Routine Sets In

Horowitz Travel-Israel-Jerusalem-Scut work- January 17, 2017

Weather warmed up to the high 50's today. Tomorrow we may hit 60's. A veritable heat wave.

Today was to be laundry/cleaning day. We put it off by walking to lunch then doing light grocery shopping in one of many neighborhood stores. We walked through our neighborhood on a street parallel to Emek Refaim, the main drag. Probably all the buildings we saw were apartments. Private houses are for the wealthy. Lots are small, but most have citrus trees bearing fruit. I even saw a kumquat tree. Haven't seen one of those since I was a kid in Orlando walking home from school. There's not much in the way of flowers this time of year, and most of the greenery looks untamed.

We ordered our falafel & I asked about a platter of crisp round things on the counter. The guy looked at me as if I was nuts. He said, "Latkes." I said, "But it's not Chanukah." He probably groaned inwardly, but sold us one for dinner.

David spent a good part of the afternoon trying to find an ATM that would take his Ameriprise VISA card. We were warned that this could be an issue, but were advised to keep trying different machines. This is the second day of being told, "no service to this card." He dropped me off with the groceries then went out in search. He meandered a good 5 minutes away until he found a bank with two ATMs next to each other. The first didn't work; the second did. When he came home, another chunk of time was spent trying to locate the switch to turn on the lights he needed for reading.

I did general housekeeping & was not happy with what I found. It didn't seem as if anyone thoroughly cleaned before we came. I plowed through dust & schmutz that shouldn't have accumulated in the one week we've been here (including long brown hairs). I emailed the rental agent. She replied with GREAT news. They hired a new cleaning service. No benefit to us.

The latke was enjoyed by David at dinner. It heated up well & was crispy. He also liked his hot dogs. I know. Boring. I finished up last night's dinner. I forgot to tell you that I'd ordered a focaccia with egg, eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, humus, onions. I pictured a sandwich. What came was what looked like a 16" size pizza. Odd.

We've been hearing lots of sirens tonight, which is unusual. Police cars & motorcycles are always everywhere & easy to spot. They ride with their blue lights flashing all the time.

I omitted a fact from our trip to Yad Vshem yesterday. After the liberation of the concentration camps by the allies, Jews who tried to return to their towns in Poland and Russia were persecuted as they had been before the war. The majority ended up in displaced persons camps until they could be relocated. This was difficult since most countries didn't want them including the United States.

Friends of ours posted this on Facebook. It is poignant, prescient & frightening as hell. Keep it in mind as you make your way through the ordeal of January 20, 2017.


H. L. MENCKEN, WRITER, JULY 26, 1920:

"AS DEMOCRACY IS PERFECTED, THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT REPRESENTS MORE & MORE CLOSELY,
THE INNER SOUL OF THE PEOPLE.  ON SOME GREAT & GLORIOUS DAY,
THE PLAIN FOLKS OF THE LAND WILL REACH THEIR HEART'S DESIRE AT LAST,
AND THE WHITE HOUSE WILL BE OCCUPIED BY A DOWNRIGHT FOOL & A COMPLETE NARCISSISTIC MORON."

To those of you going to Washington, DC or to other demonstrations, be alert. Stay safe. Be strong.

Tomorrow we're meeting Chaim Shalom, of Hebrew Union College, Israel, for a tour of the campus. That's the Jerusalem campus of the seminary in Cincinnati from where David was ordained.

Toby

Orange tree in yard

Remembrance

Horowitz Travel- Israel-Jerusalem-Yad Vshem- January 16, 2017

We conquered the transportation system. We have a bus card & got where we were going, but it was a learning curve.

