Horowitz Travel-Israel-Jerusalem-Park
Walk-January 23, 2017
Strolling? What's that? We set out to "stroll" through Blumfield Park where the Montefiore Windmill is. It skirts the wall of the Old City. Instead of following the street, our detour was scenic, but challenging. We climbed steps up & down then ramps up & down. We helped a woman drag a very heavy stroller with a toddler in it up steep steps only to find her husband waiting & watching from the top with three more children. David noticed that, unlike at home, people don't smile at each other as they pass. Maybe they're out of breath.
We wanted to branch out into different quarters so went to lunch in an Armenian restaurant. We were coaxed in by the owner as he greeted us on the street & convinced us to follow him into an ancient courtyard. It always strikes me how new our country is. When we were in Greece, we thought that was old, but this building housed a shopping area from Biblical times. The Roman columns flanking the courtyard are considered "new." Versavee met our requirements. It was old, secluded, & served food new to us. David had "sujuk." It looked like a quesadilla cut in triangular pieces. The double layer of dough was pita-like & filled with beef sausage. A surprise at the end was that the toilet (more steps to climb) was modern. Lucky us.
The narrow lanes of the souk (market in the Old City) branch off a gently sloping main street of steps. Each step has small ramps to ease the passage of delivery carts. We followed one piled up to seven feet as the man in back stepped on a dragging bike tire to brake, & the man in front balanced the load. They both shouted "hello, hello" to warn others. The ramps, as the steps, have been there forever & are quite clever, unless you're making your way along without a cart. The steps &, thus the ramps, are unevenly spaced & the heights of each are different.
Keeping with our theme of exploring new territory, we searched for the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We followed a non-English speaking tour group into the building & realized we were clueless as to its significance. We learned. It was consecrated in 335, & for the last 160 years has been shared by Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, & to a lesser extent Egyptian Coptic, Syriac, & Ethiopians. It houses the traditional site of the crucifixion & the tomb from which it is believed Jesus was resurrected. More ups, downs, steps, & ramps.
As we left the Old City, a vendor who chatted us up a couple of days ago recognized us & asked us to come into his juice stand. The proprietor of Versavee greeted us in Hebrew (I doubt he's Jewish) & thanked us for coming to his restaurant. Then he invited us into his gift shop. Both were turned down with a smile & "perhaps tomorrow." We did go into a shop in Mamilla Mall where the clerk spoke excellent English & Spanish. When asked, she said she learned her English when she was in South America.
We're whipped & came home for our last leftover Shabbat dinner. Time to start again.
Toby
Strolling? What's that? We set out to "stroll" through Blumfield Park where the Montefiore Windmill is. It skirts the wall of the Old City. Instead of following the street, our detour was scenic, but challenging. We climbed steps up & down then ramps up & down. We helped a woman drag a very heavy stroller with a toddler in it up steep steps only to find her husband waiting & watching from the top with three more children. David noticed that, unlike at home, people don't smile at each other as they pass. Maybe they're out of breath.
We wanted to branch out into different quarters so went to lunch in an Armenian restaurant. We were coaxed in by the owner as he greeted us on the street & convinced us to follow him into an ancient courtyard. It always strikes me how new our country is. When we were in Greece, we thought that was old, but this building housed a shopping area from Biblical times. The Roman columns flanking the courtyard are considered "new." Versavee met our requirements. It was old, secluded, & served food new to us. David had "sujuk." It looked like a quesadilla cut in triangular pieces. The double layer of dough was pita-like & filled with beef sausage. A surprise at the end was that the toilet (more steps to climb) was modern. Lucky us.
The narrow lanes of the souk (market in the Old City) branch off a gently sloping main street of steps. Each step has small ramps to ease the passage of delivery carts. We followed one piled up to seven feet as the man in back stepped on a dragging bike tire to brake, & the man in front balanced the load. They both shouted "hello, hello" to warn others. The ramps, as the steps, have been there forever & are quite clever, unless you're making your way along without a cart. The steps &, thus the ramps, are unevenly spaced & the heights of each are different.
Keeping with our theme of exploring new territory, we searched for the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We followed a non-English speaking tour group into the building & realized we were clueless as to its significance. We learned. It was consecrated in 335, & for the last 160 years has been shared by Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, & to a lesser extent Egyptian Coptic, Syriac, & Ethiopians. It houses the traditional site of the crucifixion & the tomb from which it is believed Jesus was resurrected. More ups, downs, steps, & ramps.
As we left the Old City, a vendor who chatted us up a couple of days ago recognized us & asked us to come into his juice stand. The proprietor of Versavee greeted us in Hebrew (I doubt he's Jewish) & thanked us for coming to his restaurant. Then he invited us into his gift shop. Both were turned down with a smile & "perhaps tomorrow." We did go into a shop in Mamilla Mall where the clerk spoke excellent English & Spanish. When asked, she said she learned her English when she was in South America.
We're whipped & came home for our last leftover Shabbat dinner. Time to start again.
Toby
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| Fountain in Blumfield Park |
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| Church of Holy Sepulcher |
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