Taking it easy in Jerusalem

After the day we had yesterday, a mellow day was in order. We started by sleeping late (for us that's about 9:30 if we're lucky!) and then trying to get our things organized for packing to take home. Of course we have quite a bit more stuff than we came with, so it's a challenge! We got about halfway through organizing (you know, to that point where everything is a complete mess) and left to meet Harley and Gabrielle for lunch. We met them at their rental apartment in the cool neighborhood around Ben Sira, and walked over to the Vegan place (Village Green) on Jaffa for lunch. Good food, fresh salads and soups. We loved hearing about all of the off-the-beaten-path adventures they've been having in Israel

After lunch we walked back to our apartment to spend a little time hanging out with the Golds. We shared photos from Noa's bat mitzvah, ate the candy they had bought at the shuk (which they affectionately called salmonella candy - they were not impressed with the sanitary conditions of the candy store!), and heard some wacky tour group stories.


Sylvia slept a bit while we tried again to get organized, finally giving up and going out for one last Friday afternoon at the shuk experience (Abe's simile of the day was that the shuk on Friday afternoon is like Costco the day before Christmas if Costco only had one aisle and one check out). As it turned out, 4:30 is somewhat less busy than 3, as some of the shops are already closing up, and many people have gone home to get ready for Shabbat. But, there was still the same hectic, "I need to sell all of my pita before I go home" atmosphere, yummy smells, and terrific people watching. We bought just a couple of things - the kids got some (wrapped) Israeli candy for their friends, some grapes (special Friday afternoon discount), and of course, rugelach.

After changing clothes, we walked to the Old City to experience Kabbalat Shabbat at the Kotel (which we had not done when we were in Jerusalem before). We knew Amy and Charles and the kids were there, so as we approached I asked, "does anyone see the Golds?" and Sylvia excitedly pointed at the Dome of the Rock and said, "I do, I do!" (the Dome is gold). We met up with them just for a quick hello before their bus left for dinner at the hotel.

We hung around at the Wall for a little while, soaking in the atmosphere. Although the Kotel is obviously a very special place, our family has a hard time with the segregated nature of it. We talked a bit about how nice it will be if they go ahead with the plan to add an egalitarian section. We also talked about how the cultures differ on the men's and women's sides. The diversity of (Jewish)

people at the Kotel was amazing. Students, soldiers, tourists, black hats, fur hats, and more. We thought about how much stronger Israel could be if this diversity were celebrated by everyone in the country. By the time we left, it was packed on both sides and in the plaza.

We walked back through the Armenian Quarter and chose an open restaurant, Bulghourji, with a really charming courtyard out back. We ordered several Armenian specialties, but unfortunately they were all out of most of them! In addition to some more mainstream fare, we did get Armenian kubbeh (yum) and moutabal (a roasted eggplant dip). I tried Taybeh beer (a Palestinian beer) which was pretty good. All in all a good meal, and open on Shabbat!