We were told that bus cards were purchasable from the driver, but Mr. Bus #14 wasn't in agreement. He said we had to go to the Central Bus Station. That's where we were going anyway. We bought a ticket from him & got off at the end of the line. We were not at anything resembling a bus station. He waved us down the street to what was obvious to him. We interrupted some soldiers on cell phones (a perpetual appendage) who waved us on in the same direction. A security guard pointed to a metal detector through which we walked and found ourselves in a downscale multi-level mall. No signs in any language mentioned buses, so we asked. The station was up two floors. The escalators we needed weren't contiguous, but we found the second one in due time. We lined up at a window only to be told ticket purchases were at terminal 22. It was beyond all the other gates, down an endless hall, & past the rest rooms. The nice lady there asked us for our passports so we could get tourist passes. We offered her copies. Our passports are secured in the apt. She said that what we needed were "anonymous" bus passes. Those were for sale at the original window we went to. At least we knew where that was. Unfortunately, the guy there hadn't heard of "anonymous" passes. He said, "I don't know what you want." David replied, "Me either." At that point we didn't care if it was anonymous, senior, tourist, or subversive. He finally sold us the damn pass. I felt like saying, "Dorothy, we're not in Switzerland anymore."

Ah, but there was more confusion. Where was the bus to Yad Vshem, the Holocaust Memorial?  David was embarrassed to go back to the same man, so we went to another window. We couldn't understand that man's English. I sheepishly went back to the original ticket window and was greeted warmly & familiarly. With great care, he said we should go to the "tren" (guttural 'r'). I held up ten fingers and asked if he meant gate 10? He shook his head vigorously & gestured out the window repeating "tren, tren." It dawned on me, as a train rolled by, that he was saying "train." There was a light rail across the street. It took our passes, & we were off. Whew!

We exited the train & followed signs to a treed path forming a link between present and past. The parking circle at the entrance was filled with buses carrying U.S. & Canadian Birthright college kids & Israeli students. The place was hopping.

We had first been to Yad Vshem in 1974. The second time was in 1995. The campus has grown enormously since then. We had sandwiches in a cafe overlooking the hills & I recalled how our granddaughter, Talia, described her experience eating there on Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for the military) surrounded by soldiers. My heart hurt to think that she witnessed what we were about to see.

There is no describing the, by now, familiar atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis on 12 million. This memorial has a Jewish orientation highlighting the six million murdered. There is mention of disabled, homosexuals, gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, Communists, etc. who totaled another six million killed. You are all aware, & if your memory has faded, I urge you to either go to the Holocaust Memorial in Washington, DC, a memorial near you, read, watch documentaries. We tend to let the horrors recede, but we need to be jolted back to the possibility of recurrence: not just for Jews, but for any people. One of the first quotes we read was, "A country is not just what it does, it is also what it tolerates." Neighbors turned their backs & were complicit. Media was censored. Lies were told ad nauseum until truth was indiscernible. Take the time to look up what Martin Niemoller, a German Lutheran pastor & anti-Nazi theologian had to say.

There didn't seem to be a country in Europe & Russia that was untouched. Oh yes, Switzerland didn't lose any Jews. Neither did Turkey or Denmark. Bulgaria was a puppet of Nazi Germany, but saved it's Jews by "filling its quota" with Jews from Macedonia & Thrace.

Exhausted, drained, emotionally raw, we exited into daylight. Relief was short lived. I noticed smoke wafting from a waste basket. I alerted a guard who took it very seriously. I expected he'd summon the military, but he ran into the men's room, emerged with a bucket of water, & doused it. Crises over.

But we hadn't finished tormenting ourselves. The Children's Memorial is genius in its simplicity. We entered the dark, candle lit maze to the sounds of the reading of the list of names, ages, & countries of children murdered by the Nazis: age 2, age 16, age 8........  Brutal.

Our return to the present was by way of a train ride. We sat opposite two teens who chatted interchangeably in Hebrew & English. Their exchanges were peppered with the inimitable "like" in both languages. At the bus station, we re-entered the crazy world of Israeli irrationality. We went to the bus stop across the street from where we'd been dropped off earlier. The logic was that we'd be going in the opposite direction. Nope! We were on the wrong side. Bus #14 was waiting where we'd gotten off that morning. We boarded, asked if it went to our area & were told this was the end of the line for that bus. We had to get bus the #14 back two blocks further along the street. As we walked, we joked that it would probably be the same bus. Sure enough, 6 minutes later, as promised, the same bus driver pulled up to where we waited & let us board.

Dinner was disappointing, but when we came out of the restaurant, a couple from New Rochelle, NY, asked if we enjoyed our meal. We were honest & were able to make several recommendations finally walking them to a falafel place. We're going native.

