Jerusalem Round 1

Dear All,
   Not sure if this has occurred to you all yet, but I live in a foreign country.  I mean I live in Israel.  Well, this didn't really hit me until my "sherut" ride up to Jerusalem today for, ya know, just a basic day trip to Jerusalem.  I mean Tel Aviv feels a lot like America especially since I have May and her family and home to "go home" to when I feel homesick.  But today, riding across the country to my favorite city in the country, did I finally understand I live in an entirely different place.

     So at about 9:30am, two of my friends and I got our way to the central bus station in Tel Aviv and took a "sherut" to Jerusalem.  A sherut, is like a bus but holds less people and is cab styled.  It has a route, goes faster than busses and you must tell the driver where to stop.  We got to Jerusalem at 10:45am and were off and running.  Went to a poster store, the Jerusalem shuk (much better than TLV), and then did my all time favorite thing to do.

This is me two years ago with the Dome and Western Wall in the background....well....

I never thought the day would come, but here I am two years later taking the same picture.










So yes, we went around to all the quarters and visited the Western Wall. We did so twice actually.  We went earlier, walked around and then went around 6:15 pm and watched as more and more people filled the place for Shabbat. People were singing and dancing, many different outfits and beautiful scenery.

Jerusalem is truly an amazing place.  If I thought Haifa was hilly, then Jerusalem is a mountain range.  There is not more than 10 feet that isn't on a hill of some sort.  People that live there must have amazing legs and butts, because the work out I got was crazy!  But really, it is my favorite place to go.  The different cultures, the old city, the lack of humidity, and beautiful scenery all make this one great city.  Thing is, it is still a bumping city at night (even on shabbat) because there are a lot of young people, but at the same time, there are neighborhoods that have kids walking in the middle of the street because their neighborhood is religious.

We got home about midnight and now I'm sitting writing this.  Point is, I just did a day trip to a crazy important, worldly city.  I don't care if you're not Jewish, not religious, and think you have no connection to Jerusalem...part of being a worldly and educated person is to see places like these...so ALL of you, get your butt over here fast.

Shabbat Shalom,
         Mary