Sunday – Day 31 – Part 2
August 22, 2012
Sunday afternoon and it was time to head off again! Stopping at Alexanderplatz for a quick vegan Bratwrust made for a tasty pre-lunch snack and then it was off to the Hauptbahnhof (main station) for a train to Heidelberg.
Vegan Bratwrust
Boarding the train was a somewhat difficult procedure for me with all my bags, and, I soon found out that on a busy train such as the one I was taking, it was necessary to have pre-booked not only a ticket but a seat reservation. Above every seat was listed the passenger for whom it was reserved and without such a reservation I was forced to sit on the floor for six hours. To my discomfort, the area of the train on which I was able to find a spare bit of floor was un-airconditioned and Germany was experiencing its hottest day all year. The train ride was most uncomfortable but well worth it when I saw Elisabeth Schafer’s (of ISSI 2012) smiling face coming down the escalator at Heidelberg’s Hbf (Hauptbahnhof).
Heidelberg at Night
From there I met Damian, a friend of hers from ISSI 2011 and it was off to his place to put down my bags and have a little late dinner. After dinner at about 12 o’clock we set out ‘a walking the old city of Heidelberg, including to my joy, the old castle. There is not much I enjoy more than walking a city in the early hours of the morning. The castle was near deserted apart from a few drunk teenagers, and the old city was beautiful to behold. I was eager for the morrow when I would see it in daylight.
Sunday/Monday – Day 25/26
August 15, 2012
Today was spent again with friends. In the morning I walked again in the Jerusalem sun with Yumi, an Israeli girl who had been volunteering in education in Australia for the past year. Though she herself is a Jerusalemite, I still managed to surprise her with an ice-cream shop I knew for it’s authentic italian style and delicious flavours (Noya).
In the afternoon it was already back to Tel Aviv to spend the afternoon with my brother Adi. As a goodbye we decided to go out for dinner and a movie. Dinner was at ‘La Lasagne’ a kosher Italian place on Dizengof street that came highly recommended, followed by ‘Brave’ at the Rav Chen cinemas.
Prior to the commencement of the movie, there was a traditional Pixar short, this time in 3D! It was titled ‘La Luna’ and was one of the most wonderful and sweet pieces of film that I have seen in a long time. It was almost worth seeing the movie just for that.
Brave itself was a traditional Disney/Pixar film, and though there was nothing particularly special about it, there were enough moments to make you smile in delight. All but stiff curmudgeons and those of hard heart would be sure to enjoy it.
After the movie, we talked late into the night before finally, sleep took us.
Friday/Shabbat – Day 23/24
August 14, 2012
Friday Sarah and I said bye to Or after a delicious breakfast and, were on our way to Jerusalem.
Unfortunately due to some poor planning on my part, we hadn’t arranged accommodation for either of us for the weekend. Thus, in the Sherut (group taxi) Sarah and I planned to book rooms in a hostel for the weekend.
When we arrived at Jerusalem Central Bus Station we collected our belongings and started walking up to the market, only to run into Nadav Prawer; the charismatic husband of my cousin. He inquired as to where we were staying for Shabbat and when he heard that our plans were as yet unset, he immediately invited us to stay with him. Disappointing him, I let him know that we were due for dinner at a family friend’s place in Jerusalem and thus would be staying here. Not taking no for an answer, he whipped up his mobile phone and began dialing through all his friends, looking for someone to take us in. Eventually a lovely mid twenties lady, Terri Gar, said she’d be delighted to take in Sarah and with that settled I rang my cousins, the Slonims, to find a bed for myself.
Lunch was had in the shuk (market), Machane Yehuda, and was a delicious plate of hummus with pita.
The Market – Shuk Machane Yehuda
Afterwards we visited my favourite shop in the Shuk, Fromagerie Basher, an emporium of fine imported European and Israeli cheeses.
Fromagerie Basher
We bought food for Shabbat lunch (Challah and Jam) and were soon off for the evening.
Dinner at the Waimann’s was a delight. The company was spirited and engaged in lively intellectual discussion. Gila’s cooking was superb, and David’s selection of wines matched the meal perfectly (like I know). One interesting idea raised was the possibility of splitting Israel into a canton system, much like that of Switzerland, in order to resolve issues regarding governance of the land.
Following dinner, I decided to walk Eden Akiva, a cousin of the Waimanns home. By this point my legs were starting to tire, having done a good number of kilometers walking back and forth between areas of Jerusalem. Arriving back home at about one in the morning, sleep took me quickly.
Shabbat morning was a bit of a sleep in followed by, you guessed it, more walking! Lunch was a quiet affair with Sarah, with a nap following immediately. The afternoon held, again, more walking, trying to catch up with a dear friend; Merav Blum, who didn’t hear the knocking on her door.
When Shabbat came out Sarah, Daniella and her friend Channie, and I, went to see one of Israel’s biggest musical acts, Dag Nachash (Fish-Snake) perform live at the Sultan’s Pools as part of Chutzot HaYotzer, the Jerusalem International Arts and Culture Festival. With entrance costing a mere 50NIS ($11AUD) it was a bargain for a top evening!
HaDag Nachash
I didn’t notice, but, two rows away from me in the stands, Merav Blum was in fact seated with her friends. As the crows cleared away, we managed to find each other and the rest of the night was spent deep in conversation with her as I walked her home.
Merav and I