Today is our son-in-law, Julian's, birthday. As we were speaking to him, the doorbell rang. Our downstairs neighbor gently told us that our porch light had been on for a week (expensive) & our awning was open blocking sunlight to her apartment. We were very apologetic & she was very sweet about it. All this took place in English, Hebrew, & French.

Tomorrow is sheet washing, housecleaning, shopping day. We'll take it easy...maybe.

Toby

Old City

Horowitz Travel- Israel- Jerusalem-Old City-January 15, 2017

Having figured out the bus system, we decided to walk to the Old City. It was only 1.5 miles & the sun was out. Although the high was around 54 degrees, I layered with Under Armor & earmuffs.

We happened on the Montefiore Windmill then stopped at the King David Hotel to pick their brains on distances & sites. Even though we told them we weren't staying there, they were most gracious with help, a map, & lunch suggestions.

We took Mamilla Mall, a trendy upscale street where you'd recognize the store names. Our choice for lunch was mine to make. I'd forgotten how anxious David gets making food decisions, so I took over that job. We ate at Rimon where David had fish & chips. That sounds pedestrian, but this was a delicately battered trio of salmon, tuna, & trout. I looked at what the woman next to me was having & said, to quote "When Harry Met Sally, "I'll have what she's having." It was julienne sweet potato & halloumi cheese concoction on a bed of cucumbers, tomatoes, & spinach.

We had a bird's eye view of the mall & people watched as we ate. There is no rush in Israeli restaurants. No one will approach a table to present a check. We tried to figure out who were Muslim women & who were Orthodox Jewish women. I'd like the concession on black tights & scarves. Both items are worn by some women in both groups.

Emerging from modern Mamilla, we scaled steps to be confronted with a woman screaming about how Jesus saved her. Watching as they walked past were women in hijabs, & ultra orthodox Jewish men with big black hats, tzizit (fringes of prayer shawls), & payot (long side curls). Behind it all, was the wall of the Old City with minarets & domes barely visible.

We ran the David St. gauntlet of vendors trying to entice us into their shops with offers of "good prices." It's the main drag down to the Western Wall which is where we were headed.

We waited for what looked like a platoon of soldiers to pass before we could get in line for security at the Wall. David went to the men's side of the Wall with a note/prayer to place between the stones while I waited. That done, we went to an exit into the Jewish Quarter. As we dithered about how to get through that quarter (there's no direct route) a woman greeted us with a big "hello." It was Jen Chestnut, a Hillel regional director from Akron who was there with a Hillel Birthright group. She is married to Sam Chestnut, the director of the Lippman School (a multi-cultural school teaching Jewish values) where our grandkids go/went. It's amazing how often people run into folks from home here.

The Jewish Quarter was a challenge. The streets wend, wind, & end haphazardly. Typical Medieval maze, but older. We came upon remnants of a wall that was accidentally found while digging for another reason. It's dated at 2600 BCE, the Israelite Tower from 586 BCE, & the Ramban  Synagogue founded by Nahmanides in 1267. He came all the way from Moorish Spain at a time when Jews flourished there.  Not to leave out Rome, The Cardo, an old Roman road has columns in evidence & is still in use as a street.

It was time to head back, but we needed to sit & sip coffee. Aroma Cafe called our name. Coffee houses here serve food as well, but we just had cafe Americanos. Two women from New York sat next to us, & we chatted about their plans. The younger one had worked for Michael Bloomberg 17 years ago. We thought we were on the same page. Then we got into American politics, & they assured us they were Republicans. They were Kasich fans but voted for Trump. Oy! We disagreed on what was good for Israel & the Clintons with fervor but respectful dialogue. One woman mentioned that Reform Jews weren't that informed about Israel. We objected. She accused us & Reform Jews of not caring about Israel, only social issues. They were social liberals, but voted for whomever they thought would make Israel strong. Their theory was that Trump would make a deal with Putin to take over Syria, then Putin would exert pressure for a peace between Israel & the Palestinians. I told her I hoped that would end up better than when Chamberlain gave Hitler the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia. She paused & agreed. The end of friendly disagreement came when they rose to leave, & one said that Obama should not have abstained at the UN, but what can you expect from a Muslim. We should have been speechless, but managed to let her know that the conversation was over & that we wouldn't listen to her idiocy. Oy! Oy!

