Cold weather is unusual in Jerusalem—but in March of last year a snowstorm briefly coated the city in white. It was Jerusalem’s first snow in 4 years, and Israelis from all over the country crowded the roads to the city so they could frolic in the winter weather. Later that month they had another opportunity to enjoy some icy entertainment, but this time, it was inside.
A team of Chinese ice sculptors was brought to the holy city to create “The City of Ice,” a 1500-square-meter exhibit of ice carved into everything from giraffes and pandas to windmills and bridges. The show featured a fairy tale world, an ice bar, ice skating, and a miniature model of the city of Jerusalem, complete with all its famous attractions. Thousands of Jerusalemites crowded into the exhibit donning heavy coats and hats.
Producing the exhibit was hard work, and required bringing in translators and figuring out how to create, store, and transport the huge blocks of colored ice to the Old Train Station compound in Jerusalem. The project consumed more energy than the local soccer stadium, so it wasn’t exactly an environmentally-conservative endeavor. But, as this video shows, for a country that rarely sees snow at all, the results were jaw-dropping and truly memorable.
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