Sitting on Top of the World

Okay we were standing on the top of the Old City of Jerusalem. Today we took a 2 1/2 hour walking tour and climbed up to several rooftops for great views of the city. We got up at 8:00 am after a late night getting the laundry done. Another gorgeous, sunny day here in Jerusalem. The entire city is shut down for Shabbat and people are walking toward the old city from every direction.

We had a quick breakfast and then walked downhill a little more than a mile to the Jaffa Gate. There we met a group taking a free walking tour of the city. We had a great guide named Yariv who works for tips and he was both funny and knowledgeable. We learned so much about the city, history and people. Started out with some stories about the Jaffa Gate and famous visitors (conquerors) to the city. He gave us a timeline cheat sheet to take home. First sculpture was Richard the Third during the Crusades. 

We walked through each of the four quarters of the city and climbed up to a rooftop in the Armenian section to look out over the walled city. In the Jewish Quarter we climbed up to a great vantage point overlooking the Kotel plaza. 

We went through alleyways and stopped often for information. We learned so much and it was so much fun. Afterwards our guide suggested a quiet place for lunch near the Jaffa Gate. It was quiet, cool and good food. We were able to sit and relax and rest our weary bones.

Then we did a little shopping in the Armenian section and then had to face walking home - all uphill. We took our time and stopped every time we saw a bench in a shady area. We strolled through the City Hall complex which has old and new buildings and colorful gardens and large trees. 

One large plaza had an interactive sculpture where you pedal bicycles to make things move. Of course it was turned off for Shabbat, but there are drums, phonographs, fans and flower pots. We will stop by next time we walk by to try it out again.

A nice lady also directed us to an area of pillows. They are made of concrete and arranged in a large area so you can sit comfortably and relax. The picture shows it better than I can explain.

We did finally reach our hostel and take a nice, cool nap. Now we are thinking about dinner as places start opening up as it gets dark. I took photos today of many different people heading to the Kotel and  around the city in various types of dress.

We are up and walk to Ben Yehuda Street for dinner. As it got dark we heard a shofar letting people know that Shabbat is over. We found a nice place with an enclosed patio area. We had a nice dinner and sat for a while relaxing.

Afterwards we did a little shopping and saw a sign in the window of a store.

I said to Jeff, "I wonder if it is our Abrams Hebrew Academy?" Of course he said it could be from anywhere. So I asked a kid where his school is located and he said, "Yardley." I could not believe it and found some parents who confirmed that this was the eighth grade trip. We found Rabbi Budow, the principal, in another store and said, "Do you remember us?" He took a moment and did remember. It was so amazing. Brian graduated from their eighth grade in 1988 and we moved out of the area seven years ago. We had been very active in the school so the Rabbi has a good memory.