Still recovering from our encounter, we continued our walk back to the apt. We weren't hungry, but thought soup would hit the spot. Caffit was it. It's a pleasure to have an ice-free pitcher of water brought to the table without asking. David had an atomic level spicy tom yum, which he loved. I had an extra bland Persian lentil soup which I wouldn't order again.

At the apt. we got the joyous news that friends at home just had a baby boy. And we know where to get a new baby card here!

Toby

Montefiore Windmill

Western Wall

Cold

Horowitz Travel- Israel-Jerusalem of course- January 14, 2017

It's cold. I'm cold. David's cold. I'm layered. My favorite places are in the shower or in bed under a down comforter. We walk, I warm up. We come back, turn the wall heaters up, but I'm still cold. Turning on the central system is extravagant. As I write this I'm listening to an Al Jazeera report on the Syrian refugees. I think I'll shut up now.

We started Shabbat last night by walking to the synagogue, Kol Ha Neshamah,  a progressive (Reform) congregation, where we were meeting our friends. We weren't alone. Most of the populace joined us each going to whatever synagogue met their needs.

Tour groups are not uncommon during services. Last night there were young people from Kentucky & Buffalo, NY. There were two nuns in attendance as well. I'm told they're there every week. They belong to an order that rotates nuns to Jerusalem yearly & they tend to like Jewish worship.

The service was primarily led by a guitar playing young man under the direction of the rabbi. I was told that there are 40 rabbis who belong to that congregation. Lots of American retirees. I thought it would be easy for me to participate, but, although the words were the same, the tunes were entirely different than I'm used to. It threw me to the point where I almost didn't recognize most of them. On the two occassions I could join in, I was relieved.

After services, the Stuart & Ellyn drove us to the Terri & Ron's. Their townhouse is multi-level with each tier overlooking the Old City. During a sumptuous dinner, we had time to exchange opinions and bring each other up to date. We didn't cheer each other up. Things here have gotten to the point where an option of a two-state solution is an old pipe dream, and a one state solution is seen as untenable by both right and left. Limbo isn't a comfortable place to be. Our friends were protesting the building of a new settlement when they asked about the Arab construction workers. The supervisor told them that politics aside, the men needed jobs.  But our friends said that the most discussed topic among their peers is the economy, not terrorism or survival. For those who look forward to Netanyahu being indicted or stepping down, be careful what you wish for. We were told that his successor is likely to be worse. The Jerusalem Post thinks Trump is a savior, and David has taken to watching news on Al Jazeera, not CNN. I left there feeling that Israel was in danger of losing its moral compass. The terror attacks are real, but some types of retaliation can cross the line.

David was determined to start the day in the morning. He set the alarm for 9:00AM, & I actually woke up. We were on our way by foot to the Islamic Museum of Art in no time. Although streets in our immediate neighborhood are level, everywhere else is uphill. We followed a combination paper map (they still exist) and directions from Mapquest. The streets were crowded with people dressed in dark colors returning from worship. There were lots of strollers, children, & dads carrying brightly colored scooters.  Because of the prohibition of driving on the Sabbath, there were few moving cars, no buses, few cabs, & cats. It was a city walker's paradise.

We spent 2 1/2-3 hours at the museum. One of my favorite things was that this museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem was festooned with mezuzahs (look it up if you don't know) on every doorpost.

It is organized chronologically by room, but within each room there is confusion. Hebrew is written & read right to left as is Arabic. English is the reverse. Explanations were written in all three languages. In setting up the exhibits, the dilemma must have been whether to place the placards in alignment with English or the other languages. They did both. Sometimes we viewed objects first, then the information; sometimes not. We never figured out where to start in a room: to go right or left around the room. After dutifully following the cases around one area we realized the "beginning" was in the far right corner of the room.

