Three pictures from an eventful day

It's passover, and for seven days Jews are not allowed to eat anything fermented. Including beer, which is why Yesh (the supermarked, e' as the Hebrew letters looks like to me) have put a plastic cover over it. And over the bread, the bakery, the crackers, the cornflakes, the meat coated with bread crumbs, and some other things I couldn't identify. Thanks to the Arabs for still baking and selling bread!

This might soon be our new neighbour in Bethlehem (we hope!). The name sounds wrong in my ears, even though I haven't watched the silly tv-show on Danish tv.

Techno-party at Jaffa Gate, entrance to the Old City, where we saw orthodox Jews with long curls, golden holiday robes and big hats dancing side by side with youngsters and old people with white hair. It's Passover (and Easter) and the city is full of life, which is nice, but there're so many people!

Old City with old friend

I met up today with a British friend whom I met in Cairo two years ago (time's flying!).
We wandered around the Old City looking for things to see, and just enjoying the atmosphere and a falafel sandwich, together with her group of musicians. They are going to Nablus to give folk music and dancing workshops at the newly established ESNCM branch there. I might go there during the next week while they are there and listen and maybe join. There's always fun happening around her!

Bomb?!

"Are you ok?"
"Yes.
What's happening?"

And that was how I heard about the bomb in Jerusalem, my Dad in DK (almost) being the first to tell me. A had called just 5 minutes before (the oversea students had been counted at the univeristy to make sure everybody was ok, which is nice).

The busstation is the same one we left from for our Galilee trip, so I know it - but we have our bikes and don't normally go by bus; now we have one more reason to like our bikes. ;)

Some people say it's the start of the third intifada, others say the third intifada should be non-violent, and I just hope everybody stops killing each other. The city is nice, and I have seen that people here do live side by side. They still need to trust each other, and things like this is no good for that. But maybe just talk to your neighbour. Please.

Who's crossing the street?

Close to New Gate, where Jaffa Road ends at the Old City (we're calling the square "Mamilla View" because we can't find an official name for it), big light intersection, and across I spot monk. In brown robes and all. And on a bike.

And this is quite normal in Jerusalem close to and inside the Old City, where you can easily pass three different kinds of monks, nuns, religious heads or pilgrims in special clothes - the traditional Jews don't count, there's so many of them; but I still think they look funny with hats and curls and long, black coats.

Zedekiah's Cave

We were walking down to the Old City and came across Zedekiah's Cave or Solomon's Quarry (between Herod's Gate and Damascus Gate), and went in to get a break from the rain. Luckily they accepted my student card from Copenhagen (A had no problem with his student card from the Hebrew University), and we went in with a brochure on the place.

The cave is huge and man-made, and stretching under a great part of the Muslim Quarters of the Old City, and stones from it has been used to a lot of different, significant buildings in Jerusalem (though I don't know which). It is called Solomon's Quarries because tales go, that King Solomon used stones from this very quarry to built the First Temple on the Temple Mount - and the Freemasons, who consider Solomon as the first and greatest Freemason, hold their meetings in Jerusalem in this cave.

It is called Zedekiah's Cave, because another story (from the Bible; Jeremiah 52:7-8) tells that Zedekiah, the last of the Judean kings from Jerusalem, fled from the Chaldean troops through the cave - and the water dripping from the ceiling are called Zedekiah's Tears, because of the tears he shed when he saw his children executed.


The cave is worth a visit for people who're very fond of rocks, or if you want to get out of the rain or away from the Sun and warmth, or want a bit of quiteness in the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem. But otherwise I think the most interesting about the cave is all the stories connected to it.

First impressions

Walking around in the Old city of Jerusalem is like being in a tale from Arabian Nights ("1001 nights"); Narrow streets winding up and down like a maze you can easily get lost in, even with a map; Colourful wares of all sorts everywhere in small shops, that can be closed with big metal doors, completely hiding which type of shop is behind; Lots of people in different clothing: Jews with kippahs or black hats and curls, women with scarves, Christian priests in black robes (and tourists with cameras on their belly and same-coloured caps); street cats everywhere, small carts (no room for cars, and also the stairs make it impossible). I was afraid we wouldn't get enough excersice here, but all the walking up and down has proven me wrong.

التجول في القدس القديمة كحضور في حكاية من ألف ليلى وليلى؛ شوارع ضيقة تلف إلى الأعلى وإلى الأسفل كمتاهة يضيع سهلاً فيها حتى لو معك خريطة؛ سلع للبيع (colorful) من كل أنواع في كل المكان في دكاكين صغيرة تغلق بأبواب معدنية كبيرة تختفى تماماً الدكان خلفها؛ عدد كبير من ناس بملابس مختلفة:

(to be continued)