.
At the end of Passover seder (meal which commemorates the beginning of Passover) Jews traditonally recite the words "L'shanah haba'ah b'Yerushalayim!" This means "Next year in Jerusalem!"
December 31st, 2010 found us peering into 2011 from the City Centre section of beautiful Jerusalem. We will be spending the first several months of the year in this one-of-a-kind city.
The U.S. New Year does not coincide with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year that occurs in September. 2010-2011 is the Jewish year 5771. Nevertheless, we found ourselves bringing in the American year in a popular nearby restaurant called Focaccia, where we enjoyed a very inexpensive but delicious meal. At midnight there was a little hooplah from the waitstaff and a few customers. "2011" and streamers adorned the restaurant as part of the celebration.
When we arrived at the restaurant, I said to Bill, "I would like to sit in a quiet corner." Since the restaurant was packed and noisy, he said, "You had better ask God for one because I don't see any available." I did and we were soon led to a cozy spot on the second tier of the restaurant. God is concerned about the little things in our lives, as well as the big things! This reminded me of a time when I told God I would like some flowers. We do not normally buy them and I thought they would add some cheer to our RV. The very next church we arrived at gave us flowers! They were so pretty and I knew it was a divine gift.
After dinner, we took a walk down Narkiss Street. A young man and two young ladies asked us for direction. Very funny. I did, however, have a detailed street map of Jerusalem. I asked them where they were going. The young man replied, "To a party at the house of a friend." As we parted ways, Bill said, "That is what I used to do at 1:00 in the morning."
Our apartment is located in the trendy area of town, where a lot of young people hang out. When we headed into our apartment building well after 2:00 in the morning, some people were still waiting in line for their turn to get into a bar. It seems that people are the same no matter where you go. As we sat in Focaccia and observed the other patrons, I said, "This is just like America, just a different language is spoken." Bill agreed. Same, same. People are looking for love, acceptance, happiness, fulfillment. Not everyone finds it. You have to look in the right place.
I spent nearly all of this last day of 2010 cleaning and organizing our apartment. (Evidently the recent storms had deposited a lot of dust in every nook and cranny of people's homes.) We unpacked our suitcases and trunks. The apartment is very tiny but we like it. We are not yet set up to cook. Our refrigerator freezes if left on all the time, and we have not yet figured out how to operate the stovetop that is on the balcony, so we have some things to work out before we can begin cooking our own food. I will post pictures of the apartment in a future blog.
It rained today. We took a break from cleaning and went out in search of lunch, which we found in the form of pita bread stuffed wth falafels, cabbage and other goodies. (Falafels are considered "street food" and are budget-friendly. It was about 3:00 in the afternoon and most of the shops were closing so the proprietors could be home in time for Shabbat (Sabbath). People were hurrying to make last minute purchases such as flowers or bread. As we sat under a canopy on Ben Yehuda Street and ate our falafels, people did not seem bothered by the rain. This is their winter, in which rain is welcome and needed, especially by the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) which has been dangerously low for years.
December 31st, 2010 found us peering into 2011 from the City Centre section of beautiful Jerusalem. We will be spending the first several months of the year in this one-of-a-kind city.
The U.S. New Year does not coincide with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year that occurs in September. 2010-2011 is the Jewish year 5771. Nevertheless, we found ourselves bringing in the American year in a popular nearby restaurant called Focaccia, where we enjoyed a very inexpensive but delicious meal. At midnight there was a little hooplah from the waitstaff and a few customers. "2011" and streamers adorned the restaurant as part of the celebration.
When we arrived at the restaurant, I said to Bill, "I would like to sit in a quiet corner." Since the restaurant was packed and noisy, he said, "You had better ask God for one because I don't see any available." I did and we were soon led to a cozy spot on the second tier of the restaurant. God is concerned about the little things in our lives, as well as the big things! This reminded me of a time when I told God I would like some flowers. We do not normally buy them and I thought they would add some cheer to our RV. The very next church we arrived at gave us flowers! They were so pretty and I knew it was a divine gift.
After dinner, we took a walk down Narkiss Street. A young man and two young ladies asked us for direction. Very funny. I did, however, have a detailed street map of Jerusalem. I asked them where they were going. The young man replied, "To a party at the house of a friend." As we parted ways, Bill said, "That is what I used to do at 1:00 in the morning."
Our apartment is located in the trendy area of town, where a lot of young people hang out. When we headed into our apartment building well after 2:00 in the morning, some people were still waiting in line for their turn to get into a bar. It seems that people are the same no matter where you go. As we sat in Focaccia and observed the other patrons, I said, "This is just like America, just a different language is spoken." Bill agreed. Same, same. People are looking for love, acceptance, happiness, fulfillment. Not everyone finds it. You have to look in the right place.
I spent nearly all of this last day of 2010 cleaning and organizing our apartment. (Evidently the recent storms had deposited a lot of dust in every nook and cranny of people's homes.) We unpacked our suitcases and trunks. The apartment is very tiny but we like it. We are not yet set up to cook. Our refrigerator freezes if left on all the time, and we have not yet figured out how to operate the stovetop that is on the balcony, so we have some things to work out before we can begin cooking our own food. I will post pictures of the apartment in a future blog.
It rained today. We took a break from cleaning and went out in search of lunch, which we found in the form of pita bread stuffed wth falafels, cabbage and other goodies. (Falafels are considered "street food" and are budget-friendly. It was about 3:00 in the afternoon and most of the shops were closing so the proprietors could be home in time for Shabbat (Sabbath). People were hurrying to make last minute purchases such as flowers or bread. As we sat under a canopy on Ben Yehuda Street and ate our falafels, people did not seem bothered by the rain. This is their winter, in which rain is welcome and needed, especially by the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) which has been dangerously low for years.
