I really should get one of the shirts i see in the stores as i pass by that say, "I walked my feet off in Jerusalem" because i feel it. But i have a had a rather successful couple of days getting in everything i wanted, with the exception of a few, but hey i need to leave some for next year.
Today i am sitting in the beautiful home of my good friend Silvie who is wonderful and super nice to have invited me to stay. For one thing, it is so nice to be in an actual real home with a room to myself! And she has two very cute kids, Shai (who i would sometimes babysit at the kibbutz in '11) has become my new best friend and was so excited when he found out i was staying the night.
But going back, Monday was my second to last day in Jerusalem, and it was a good day. The itinerary ended up being:
Ramparts walk
You can go up onto the Old City walls and walk from Jaffa gate to Lion Gate along the Northern side. There were some really cool views. Also, between China and here, I am very tired of stairs, especially uneven ones.
Rockefeller museum
The walk finishes at Lion Gate, so i walked from there over to the museum. You know, it's really hard to find a place to get a cold drink during Ramadan, and it was hot! Really one of the greatest museums in the world. Such a great collection of pottery all categorized and awesome. I might have completely filled up my camera with pictures there... Here are some examples:
Tram up to Makhane Yehuda
For the first time I rode the new tram! It was really nice and way easier than trying to figure out buses. And it was super easy to know the right stop, it actually tells you. So i made it to the market and walked around for a while, it was fun. There was also a great selection of food places, i found a crowded, but super delicious pasta place. And then had a Re:bar smoothie (sort of like Jamba Juice), also very delicious, and very nice to get something other than falafel and shawarma (though i still love both very much). And, one of the highlights being in this area was that most people start of assuming you speak hebrew. So i for the most part spoke in my simple hebrew and people were pretty nice and let me, that was fun.
Bus to Ketef Hinnom
Also another highlight: made it on the right bus, got off on the right spots, never got lost once, score. And even found the tombs here at Ketef Hinnom. It was rather tricky, though. These are 1st temple period tombs and a pretty significant place where they found some silver scrolls. And the only thing i could find on their location was that it was right next to St. Andrews church. So i went there, the receptionist guy had no idea what i was talking about, not even the name Ketef Hinnom (and that's hebrew!) Finally I went back down and around to a museum for some random guy on the hill below the church and was super lucky that at least one of the girls knew what i was talking about as far as looking for old caves/burials. To get to it you had to go through the building and around to the back where it's just hidden between fences and weeds. But i made it! And it was pretty darn cool.
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Walk up to Emek Refaim
Luckily, this place was near where we had walked on Fri, so i just took the bike path back up and went to my new favorite book store down that street. Also, i am running out of pictures because my memory card might have been filled with pictures of pottery...
Bus to Yafo st center
Made it back, without getting lost.
Russian Compound
The stop ended up being a little farther up the street and i had remembered Jeff pointing out the direction of the compound when we were on Yafo the other night. So i wandered around and found the area which i hadn't even planned on for that day. So pleasant side trip. Unfortunately the church was closed on Mondays (random) and the hospital was boarded up. But hey, at least I saw it.
Russian Hospital
Russian Orthodox Church
Mamilla Mall
I walked from there down to the Mamilla Mall to sit and relax some. I had also heard about the Aroma cafe sort of like Starbucks. So I tried it, which gave me a good excuse to sit down. That is one annoying thing here, you can't sit on any chairs or tables by a cafe/restaurant without them either making you order or kicking you out. The ice cream was really good though.
Hostel
And then I walked back.
Whew.
Tuesday, after two busy days, i decided to take it easy, relatively. I got some pastries and milkie and had breakfast at a little restaurant, the guy let me sit for just ordering a drink. We had a nice conversation, and he gave me the cheaper of the tourist prices, so that as kind. I hung out at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, found a cool cave niche to explore,but had no light do it, next time i'll come prepared and hopefully it will be open. There were a ton of Russian tour groups, so i had fun eavesdropping (what else do you do when people talk thinking no one else understand them?).Also, fun fact, the Garden Tomb is closed between 12 and 2 for quiet time, wish i knew that before i walked all the way over there, not fun. So i went and hung out at Zach's shop for a while, he always has pretty reliable news about everything going on and loves joking. I had my last falafel at a little place next to the hostel, run by cute older ladies who must be sisters and are super sweet. One of their sons came and talked to me, he lives in Sweden right now as a table tennis player, it was interesting. Then I went to lie on the grass at Teddy park right outside Jaffa gate. It was very pleasant just laying there and watching the kids play in the water, until some guy decided to come talk to me, luckily only the last half hour before i had to go. I don't know what it was with today that so many people felt like talking! He was Palestinian, and I told him I was Russian (sometimes i like to get away from the American stereotype), so english was out. So we had a passable conversation in Hebrew, that was interesting.
And then Jeff picked me up and we went to Hod Hasharon to Silvie's for dinner. And that's where i am now, just hanging out and relaxing.
