2018 Eastern Mediterranean Trip - Day 11, Jerusalem On The Shabbat

Jerusalem as the center of holy life for Jews in Israel takes the Sabbath or Shabbat extremely seriously. All public transportation stops. Virtually everything is closed down. So it is kind of a nice time to wander out and look at things since there is almost no traffic and most people stay at home for family meals and time together.

Some Miscellaneous from Yesterday

City Market

This was our 'go to' place once we found it. Actually our Airbnb owner suggested it but it took us a while to get there. Although in the mall of a cinema, it had everything and at good prices. The guy at the checkout spoke great English and it was two blocks from the apartment.

Looking back at Cinema City

Home of our beloved City Market

No Quarter Pounder with Cheese for You!

We were really tired when we saw this or I would have gone in to check out the menu

We ate at the same mall as the City Market because we wanted to eat before everything closed for Shabbat. I have no idea what the name of this is.

It is mushroom caps filled with something, breaded and deep fried. The sauce is ???? Not really cheesy or yougut like. Not sure what it was but it was good.

Stunning Architecture

That is how our guide book described the Supreme Court building

Evidently that must be because of its interior (which was closed for Shabbat)

So I have had to make do with my own 'photo interpretation'

Since Israel does not have a constitution, the Supreme Court takes on a bigger role in political and legal system

 

 

The path to 'justice' is a function of your approach to justice

For those who are stalwart and true, the path is smooth

If you are one who skirts what is true and proper, your path will be sterner

And for those who scoff at the law, well your path will be the hardest

As we made our way around this immense building the image of 'justice' did not come to mind as much as the image of 'fortress'

The Nakhlaot Neighborhood

#3 and I had wandered through a neighborhood on our arrival day while trying to find a grocery store

I thought it would be nice to see what it looked like on Shabbat

 

Old City? No, although filled with small narrow streets this neighborhood is older but not on the scale of the Old City

 

To the Mahane Vehuda Market

This is the major market we've been going to for days

I wanted to see what it looked like during Shabbat

As we approached we began to see street art we really hadn't noticed before

If you remember the market from yesterday

Here is what it looked like today

Now it became apparent the sheer mass of the art work on the awnings that could only be seen when the shops were closed. As I looked at the pictures afterward, I found some were signed. Going on line I found out that this was actually a planned venture! The primary artist is a young British-Israeli graffiti artist by the name of Solomon Souza, though there were others involved in the project. Here is a YouTube of him doing one of his paintings. You can do a search and find much more about it if you are interested.

So for your viewing pleasure, here is a rather large but by now means complete sample of the artwork, led by Solomon Souza, on display at the Mahane Vehuda Market

 

And finally

Signs of the World

Don't think I've ever seen anything that describes watching a legislative body (the Knesset) as 'bird watching'

 

2018 Eastern Mediterranean Trip - Day 10, Jerusalem Markets And Race Spectacular

What if you were offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to photograph one of the world's premier sporting events? Wouldn't you jump at the opportunity? Well it just so happens as it does so often to Wife and de-I that providence put us in Jerusalem, Israel for its first ever participation in the Giro d'Italia, one of the biggest stage bicycle race in the world second only to the Tour de France. We were offered the chance to take pictures from an exclusive venue in return for our promoting the event on our blogs. We'll get to the race in a bit. But first let's continue our exploration of the complicated city that is Jerusalem.

I did mention that this city is Jewish didn't I? At least West Jerusalem. It's really a bit weird to come to a place where all the looks, sounds, feels, expressions and behavior patterns that were part of your minority life existence elsewhere, are suddenly the norm, the majority. It's kind of like opposites day or Bizarro world. I can see why so many Jews, especially those who tend to the devout, would be attracted to emigrating here even if they lived in a country where they were not oppressed.

There is this odd juxtaposition between concern and politeness and rudeness and not giving a shit. For example on the tram, people uniformly get up for older people or people with children. That's rarely something we've seen in the rest of the world. When you walk the streets in general, people give way for each other, again not the norm we've experienced in so many countries. But in the market place or in a crowded store, people will just push you out of the way or run into you because they are paying no attention.

There are also the ubiquitous young people in the military (military service is compulsory for all men and women). We've been in a number of countries where there are armed military at various locales that look very serious and grim...not the kind of people you want to cross. Today when we returned from the market we saw a young female military person with her weapon slung over her front, carrying a bag of groceries, and texting someone on her phone. A bit surreal.

This is our first day by ourselves since we arrived in Jaffa a week ago. #3 and family returned home this morning. We had thought we might go back to the Old City to go to the Muslim Quarter but with our still not feeling well, the crowds that were going to be downtown for the Giro, and the uneven tram service, we decided to just go to the main outdoor market that is close to us. It was kind of a feast for photographic opportunities.

Mural

Decorations for the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Jewish State

I'm pretty sure I saw these in War of the Worlds

Martians here?

A feel for the market

 

An incredible variety of people

 

 

People seem to sing/chant/march for any reason.

This was right outside our apartment

I thought it was a demonstration but on closer inspection think it might have been a school thing

More street art

And now, without further ado, let's get to the

Giro d'Italia!

 

The first stage here in Jerusalem is a time trial

That means the riders go off one-by-one separated by a number of minutes and race against the clock.

From our prime vantage point we got to seem them as they were on the final legs toward the finish. The drama is palpable

Wow, look at this guy!

He looks like he is riding a bike!

And this one

Gosh this guy looks like he's riding a bike too

I don't know if I can take the excitement

 Wait, let's check with Sky Cam

"Hi there de-I...yes, they sure look like they are riding bikes"

Ah, I can tell that you are not getting the intense flavor of the action just looking at the still photos.

Let's get some action video to show you the real drama!

Right! Freaking crazy exciting people riding bikes.

Ready for more action?

It just keeps coming and coming

For hours

Just like this

Over and over

 

You can see why stage bike racing is one of the most popular sports in the world