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Friday, November 25, 2022
We got up very early to make an 7:50 am flight out of Malta; it took about an hour to get to Rome, where we had a 1.5 hour layover, before boarding a 3.5 hour flight to Ben-Gurion Airport. That’s when the trouble started.
We had intended to take the train from the airport to Jerusalem’s Central Station. From there is was just a four minute walk to our place. The problem was the Sabbath. Apparently, everything closes in Israel starting Friday night and doesn’t open again until Saturday night. This includes the trains, buses, restaurants, grocery stores, etc, etc, etc. The only option was a very expensive cab ride. In for penny…
We settled in without issue. According to Google there were a few grocery stores open so we went out to in search of them. Then it started to rain…it didn’t really rain…it poured. It was cold and damp. So much for being in the desert.
We walked about for many miles. None of the places we sought out were open. Damn you Google. We did manage to find two Asian groceries but they had nothing that we’d consider edible. By now it was well past dinner time. Cold and wet we did the unthinkable. We went into a McDonald’s. We intended to eat dinner and then bring some things back to the apartment for Saturday. The menu was similar to what you’d find in the US. We ordered two sandwiches, one small soda, and one small fries. It cost over $25.00 and it was really bad. So much for getting food to take home. We decided to head back to our apartment and deal with it all tomorrow. It was a pretty miserable start to our Israeli adventure.
Saturday, November 26, 2022
Deborah found a blog that mentioned some restaurants that were open on Saturday. We headed out to one of them for breakfast. Food in Israel is ridiculously expensive. Two pastries, a coffee, and a tea cost us $20.00. The currency is the New Israeli Shekel (NIS) and there about 3.4 to the dollar (the New Shekel replaced the hyper-inflated Shekel in 1986 at a rate of 1,000 to 1).
After breakfast we headed into the Old City. We wanted to have a look around. We scheduled a walking tour for tomorrow but still thought it might be fun to get a start with things. Immediately upon entering the Jaffa Gate we were inundated by people trying to entice us with their wares. They were Arabs. It was completely expected. We walked through the labyrinth of the Arab Market. It was so much fun. In addition to the souvenir shops there were plenty of storefronts selling Eastern style candies, spices, and foods. Everyone wanted to be our friend.
Eventually we decided to go visit the Western Wall. When we got there Deborah and I had to split because there are separate sections for the men and the women. Off to the left side was a large cave. When I went in they were preparing for the afternoon prayers. I was invited to stay and participate but I declined. Taking pictures near The Wall is discouraged on the Sabbath. We’ll be back.
Back in the Arab Market we found a small shop that made knafeh. He proudly told us that he took the shop over from his grandfather and that he made the cheese filling himself. He showed us the uncovered version for our approval before taking it to the front of the shop where he cooked it over an open wood fire. Deborah had tea and I had Arab coffee. I was told that it was not the same as Turkish coffee and, although it seemed to be prepared and served in the same manner, it tasted different. He said that Turkish coffee is boiled but Arab coffee is cooked. In any event it was very enjoyable. It cost about $15.00.
We continued walking around the Arab Market and stumbled onto Via Doloroso. We both remarked that the name was somehow familiar and then lighting struck as soon as we saw it: The Fifth Station of the Cross. The street was famous for containing a number of the Stations of the Cross. We continued up the street and saw several more. We intend to do the entire circuit on another day.
When we went out of the market we were near The Church of Saint John the Baptist. We tried to get in but couldn’t find the entrance. One of the shop keepers told us it was closed until tomorrow. Then we headed to The Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This church dates from the 4th Century AD. It is thought to be the location of Jesus’ tomb and is thought to be the place where he was crucified.
The church was a madhouse. We wandered about and saw what was to be seen. There was a long line to enter the structure where the tomb was and we weren’t able to get upstairs where he was crucified. We’ll go back early on another day and try again – hopefully before there is a huge crowd. Note: The last several stations of the cross are within this very church.
Just outside the church a shopkeeper told Deborah that he had lovely scarves for just $2.00. Women are required to have their heads covered when they go into the Mosques and Deborah said she needed a new one. Of course, he showed her some lovely cashmere scarves that were handmade by his Bedouin family. (He asked Deborah, “Do you know who the Bedouins are? The people who live in the desert with the camels.” We found him amusing.) He wanted 400 NIS for them (about $117.00). Since Deborah already had one and had no intention of paying anywhere near that for a scarf she politely declined. He told her that he really liked her and wanted her to have it. He would sell it to her for what it cost his family to make it: 250 NIS (about $75). She asked about the other, machine made, silk scarves. He dissembled and continued to push the handmade one. He lowered his price to 200, then 150, and finally 100 NIS. At that price she just couldn’t refuse. In the end it cost less than $30. She probably overpaid 😎.
We had some dinner at a cafe nearby. We ordered a falafel plate, which came with a cabbage salad, an Israeli salad, fries, and two pita. We intended to share it. To wash it down we each had a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. It was absolutely delicious and plenty for the two of us. It cost about $35.00. I’m not sure we can afford to spend three months in this country.
Sunday, November 27, 2022
We took the free tour this morning. We met at the Jaffa Gate and wandered around almost the entire old city. We could have gone to the Temple Mount but after three hours we decided to opt for lunch instead. We can go there another time.
One of the first things we saw was The Church of the Holy Sepulcher. He took us inside and answered a lot of the questions we had. We’re going to revisit all of the sites we saw today and will report back in more detail.
For lunch we shared a Shawarma in a pita in the Arab Market. It was quite tasty. After that we finally got to stop into a grocery store. It was a little challenging because so many of the labels are exclusively in Hebrew, but we managed to get everything that was on our list.