Finding a grocery store and getting a haircut . . .

My news from last week is that I have now found my way to a nearby grocery store! There are little shops quite close where one can buy candy bars, chips, cookies, drinks, and such, but last week I needed some items that were only to be found at a true grocery store/supermarket/soup kitchen (whichever term you prefer!). So, at lunch last Monday (2/22), I got directions and headed off all by myself. It was sunny, but a chilly wind was blowing. Not the best day for a walk, but I needed to go while I had the time and opportunity. It was a 15-20 minute walk south from Old City Jerusalem. I followed the road south along the western city wall, then crossed the Hinnom Valley, and continued south on the Hebron Road. Why is it called the Hebron Road? Because it is the road that takes one to Hebron, of course! :-) I didn't actually go all the way to Hebron (it is about 18 1/2 miles south of Jerusalem and a city full of unrest), nor did I go all the way to Bethlehem which is only 6 miles down this road. I found the Super Deal without too much trouble and then had way too much fun inside. All four wheels on the grocery cart swivel, making it quite fun to steer, and I had fun just looking through the aisles at all the available products. Some were labeled in English and Hebrew, some in just Hebrew. All the signs were in Hebrew, all the prices in New Israeli shekels. I did eventually find what I needed as well as some extra things. But, I didn't get too much as I had a 20-minute walk back to Christ Church and only one good hand in which to carry bags.

It's a beautiful walk, and I was so proud of myself for figuring out the directions and finding my way all by myself! It's easy to let fear become prison bars and not try anything new because of fear of failure. Don't worry--I'm not doing anything stupid or risky. I always ask what is safe, but even then, I can easily talk myself out of trying new things.

This picture is outside of Jaffa Gate, looking south. This is the west city wall of Jerusalem's Old City.


As I walked along the road that leads down to the bridge over the Hinnom Valley, the western wall of Jerusalem's Old City was on my left. Everything is nice and green, thanks to three days of rain. (This "western wall" is not to be confused with the famous Western Wall--that is the western wall of the Temple Mount platform, inside Jerusalem's Old City.)

I had to walk south past the wall of the Old City, this is looking up at what is called Mount Zion (south of the Old City). The side of the road almost looks like a road in the Colorado foothills with its trees and bushes.


Looking south into the Hinnom Valley. This was a horrible place in Old Testament times--many children were burned alive in this valley. Today, it is beautiful and green.


This picture is taken from Hebron Road, looking back to the northeast at Jerusalem. In the foreground is the Hinnom Valley, the Old City walls are to the left in the back, and Mount Zion to the right. Although not very clear in the picture, the Hinnom Valley lies lower than Jerusalem, and the roads wind around the hill on which Jerusalem is built.



From the same spot on Hebron Road, this is looking more to the north. It's a beautiful view of Jerusalem's Old City, and the Hinnom Valley is in the foreground. It might give you more of a sense of geography. It may only be 15-20 minutes to the Super Deal, but it is a good walk as one walks down from Jaffa Gate to cross the Hinnom Valley then climbs back up out of the valley. It is not uphill both ways :-), but it is uphill and downhill both ways. If one wants some exercise, this is a good walk! :-)


This is a little closer view of the city walls. In the middle (right above the break in the trees) is an opening in the wall. The patch of black just to the left is Jaffa Gate (under reconstruction). Christ Church is not far inside this gate, so I use Jaffa Gate all the time to go in and out of the Old City into the New City.

From the same place on Hebron Road, a turn to the left brings into view Yemin Moshe. Yemin Moshe was the first neighborhood established outside the walls of the Old City, in 1891. Today it is quite an upscale neighborhood.

The windmill in Yemin Moshe, and the King David Hotel in the background.

I saw some beautiful greenery on my walk today. This was in Yemin Moshe and although they look blue, the flowers on this plant were actually purple!


One thing that makes the walk to the grocery store entertaining is the traffic. We thought people were getting a little careless and rude in Windor--it is nothing compared to the way traffic goes in Israel!!! It is fascinating to me, though probably quite dangerous. I see people come through the right turn lane and then cross straight over into the 3rd lane over on the new road. I've seen people pull U-turns in the middle of the road, and motorcycles simply weave between the cars. It's absolutely crazy! And if all else fails, honk your horn! Horns are beeped so often, they become almost like background noise. Today, it was quite funny as the horn on a bus got stuck, and the driver couldn't get it to stop. He had to simply keep going with his horn blaring away! I am in no hurry to even think about driving here!!!

Normal traffic in Jerusalem--it is almost always busy and bumper to bumper.

Inside Jaffa Gate runs David Street, the site of a major shuk (or market). It is a busy street full almost anything anyone could want--snacks, souvenirs, scarves, jewelry, clothes, incense, olive wood, etc.

This is at the top of the shuk, looking down the street. This is facing east, and walking down the street would take one into the heart of Jerusalem's Old City. I often go this way to go to the Western Wall or the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.



This is closer to the bottom of the shuk looking back up (to the west and Jaffa Gate). The little ramps are for the carts that are used to bring merchandise in to the shops. I was lucky to catch a momentary lull in the pedestrian traffic.

Just for entertainment . . . this is the menu to a restaurant in Jerusalem's New City. Chicken liver or hearts anyone?


Sunday was Purim--the Jewish holiday remembering Esther and how God used her to save the Jewish people from annihilation via the plot of Haman. One of the traditions is to read the story of Esther, complete with cheers when the names of Mordechai or Esther are mentioned and boos when Haman is mentioned. Here at Christ Church, the staff and volunteers put together a Purim party; the headline event was a play retelling the story of Esther. However, the party also had a pirate theme, so the story was a little different in flavor. :-)

Aaron was the narrator and he proceeded to retell the story of Esther complete with piratey language and accent.


The cast of the "Pirate Esther" play . . . Haman, King Ahaseurus, Haman's wife, Sarah (entertainment :-)), Mordechai, Queen Vashti.



The entire play was well acted and hilarious! Every body was quite dramatic and spiced up their parts. Here, we have Haman leading Mordechai after the king realized Mordechai had never received a reward for his part in saving the king's life, and he asked Haman's suggestions on how to reward him. If you've never read the story in the book of Esther, I highly recommend it, although it won't be quite as interesting as this piratey retelling! :-)

One more piece of news for today. :-) Yesterday, I got my first Israeli hair cut. I had run out of time to get a trim right before I left, and I was getting desperate for a cut. A lady from Jerusalem actually came to the Guest House for the two of us needing a hair cut. I was so relieved to find out she has curly hair herself and understands the idiosyncracies of cutting curly hair. I was able to relax and let her do her job. After finishing, she dried it straight. It was a fun change of pace for the day and caught quite a bit of attention. My new hair cut is quite a bit shorter than I've had before, but so far I'm liking it. It's just going to take me a few days to figure out what I can and can't do with it.

It's a different cut than normal, so we had to take a few pictures to share . . .




Anyway, this is what I've been up to lately (besides working, of course!). The weather has been a nice mix. It started raining here Thursday night and continued through Monday afternoon. It was great as the land needs the rain quite badly. Then today, it was nice and sunny again--perfect for my day off!