I did my side trip to Israel because it was amazingly cheap to fly from Barcelona, and why not? Before leaving I had been paying close attention to the weather in Jerusalem. I was only bringing a backpack, so finding that the high temperature during my visit was, at most, 67 degrees. I was a bit unsure of the cultural norms, so I didn’t pack any shorts. That was a mistake. tI turned out that everyone wears typical American clothing, and it was 88 degrees in Tel Aviv when I landed. I should have been paying attention to the weather in Tel Aviv. Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are only a 30 minute train ride apart, but are world’s apart for climate.
I register all of my trips with the state department. It has been very helpful during the time of COVID. However, my first morning waking up in Israel greeted me with an email warning Americans to avoid the Old City and West Bank because of renewed threats against Americans. Not exactly the news I wanted to hear.
My trip was short and uneventful. The highlight every morning was walking to the Mahane Yehuda Shuk near the old city of Jerusalem. The thrill of being among many different people speaking many different languages makes for some great people watching. The Jewish woman from New York who, in an accent straight from a movie, insisted I try a freshly squeezed juice from the Ethiopian fruit stand; the Muslim guy who gave me a falafel ball every morning to try despite me saying on the first day that I really don’t like falafel; and just sitting down and having a beer and watching everything happen around me. And all of the free samples of nuts, breads, spices, olives and rugelach really sealed the deal on my love of markets. I learned to keep baby wipes in my backpack as your hands get sticky really fast. The sampling in the market is like Costco on steroids.
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