Our knowledge of Islamic history is limited. We didn't know that the division of Suni/Shiite started soon after Muhammad's death in 632 CE/AD. It's a family feud. It's the story of many religions: expand; conquer to expand; conquer by intimidation/conversion; war worked best.

The lower level of the museum has an interesting clock exhibit starting with ancient timepieces & going to elaborate creations of French royalty. Muslims have time bound and directional requirements for prayer. They devised small, pocket-sized (did they had pockets?) combo sundial/compasses for that purpose. The ones on display were ornate gold pieces. It made me marvel once again that I was carrying a computer in my purse.

Lunch was back at the apt. A first. Just soup & tuna sandwiches. We took turns on line. David figured out the bus web site & is ready to tackle the public transportation system tomorrow.  I found that if I pulled a chair up to a wall heater it was cozy. I closed my eyes and listened to strains of magnificent piano playing echoing in the hall. Shabbat was over. It sounds as if our neighbor is a professional pianist & listening to him/her practice is a bonus. Often the accompaniment is that of Stoney, a well-mannered elder golden type mix who barks & wags simultaneously. His people are responsible enough to keep him in during hours when his barking would be annoying.

We walked to dinner through a drizzle & wimped out. We chose an eatery based on proximity rather than cuisine. Bagel Cafe was a surprise. The minestrone soup was the best I've ever had.  The bagels were just freshly made after Shabbat. David had whitefish on his bagel; I had fried halloumi cheese (Turkish), which I've yet to taste. The soup came with a bagel, the halloumi on bagel came with a salad. I ate the soup & salad & took the rest back to the apt.

We're invited to Stuart's birthday party next Saturday so went in search of a birthday card. We didn't have to go far, just to Steimatzki's, a book & office supply vendor. The cards were in plastic sleeves on the wall going up a flight of steps. They weren't in any particular order, but we did see lots of bar mitzvah cards. Taking care not to fall up or down the steps, we figured we'd just look for the familiar Hebrew phrase for "happy birthday to you." Wrong! What we wanted was anything saying " mazel tov." Then we had to read through "mazel tov" what? Our confusion was increased only by the fact that we initially tried to open the cards the "American" way. Hebrew is written opposite of English, & so the books & cards open "backwards" to what we're used to.

Another mission accomplished, another day is done. Tomorrow we'll tackle the infamous Egged (pronounced 'egg-ed') Bus Company & hopefully find our way.

Toby

First Shabbat

Horowitz Travel-Israel-Still Jerusalem-January 13, 2017

It's erev Shabbat in Israel. That's the day before the Sabbath. Jewish holy days begin at sundown so preparation for Shabbat is at full throttle. Most all men can be seen carrying flowers home, beggars hit the streets so people can do a mitzvah (good deed) before Shabbat, & carry out stores (some only open Thurs. & Fri.) flourish for those too busy to cook Shabbat dinner. Everything closes early (around 3:30pm) since sunset is around 5pm. They'll re-open Sat. evening. Buses will stop running. Movies & non-Jewish museums will be open half a day. That may be our activity for Sat., but we may have to pack a lunch.

Speaking of lunch, we have to start sharing meals. We had way too much food today. The tables in the cafe were suitable for a coffee shop, which it was (Ben Ami again), but ours was filled to overflowing. We had to consolidate breads & condiments to make room. My spinach omelet came with small sides of olive tapenade, feta, eggplant, & sour cream. I opened the omelet & used most of it as auxiliary filling.

Two women at a neighboring table were speaking "American." I asked a question about getting tap water & chatted a bit. Wouldn't you know, they were hopeful about Trump. David got a Jerusalem Post in English this morning, & it said that 79% of Israelis say he'll be pro-Israel. Maybe, but at what price? And They could care less about what he'll do to the U.S.

It would probably be easy being Vegan here. I'm thinking that lots of baked goods are parve. That means they contain no dairy. Eggs are possible. Because most people here keep meat and milk separate, non-dairy pastry/breads make sense. Also good for lactose intolerance.

We meet Stuart & Ellyn (they were at seminary with us) at the synagogue at 5pm. So, this is it for today. Dinner is at the Terri’s afterwards. We're all talkers so I assume it will be a late night.

