Evidence: Cultural literacy around the world

I was staying in a five-star hotel in East Jerusalem – romantic haunt of

rock-stars and spies, so it's said – and, for all the exotic atmosphere, I
couldn't see why I was paying £150 a night for a bare room and
sluggish service. I moved to a fancy hotel in West Jerusalem, and was
treated as if I were a homeless person asking for a handout. Then I
gathered my luggage and went to the Austrian Hospice in the heart of
Jerusalem's old city and was ushered into a beautiful, small room, with
a sunlit terrace, a wonderful breakfast included, computers downstairs
and a roof from which I could see and count all the minarets and
church-towers around me. For the best service, the cleanest facilities
and the friendliest atmosphere I'd found – minutes from the Wailing
Wall, the Temple Mount and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – I was
asked to pay less than £40 a night.
I wasn't surprised that religious organisations were offering the freshest
and most elegant hospitality in town, because I've spent much of my
adult life staying in monasteries and retreat-houses, from Mount Koya
in Japan to little hermitages in Kent. Most offer everything you need
(including silence), and freedom from complexity. Monks and nuns are
keen to make you feel comfortable and welcome – they often cook very
well indeed – and realise that, whatever your orientation, you will find
sustenance just in simplicity and peace.