Although exhausted and jet lagged from our long journey and hotel arrival at 2 am, we ventured out in the late morning sun to let the city of Jerusalem take us on a ride. The great cities of the world can do that if you let them…wander down a street, look up an alley, see where others are headed, go into a shop, chat with the people who work there, take a random left turn…be okay with getting lost knowing you will eventually find your way back to wherever “back” may be. 

And so we found ourselves at the Mamilla Mall. An outdoor space of Jerusalem stone or sandstone (in its color at least, as ALL architecture in Jerusalem is), rather void of people at the moment. It was somehow comforting to see the usual shops of Tommy Hilfiger, Zara, and American Eagle with many local chains, cafes, and smaller shops scattered throughout. As my friend Bert used to say, “same here, same in Egypt.”

At the end of the strip, we came across a massive wall that stretched seemingly forever in both directions. I asked someone what it was, and with a look of “are you really asking me that?!” he replied it was the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. (well, duh)  So we wandered in through the Jaffa Gate, wide eyed with wonder as to what we would find. There is much more to tell about the Old City; I will save that for another day as we have a guided tour tomorrow.

With the King David Citadel on our right, we went down the first “street” of tiny shops. And more shops. And more shops. And still more…many with the same stuff from shop to shop. At first, it was “oooh, look at that shiny thing!” and we’d go in, and get the hard sell. And then the next place too. Menorahs of every size and color, rosary beads, incense, t-shirts, turkish delight, all kinds of spices, jewelry, wooden carvings of camels and jesus and all sorts of christian iconography, mezuzahs, cashmere scarves (“authentic!”), jewish prayer shawls (tallit), embroidered pillow covers, blankets and tablecloths, and on and on and on, often in piles throughout the shop. Our perspective went from excitement to curious interest to polite “no thank you” to downright annoyance as some rather aggressive shopkeepers did their best to get us into their store. We needed to escape this.

We took that left turn to who knows where, and ended up in the Christian quarter, which is much more subdued. A refreshing lemonade with mint cooled us down from the midday heat, and as we wandered back to the Jaffa Gate, we stopped for lunch at a shawarma place where we met Achmed and his extended family (everyone here has a LOT of cousins). They were so welcoming and friendly, and of course, one of them communed with Brian and his beard. Brian’s beard gets a lot of attention. 🙂

Achmed, who is is very proud of his bedouin heritage and also being born in Jerusalem, offered to take us to his father’s shop a short walk away, where he would treat us to a bedouin coffee and meet dad. While we knew this was likely a way to try and sell us whatever his dad was selling (not my first rodeo), he was so friendly and charming and welcoming, we said sure, let’s go! As we walked, he talked about the Old City, and about his family (five brothers and a sister), and life in Jerusalem. His dad, grey-haired, tall and imposing, was just as welcoming and charming as Achmed when we arrived. And that bedouin coffee was indeed a treat. While we didn’t buy anything, they were truly grateful that we came, and we left with smiles and warm hearts.

Sometimes people can surprise you if only you give them the chance to do so. 

Until the next installment, 

Shalom