Israel 2010 What Bugs Me

The weather in this area is unbelievable. The nights are cool enough to snuggle under the comforters, and the days are just perfect for opening the windows and leaving the sweaters behind.


The bugs seem mostly non existent. I saw one tiny mosquito, but have not been bitten. The ants are similiar to the ones I grew up with, before the fire ants took over. They are big and very busy at their work and unconcerned with me.


Now flies.....they are not very often, but when you have one, they are way too persistent and totally with bad timing, like when my hands are full, one will lite on my face, shoo him away, 10 seconds later on my face again. They stay with you a few moments of you fighting, before they give up and move on. They are larger and so it is more than a tickle, but a bug on your face! I find them very aggravating and quite powerful to affect my mood, until they are gone. Then I remember that I have to deal with them no more than once a day or two.

Israel 2010 The Old City

While this an older blog, and I have attempted to take pictures previously, I am just now getting this posted. My camera died before, and with our schedule we did not always make it to this area, although I do visit it often. I like the people here, the attitude, and the relaxation of being non-tourist in nature.

This morning we ventured into a different area of town, the old city. This area was worn and old, but alive with local activity. It was not so much a tourist area, making it far more inviting to me. It as a time to explore, learn, shop a little, and haggle much.

People in these shops were more personable, and other locals came and went with their own input as well. It was a maze of so many different shops, store fronts, antiques, and small industrial shops of metal work, leather shops and cobblers, tailors, and cabinetry.


This is a gateway of an old Turkish section.


I love doorways, especially with character. This door opening is only about 5' tall.




A newer addition to the old city honoring the well, with a water wheel.

This area, just to the right had more visual of reconstruction. This area was hidden and has not been addressed yet.

The tall building in the background, for some reason has a very surreal feeling to me.

Mona Lisa was Hebrew or Turkish, maybe?

The Mona Lisa clothing store.

Posters can found posted everywhere.

Right down the center of old town. We sat at a coffee shop on this corner that served both coffee and beer. The beer is served with snacks of pretzels, green olives, black olives, pretzels, and seasoned peanuts. It was a shop that served everyone, but seemed mostly Russians.

This old building attracted me the most. The awnings torn and much work needed, but business as usual.

While my husband is trying to help me understand the lay of the roads, to create a map of the city in my head (I can laugh inside at my lack of comprehension, even if he can't), he finally gives up and points to key buildings which will serve as landmarks and visual honing places to direct me back on path.

Israel 2010 Parks and Recreation

Today we explored some of the nice parks in the area. Nice parks is an understatement. I am amazed. My favorite is the park focused on children with disabilities, but enjoyed by all. It is actually dedicated in memory of an Australian soldier of the War of Be'er Sheva (not much talked about with the other wars).




Note that the above picture is only the portion under the Pavillion. This does not include walking areas, performance areas, fountains and restrooms, and the Maze as pictured below




All of the equipment in the play area is for disabilities and the ease of children moving in and out for play. The merri-go-round is flush to the ground ramping up all the way around for ease of bringing up a wheel chair. It even has seats to secure the child.





Many of the swings have a net style system for children who cannot hold on or who cannot sit for a length of time.

This park is huge and the thoughts that went into this are amazing. I have gone overboard in pictures, but they do not do justice. Of course all children play here, and I think I would rather my little ones play here, due to the extra safety features, but all the adventure still in place.

This is another park, high rise. The slide system is 5 stories high (children height of course). It is great nestled in amongst other high rises in the area.

Israel 2010 Shabbat in Different Languages

Today as we were guest at a Shabbat service, it included many people of different languages. The prominent ones being Hebrew and Russian. There are many people though who pass through visiting Israel or other countries with families making Aliyah (the return to the land). The history can be quite overwhelming of all these different cultures coming together as Jews return.

Today was many songs in languages including: Chinese (from Hong Kong), Catalan (Spain), Finnish, Deutch, Spanish, English, and of course Hebrew. The people were all different, and of course all the same. The fact that they can all be together is not just interesting, but a blessing.

Oh yes, a cat casually wandered through the service, he smelled the food planned for the pot luck. I find cats most interesting here as they do just that. They wander in and out and about and it is as though no one sees them except me. He may have tasted what I sampled or sampled what I tasted. I will be bringing home some new recipes from the meal here.

Later that evening, we attended a performance in Jerusalem of Handel's Messiah. We stopped off for bagels on Ben Yehuda street beforehand, and by the time the evening had finished and the hour or so home, it was almost 2 when we arrived, tricking my system finally (since this is the time I usually awake).

Israel 2010 The Order of Blogs

While my days and nights are confused, and I am not so good with directions (I can point to the old city and the Mall, not much more), I am still struggling with using my Hebrew (I always recall the right words-after the fact), I pass this all along in saying my blogs are out of order.

There are many reasons, but the one at the front is at 2 am each morning where reading and writing is the time I wait for sleep. Sometimes the pictures are not available or on some camera located where the rest sleep.

I also avoid using my camera too much out and about. One of our main goals here was to avoid being a tourist. This first give away is the camera. Without it, some assume we live here. I want to experience life as such. Therefore, I sometimes take pictures after the writing. I know some of us are just more visual

Of yeah, the picture up above...no it does not relate to any of this, it's just that l like chocolate and flowers and I did enjoy the wine. So I am living normal.

Israel 2010 Shabbat Shalom

Preparing for Shabbat in our apartment. It was great to sit down and share the time with the rest of the house hold. With various schedules and work shifts we can sometimes only visit briefly throughout the day. Flowers were brought home for our Shabbat setting.

Shopping for Shabbat provided additional adventure. Challah and other breads are located in large bins for selection, then sack yourself. Our meat for the lentils was kosher, but that was all could determine. The animal and cut were a mystery and more evidence for my need to expand my Hebrew.

My daughter selected a package of Salep for dessert. An unusual custard common here, served with cinnamon sticks.

The best part of the evening, was the blessings being spoken by my husband (it has been a while since we have had Shabbat together), then in English and Spanish so that the entire household was included.

Israel 2010 Creative Time

Tonight Thursday,we were totally in our element. Early in the day I had found a couple of resources for a few art supplies and we also located a couple of fabric stores. I found oil cloth in multiple places with unusual choices. To be funny, I purchased oilcloth that looked like chocolates and candies all over. A much more sensible choice for myself than the real thing and the calorie intake. It would make a great drop cloth for working my projects.

We spread out supplies, my daughter's sewing elements, me brushes, paints, etc, plus a few leaves from the yard to incorporate into my work. Music playing we went into our own zone working with surprising speed.

The sewing project needed cutting, but the intricacies were amazing and while her work was progressing, I painted on eight smaller projects. In no time, the work we desired to complete was done. We cleaned quickly and put our supplies away and our projects moved to our personal rooms to rest/dry.

To see all our spread can scare some people both in the possible messes they can make and in the ability for them to spread and spread, extending to other areas of the rooms and onto any horizontal location for drying or curing. We left no trace. By 9.00 pm we were cleared and ready to prepare for sleep. This would be the first time I would be able to sleep Israeli time. I was exhausted and pleased with my work.

I awoke at 2.00 am this morning.

Not pleased, but used the time to write a blog for you once again.