Chores and more...

Breakfast at Christ-Church Guest House.

Today is going to be a "house-keeping" day in Jerusalem. At 9:30, we need to contact the delivery van so we can collect Linda's luggage. Let me note that "Delta Airlines" has contracted with a delivery service that "refuses" to bring our luggage to our address. They say it's because we're inside the Jaffe Gate in the Old City. Yet, the street in front of us has a never-ending parade of cars, taxis, delivery vans and buses coming and going all day. But, we're being asked to meet the van at a parking garage -- about 15 minutes away. The luggage will be delivered within a 2 hour window. So, standing on a street corner for 2 hours is "very appealing".

So, I'm thinking Delta Airlines deserves recognition for their "Customer Service" -- and I think they need to hear from us when we get home!!

Each morning we walk a short distance to the Christ-Church Guest House for a delightful buffet breakfast. The cost is 40 shekels, about $11.50, and offers a wide variety of vegetables, breads, fruits and drinks.

I'll post to the blog a couple of times as our day unfolds....

Terry from Milwaukee,
Marquette University.

10:30 a.m. Our luggage will be at the designated place between 2 and 4 p.m. BUT, if we call at 1 p.m. we'll get a more precise arrival time. I believe that!!?? Don't you?

Meanwhile, we've taken the day off to tend to a variety of "chores". We've taken our soiled clothes to a local laundry for a wash n' dry. We'll do a bit of shopping and ask about an English language movie here in the New City. Right now we're sitting in the lobby of the hostel enjoying a fascinating discussion of religious philosophy. One of the guests, here, is a theology teacher at Marquette University. Now if "Bill Maher" was here, it would be a more lively discussion!!


4:30 p.m. -- Luggage in hand, all is well. Now, on to important things like gathering and then folding our laundry.

But as I sit here reporting these comments, I can hear church bells from the Christian Quarter across the Old City and ringing in the distance. A little while ago, the Muslim call to prayer rang out as well. It's Ramadan and, at sunrise or sunset, one can hear fireworks celebrating the holiday. As we wander inside the Old City, we experience the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews live in close proximity in apparent peace and prosperity.

The narrow streets of the Old City are like a "time machine" -- peeling back much of the 21st Century. Vendors selling their wears. Old men and women balancing heavy loads on their heads. Then we'll see someone talking on a cell phone or sending a "text message"! It's a wonderful and fascinating dichotomy of today's reality.

Coffee Anyone?

7 p.m. ---  We've discovered a great coffee bar and cafe in the Mamila Mall just a few steps from the old Jaffe Gate. The three of us had an ample dinner of salad, bread and beer for under $30! Quite a treat considering the venue and quality of the food. After, as we returned to our lodgings, I enjoyed a Turkish coffee from a street vendor just outside the Gate. The coffee was made in the "old way" -- boiling the grounds over an open fire in a silver pot and then poured through a strainer into a cup. It was strong and delicious. It put a perfect cap on the end of another enjoyable day in Jerusalem.

Mamila Mall (Rodeo Drive of Jerusalem)

Tomorrow our plan is to visit Yad Vashem, the Righteous Among the Nations Garden and National Cemetery. We're also planning day trips to Masada and the Dead Sea as well as Bethlehem.

So stay tuned