Jlem Part 2

The perfect scooter for me!

Jlem Part 2 1/3

I thoroughly enjoyed having my own room and shower again. I can do the hostel thing, but having to constantly share bathroom space gets old real fast. Anyway, I had a goal to get to the Dome of the Rock early to finally see this place. I took a quick shower and went down for breakfast...an amazing spread of food to satisfy tourists from any country. I wish I could have them do that in my apartment every morning. My hotel was about a 20 minute walk to the Old City so I went out into the morning sunshine and crisp air and made my way over to the Jaffa Gate, from there cut through the city to the Wall, and then finally to the entrance of the Temple Mount.

By the time I got there the line was MASSIVE!

You've got to be freakin' kidding me?!

It went all of the way to the outside gate. It was also moving at a snails pace. I sat there contemplating as I sat in line. I have a full day in Jerusalem to enjoy the sites or I can sit in line and probably not make it in by the time they close the doors for prayers. Yeah, I left....at this point I had officially given up on seeing the mosque and the Dome on the Rock.

Thank you to Johnathan for this pic. I'll have to live vicariously.

 As I’ve said before, you always need to leave something else to come back for so apparently it was decided that I’ll have to come back to Israel to see this. ;)

Bar Mitzvah Thursday seems to be my day to be here.

My artsy rendition of me and the Dome of the Rock. So close, yet so far!

Two little girls playing on the lions...too cute to resist a pic.

Not caffeinated enough I picked up some coffee and decided to regroup at the hotel and came up with a new game plan: Israel Museum. Another beautiful 30 minute walk in the other direction I was in the Israel Museum. I had been recommended by several people to go see this museum, but when I have limited time in a place I don’t like to spend time indoors in museums. I travel to experience the people, the culture, the feel of the city and it’s hard to get that inside a museum filled with tourists. That said, I was so impressed with this place. The outdoor installations are wonderful and an amazing way to spend time in the sun and fill your soul with some good art appreciation.

I'm sexy and I know it!

A view of me next to a mini version of my new favorite city.

One of my favorites, of course, was the Ahava installation. I was immediately back on the Dead Sea tour, hearing Alon ask us if we knew what the word meant as we passed a building imprinted with Ahava....”it’s a word that describes beauty, joy, life....somebody here knows it.”  Guesses were tossed out, all incorrect. Ahava is love in Hebrew. It is also the name of a very popular Dead Sea cosmetics company (news to me).

I loved the view through the Olive Trees...

This installation was done by the same person who does the Love signs that are in NYC, Scottsdale, and Philadelphia. They are my favorite and I have a picture of one of them on my bedroom wall. I love how you come around a corner in one of these cities and suddenly there is a brightly colored piece of art all about love making passerbys smile and snap pictures. The same artist, Robert Indiana, did a similar style installation with the Hebrew verson of love. Interestingly they said that in its square formation it reads love (Ahava) right to left but from top to bottom the letters also represent Father and God. Set on a hilltop with a great panoramic view, this was really wonderful to take in. I was glad that I had come back to Jerusalem again and was thankful I wasn’t touring the Temple Mount now (or standing in line).

Ahava and Nicole, a match made in heaven :)

The rest of the museum had a great collection! I was thrown back into my Art History days looking at all of the pieces. I spent the entire day and probably could have stayed longer. They had great food and the place itself was just so relaxing. Well worth the trip!

Reminded me of the bean in Chicago.

It was dark, getting cold and I had a trek through the park so I decided it was time to go. I felt full of good food, nature, and appreciation and was now headed to meet up with my friend before leaving for Tel Aviv. I reflected on my revisit to this city while I walked and thought about how much I loved this place. On my drive back here yesterday I wondered if I would love it as much the second time. Kinda’ like when you go on a second date with someone that you are really excited about. You’re nervous it won’t feel the same and don’t want to ruin that first memory and be let down. My second date with Jerusalem just added more to my growing love affair for this place. It was the first time that I ever seriously thought about what would happen if I didn’t come home. In Kauai you often meet people who tell you they came to the island and never left. I always thought these people were a little crazy and wondered how they did that. Now I understood the feeling. I found my heart in Jerusalem and didn’t even realize I was looking for it.

I love that I find hearts everywhere in this town.

Another heart...Mt. Zion love.
Pic from Johnathan Human from unify.org.