ancient history of the middle east. This partial reconstruction of a palace was very cool to walk through.

We had the quiet and serene courtyard of the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem to ourselves on a beautiful day. This photo was taken on infrared film using an infrared filter

We had the quiet and serene courtyard of the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem to ourselves on a beautiful day.

A little synagogue near the beach in Tel Aviv.

A fisherman on the beach in Tel Aviv.

Surfers on Banana Beach, Tel Aviv. The old town of Jaffo is in the background.

The former dolphinarium is now the Clara Club, a fashionable club.