Toby

Orientation

Horowitz Travel-Israel-Jerusalem again-January 12, 2017

I slept until noon again. Don't know what's up. If I was jet lagged I'd be waking up in the middle of the night. Before we started our day with lunch, we tackled the dryer. David hung the vent out of the window as instructed, & we now have dry clothes. A miracle.

We took a slightly different route to Emek Refaim, our main drag. Chose a Japanese counter service place, Kampai. We ate noodles, mine with tofu, David's with goose & chicken. Average tasting, but crowded with lots of after school kids.

The weekend starts on Thursday night since Friday at sundown begins Shabbat. Work & school lets out early on Friday & most stores/restaurants close. School days are a bit shorter than in the States because they go to school six days a week. There must have been a music class today since lots of kids were carrying violin & cello cases. Unless they were concealing Uzis :).

Our mission was to find a gift to bring to Terri tomorrow night. She'd invited us for Shabbat dinner, & we didn't want to go empty handed. We narrowed it down to an assortment of dried fruits & nuts when David's phone rang. It was Terri. She wanted to meet us for coffee.  We happened to be in front of her favorite cafe, Ben Ami. We had 15 minutes until she came. We bought the fruit & decided to give it to her when we saw her. Otherwise we'd have to carry it to Temple with us. Our pre-thank you gift was well received.

Terri is a treasure trove of information. She works for a group that arranges for Americans interested in volunteering in Israel (Skilled Volunteers for Israel). She's lived here 41 years and knows everyone. She's expert at orienting foreigners & gave us a crash course in her favorite shops & eateries. She plans to email us her "things to do" list as well as a phone number for her favorite cab company & basics on bus usage.

Terri painted a picture of Jerusalem that was unknown to us. Her favorite butcher and provider of Thanksgiving turkeys is an Arab butcher near where we had dinner last night. Evidently, being a butcher is a profession passed down in families much like the funeral business in the U.S.  She told us that Israel (perhaps Jerusalem) has a huge Kurdish community second only to Kurdistan. There is need for Turkish/Kurdish speakers to work with them. She told us that the Islamic Museum was open on Shabbat & a wonderful place to spend many hours. We spent three hours with her. When I asked if she needed to be home for dinner, she said that Israelis don't have dinner like Americans. They have a late lunch & not an organized meal after work except for Shabbat. That left an unasked question for me of when families sit down to share their day.

We only left the cafe because it was getting crowded & they needed the table. When we parted I said that seeing her was like a reunion with someone I never really knew. We went to our apartment, put on warmer clothing, & headed for a falafel/shawarma (chicken gyros) place she liked. It was so much better than where we ate our first night here.

Toby

Settling In

Horowitz Travel Israel-January 11, 2017-Jerusalem

Like some people, the apartment is more photogenic on line than in reality. Our apartment was represented as being updated, & it was. But it hasn't been recently. It is showing wear and as with other times we've been in Israel, the workmanship is lacking. For example, they put in recessed lighting throughout, but in some rooms the wiring from the previous fixtures hang from the ceiling. Hot water has to be planned for. A switch turns on the heater & we're asked to turn it off when not using it. There are metal shutters on most windows. They're controlled by a remote. One of them is temperamental & gets stuck. When closed, they look like they could fend off mortar attacks. Maybe that's the point. We do have a washer & dryer, but they're in different rooms. The dryer has instructions taped to it that explain how to run the vent out of the window when in use.

We had a handyman here yesterday afternoon to help us figure out the heat & TV. Reva, the manager, gave us a cursory explanation of features. However, we were never told

we had a central heating system nor were we shown how to work it. We were relying on small electric wall heaters, which were inadequate. I was wearing a down jacket inside. Adding to the problem, all the surfaces, including the furniture are hard: marble, stucco, leather. Good when it' hot. Not so much for winter. Now that the heat works well, we have to turn it off at night or when we leave since it's so expensive.

I took an hour nap while waiting for the guy then we hit the streets looking for dinner. We're 2-3 blocks from Emek Refaim. It's a main shopping street with small groceries, specialty shops, & wall to wall restaurants. We think we'll start at the far end and eat our way towards our street.

