For our only full day in Jerusalem, we got off to a bit of a late start. We didn't leave our room until 9:30am, only to discover that breakfast at the hotel ended at 9:00am. We wandered through the winding streets of the Old City and ended up finding some Zatar seasoned breads to fill our bellies. Zatar was one of our favorite spices in NYC, so the girls have been exited to see it everywhere in Israel.
Joey & Alicia Recos
We started the day off on Christian Quarter Road, at the recommendation of Sarah's cousin Joey and his wife Alicia. They lived in Jerusalem for a year and gave us not only a list of places to go, but even better, armed us with a list good friends they made at various shops.
Stop 1 - Ali Baba Souvenirs
Shaban and his son Omar run a no-bargain souvenir, jewelry shop and currency exchange. We introduced ourselves and they instantly knew who we were, as Joey & Alicia let them know to be on the lookout for us.
They warmly offered advice for avoiding the classic vendor traps. Omar pulled out a platter of baklava for us to enjoy and told stories of little Jedidiah (Joey & Alicia's son) getting his share of the sweet treat when they stopped by. Sarah and the girls picked out a couple trinkets and some postcards to send back to friends in the USA.
We were happy to use their currency exchange services to get some US Dollars, mostly needed for the on-arrival visa purchases in our upcoming travels, continuing through the Middle East and then Asia.
Stop 2 - Coffee
We stopped for a coffee (actually two each) a couple of stores down that was also recommended. Sarah did some 'postcarding' with her recent additions.
Stop 3 - George Kouz Store
George & his cousin Steve, more friends of Joey & fam another few stores down sell sculptures made from dried olive wood. After a nice chat with Steve (George was in Bethlehem getting new pieces for the store) we picked out a star Christmas ornament. Not only would Steve not take our money, but he threw in two hearts, one for each of the girls.
While we were there, a procession of Orthodox Jews passed on their way to pray.
Special thanks to Joey & Alicia for connecting us to their kind & generous local friends!
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
We continued just a few blocks further to the site of Jesus's crucifixion. It was mobbed as you'd expect with people who'd come from all over the world to this holy site. We explained to the girls that every time they're in a church and they see the image of Jesus on the cross, well, this is where it actually happened long ago.
Mahane Yehuda Market
We headed out of the Old City, walking about 30 minutes to the famous Mahane Yehuda Market. We marveled at the spices, foods, vegetables and energy of the vibrant marketplace.
Starting to Get Creepy, Part 1
Our next stop was an off-the-beaten-track selection I had read about, the Museum of Underground Prisoners. After WWI and during the Mandate period of British oversight, it was a prison compound for convicted Jewish prisoners. We were all generally interested in the museum, but the general idea of incarnation and learning of some of the executions led Sadie to explain, "it was a bit creepy."
Creepy, Part 2
With a touch of 'spook' we weaved through a couple of neighborhoods and ended up at the post office just outside the city walls to get some stamps. While heading to there, we started to notice a high level of police activity near Old City gates. It continued to build and pedestrians were starting to gather outside the city walls. At that point we noticed that police and military were blocking anyone from entering or leaving the Old City.
A quick google news search indicated there had been a stabbing within the old city. When we first started to leave the post office, right in front of a city gate, we were blocked when police came out with a suspect, dragging him down the block just 20 feet from us. A few minutes later it was followed by an ambulance. There was definitely heightened tension in the air...
The news story as of tonight explained the situation:
Thwarted attempted stabbing attack in Old City of Jerusalem
Terrorist shot after attempting to stab young man near Herod's Gate.
A terrorist attempted to stab a young man near Herod's in Jerusalem and when he realized he could not perform his plot attempted to escaped the scene.
There were no casualties. Soldiers in the area fired targeted shots at the suspect who fled into one of the houses, where other police officers were called to the scene and arrested him.
The terrorist, a 16-year-old boy, was wounded by gunfire from security forces who tried to neutralize him and brought to the hospital for treatment. Two suspected aides were also arrested.
The girls were spooked for sure and Sarah remarked it was the first time during our trip that we felt a tinge of nervousness around safety. Seeing the amount of police presence, the police and military don't fool around in Israel, as you'd expect.
Once everything cleared up, we walked back into the old city and our hotel.
Anniversary Dinner
Today is our 13 wedding anniversary...mind you, neither Sarah nor I had remembered at this point in the evening. We went to Amigo Emil Restaurant, a favorite and recommendation from Joey & Alicia.
They had pizza and burgers on the menu which the girls were free to choose tonight, but on their own they opted to have rice, lentils & onions (Paige) and the lamb kebab with rice and vegetables (Sadie). The girls are well on their way to becoming true international eaters and are well aligned to the recent NY Times article making the tiger-foodie-parents rounds this week - Kid Food.
The girls were working in some writing workbooks waiting for our food, when Paige asked the date so she could make her work. October 28, 2019. Sarah chimed in, well that's our anniversary. And so, it became our anniversary dinner! 13 years and going strong! Funniest part was that Sadie kept mistaking "university" for "anniversary", saying things like "Happy University!"
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