Today i am sitting in the beautiful home of my good friend Silvie who is wonderful and super nice to have invited me to stay. For one thing, it is so nice to be in an actual real home with a room to myself! And she has two very cute kids, Shai (who i would sometimes babysit at the kibbutz in '11) has become my new best friend and was so excited when he found out i was staying the night.
But going back, Monday was my second to last day in Jerusalem, and it was a good day. The itinerary ended up being:
Ramparts walk
You can go up onto the Old City walls and walk from Jaffa gate to Lion Gate along the Northern side. There were some really cool views. Also, between China and here, I am very tired of stairs, especially uneven ones.
Another one fro mom and dad. On the Ramparts with the YMCA tower and King David hotel in the background. (this is why i don't take selfies)
Being creepy and stalking a new friend from church walking on the street below.
Jaffa gate from above
Damascus gate from above
Herod's Gate from above
Lion Gate and in the background, Golden Gate. From above
Rockefeller museum
The walk finishes at Lion Gate, so i walked from there over to the museum. You know, it's really hard to find a place to get a cold drink during Ramadan, and it was hot! Really one of the greatest museums in the world. Such a great collection of pottery all categorized and awesome. I might have completely filled up my camera with pictures there... Here are some examples:
Tram up to Makhane Yehuda
For the first time I rode the new tram! It was really nice and way easier than trying to figure out buses. And it was super easy to know the right stop, it actually tells you. So i made it to the market and walked around for a while, it was fun. There was also a great selection of food places, i found a crowded, but super delicious pasta place. And then had a Re:bar smoothie (sort of like Jamba Juice), also very delicious, and very nice to get something other than falafel and shawarma (though i still love both very much). And, one of the highlights being in this area was that most people start of assuming you speak hebrew. So i for the most part spoke in my simple hebrew and people were pretty nice and let me, that was fun.
Tram
Pasta Pasta!
Also another highlight: made it on the right bus, got off on the right spots, never got lost once, score. And even found the tombs here at Ketef Hinnom. It was rather tricky, though. These are 1st temple period tombs and a pretty significant place where they found some silver scrolls. And the only thing i could find on their location was that it was right next to St. Andrews church. So i went there, the receptionist guy had no idea what i was talking about, not even the name Ketef Hinnom (and that's hebrew!) Finally I went back down and around to a museum for some random guy on the hill below the church and was super lucky that at least one of the girls knew what i was talking about as far as looking for old caves/burials. To get to it you had to go through the building and around to the back where it's just hidden between fences and weeds. But i made it! And it was pretty darn cool.
Pretending to be dead where bodies would be lain to decompose before their secondary burial. :)
\
Body spots to put their dead until only the bones would be left and then they would gather them up and dump them in the cave cavity underneath.
Luckily, this place was near where we had walked on Fri, so i just took the bike path back up and went to my new favorite book store down that street. Also, i am running out of pictures because my memory card might have been filled with pictures of pottery...
Bus to Yafo st center
Made it back, without getting lost.
Russian Compound
The stop ended up being a little farther up the street and i had remembered Jeff pointing out the direction of the compound when we were on Yafo the other night. So i wandered around and found the area which i hadn't even planned on for that day. So pleasant side trip. Unfortunately the church was closed on Mondays (random) and the hospital was boarded up. But hey, at least I saw it.
Russian HospitalMamilla Mall
I walked from there down to the Mamilla Mall to sit and relax some. I had also heard about the Aroma cafe sort of like Starbucks. So I tried it, which gave me a good excuse to sit down. That is one annoying thing here, you can't sit on any chairs or tables by a cafe/restaurant without them either making you order or kicking you out. The ice cream was really good though.
Hostel
And then I walked back.
Whew.
Tuesday, after two busy days, i decided to take it easy, relatively. I got some pastries and milkie and had breakfast at a little restaurant, the guy let me sit for just ordering a drink. We had a nice conversation, and he gave me the cheaper of the tourist prices, so that as kind. I hung out at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, found a cool cave niche to explore,but had no light do it, next time i'll come prepared and hopefully it will be open. There were a ton of Russian tour groups, so i had fun eavesdropping (what else do you do when people talk thinking no one else understand them?).Also, fun fact, the Garden Tomb is closed between 12 and 2 for quiet time, wish i knew that before i walked all the way over there, not fun. So i went and hung out at Zach's shop for a while, he always has pretty reliable news about everything going on and loves joking. I had my last falafel at a little place next to the hostel, run by cute older ladies who must be sisters and are super sweet. One of their sons came and talked to me, he lives in Sweden right now as a table tennis player, it was interesting. Then I went to lie on the grass at Teddy park right outside Jaffa gate. It was very pleasant just laying there and watching the kids play in the water, until some guy decided to come talk to me, luckily only the last half hour before i had to go. I don't know what it was with today that so many people felt like talking! He was Palestinian, and I told him I was Russian (sometimes i like to get away from the American stereotype), so english was out. So we had a passable conversation in Hebrew, that was interesting.
And then Jeff picked me up and we went to Hod Hasharon to Silvie's for dinner. And that's where i am now, just hanging out and relaxing.
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