After having divine falafel with fixings, including fries, we headed back. One observation: Israeli's must have strong immune systems. The server/cashier was ungloved as was the customer who stuck his hand into a bowl on the counter to sample the goods.

We were barely functional when we went to bed at about 9:30pm.  We'd been awake 34 hours. Somehow we slept through the night. David made it to 8:30 AM. I'm proud to say I awoke at noon.

In light of day the cleanliness is dicey. Why am I the one to find long dark hairs? The vanity around one of our sinks has black moldy stuff around the back. Guess that's why they supply lots of cleaning equipment.

We'd missed breakfast (no food in the apt. yet) & it was lunchtime. We wanted to find a real grocery store for our stocking up trip, but where? We saw a taxi on our street so I asked the driver if she spoke English. She didn't, but her passenger did. There goes my theory of younger people speaking English. We got directions to Supersol & learned that an American type grocery is called a supermarket; groceries are small, neighborhood shops.

It was a 10-15 minute walk, as represented, but we still hadn't eaten. I asked a girl where there was a restaurant & we were directed across the street to the Mall. It was our first encounter with security. We entered through a guarded metal detector, & bags were searched. It's not often we see guards with tzitzit (fringes of a prayer shawl) peeking out from under a jacket.

The Waffle Shop called to us. David stuck to the theme & was pleased with his dish & it's flamboyant display. I ordered Shakshuka. It's two eggs smothered in pasta sauce (I chose eggplant) accompanied with a salad & long crunchy wheat roll. Prices are shocking in Shekels (144) but it's $36. Still costly.

It only took us 10 minutes to figure out how to access a shopping cart at Supersol, & if we could get an affinity card. Carts here & in Europe (Aldi's too in the US) are released by placing a coin in a slot. The coin is returned when the cart is returned. It required a 5 shekel coin. We had a 10. We finally got an explanation that denomination didn't matter since you got your same coin back. The apartment came with a cloth shopping cart on wheels. Could we take it into the store? How do we carry it & push a cart? Yes, we could take it. I figured out a way to hang it from the cart. No one else was doing that. They all had them in their store carts. There were two prices for each item on the shelves. I inquired about a membership card. That took three people to answer. It was determined that I needed Israeli ID to be eligible. We paid the higher price. So, 10 minutes wasn't really long to figure this out.

Now we were cooking. To summarize, it took the same time to shop here as our first trip in Australia, two hours. We bought enough to fill our own cart to overflowing (about $90). Packaging was in Hebrew so it was tedious reading ingredients. We almost ended up with vegetarian chicken patties. Being a vegetarian is so easy here. Lots of options. While waiting at the deli counter for sliced turkey pastrami, I saw a clerk free at the other end. Nope, she only handled dairy. Of course, it's Israel. Different clerks for meat & dairy.

It was time to find our way home. That was the easy part. Our cart now weighed what felt like 100 lbs full, but it was downhill. I walked behind in case anything fell out. David schlepped. I helped toward the end, but he had to pull it up the steps to our flat. Yes, it's on the first floor. Translation, outside the U.S. it's the second floor.

Dinner was at First Station, the old railway station, now a small amusement park with cafes & shops. The carousel was playing "Give My Regards to Broadway" as we decided on an outdoor burger joint (Captain). No, it's not that warm (40-50) but most eateries put up plastic sheeting & use outdoor heaters. As we walked, we saw many bus stops & road signs in Hebrew, English, & Arabic. There is more diversity than expected. Africans aren't uncommon. I'd forgotten about the airlift of Ethiopians decades ago. Their children are Sabras (native born Israelis).

We're living in the German Colony. It was established in the second half of the 19th century by the German Temple Society, a Protestant pietist group of the Lutheran church. They were kicked out of Germany due to their millennial beliefs. They came here to await the messiah after the apocalypse. So, the buildings are that old. It's all beige. As we approached Jerusalem yesterday, I remembered how beige it is. As with the American southwest, it never appealed to my aesthetic. To achieve that look, most (all?) buildings are made of Jerusalem stone.

We're doing a load of wash. Most of it is what we travelled in. So far, we have rotation, water, & suds. Here's hoping.

Toby

Note on Dryer

Shakshuka