Mistovev
Mistovev - Today I wandered…. Around the new part of Jerusalem.
My first goal - to find the apartment I lived in when I studied here in 1974. Well after a while I did find the street, Rehov (street) Abarbanel , and it did look familiar, but I don’t remember the street number, and none of the buildings looked right. Except it could have been one of the few that appear to be abandoned and overgrown - which struck me as odd since it is so close to the center of town, and I am told that real estate has become so very expensive. Like many neighborhoods in Jerusalem, this one has become inhabited by the very religious. It used to be a very fashionable secular neighborhood (Rehavia, for those who know the city).
My second goal: Go the Mahaneh Yehudah (the Jewish Market), which is an open air market full of stalls with vendors selling vegetables, nuts, meat, fish… it is very much like the open air markets in many European cities - except like everything else here, it’s all in Hebrew! Here is where we shopped for our groceries and Sabbath meals. All very fresh and alive (not the chickens). The other important task was to see if I could find the winner of the 1999 ( I think it was 1999) Blumberg Family Award for the Best Falafel in Jerusalem. I think I found it… though not at the self-proclaimed best…. Around the corner. What makes it the best??? Freshly made falafel, lots of salad, good harrif (spicey stuff), humus, pickles, chips and that certain something that can’t quite be defined…… who knows, but it was fun.
The rest of the day has been just wandering around, revisiting old haunts, trying to figure out things are new. Reading on various benches, drinking coffee at sidewalk cafes.
The official gathering of the group has begun. I’ve got my jersey, water bottle and riding shorts (thanks Mom)… and a roommate named Robin, which could get confusing at some point. Dinner tonight with new friends and an old one - my connection to the Arava Institute is Rabbi Michael Cohen, who was a close college friend of Robin’s (my wife not by roommate) late brother Andrew. Michael was one of the founding faculty members of the Institute, and is on the ride. It was nice to see him again. I am hoping we will get some time to talk over the trip.
It was wonderful visiting with my cousins over the last few days. They are wonderful and gracious hosts, and it was terrific seeing their kids, who have grown so.
L'hitraot
Lester
There's nothing like Israeli falaffel in the U.S. but there REALLY is nothing like HUMMOUS as one finds in Israel. I envy your access to both.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure you (or anyone) can figure out Jerusalem. As you've noted, neighborhoods in the Old City (Jewish Quarter) and in the New City are very new and very expensive but there are others that seem to chosen to be ghettos. Go figure.
Say hello to BOTH Robins but don't get them confused.
Dennis