Blue skies in Jerusalem

C. and I have flown 36 hours straight, lept onto a sharoot and zoomed up to Jerusalem.  We saw the golden city at dawn.  C. was spell bound.  We were virtually tossed out the back of the speeding sharoot at Jaffa Gate where we had the pleasure of finding our names on the door of our inn... welcoming us and informing us to go for a pleasant walk in the old city and come back at 12.  It was 6a.m.  We walked the long way from Jaffa Gate to Ben Yehuda street via a number of map reading errors.  We drank thick black coffee and tiny fresh croissants at 7 am while Ben Yehuda Street was just starting to unravel for the day.  We walked right round, passed the museum of psalms, passed Rev Kooks house, round the Russian enclave, the ethiopian mosiac church, stumbled into the police-idf compound, were tailed by security at the municipal buildings and finally we found our way without incident back to the old city.  C. is always getting pulled up!  Still with time to burn we walked to the kotel.  we payed our respects washed our hands, prayed our prayers, walked in stages and rocked and walked backwards without turning away.  we laid the little packet of prayer scrolls in the cracks, and prayed for all our loved ones.

It was still only 9am.  We lined in a massive queue and (with a little guilt ignored all rabbinate warnings about wandering on the temple mount).  We walked twice around the temple mount and al-aqsa mosque compounds until a taciturn worshipper told us our time was up.  We merged with norwegians and went through the golden gates.

Up and down and round and round we went through the arab quarter.  the spices, the silks, the scarves, the confronting gestures, catcalls - i'm much better this time round.  Maybe because I am all in black and 10 years older!!!  We found our way to a lauded hummous den - Abu Shiska at 10:30am and enjoyed an excellent arab humous and falafel with fresh orange juice and arabic coffee... mmm  I was in chick pea heaven.

We came back at 12 to check in and crash but found out we had to pay in cash so walked another hike to the mamilla mall.  Horrors - our credit card was not cooperating!!!  It took an hour of messing about to work it out.  And here I am - FINALLY a shower and in my little old city hostel (a pair of old fogeys with a bunch of teenage travellers) and loving every minute.  Still get mistaken for a Jerusalemite ... still feels like coming home.