I spend a lot of (too much) time in my home office. So when DH had a chance to go to Jerusalem on Thursday to eat sushi with a friend who had a coupon for a new sushi place in the shuk, I went along, even though I don't like sushi. Sometimes, it's all about the chavaya - the experience.
We sat at an outdoor table right near the Iraqui shuk. Across from us was some kind of club house for old Israeli men. Inside, there was a bit of friendly gambling going on. Outside, sitting in mismatched chairs that had seen brighter days, was a cavalcade of retired Israelis. The setting was, ahem... quite the opposite of glamorous. Tucked away in a hidden corner of the shuk where tourists don't venture, it was like looking at a scene in Israel, circa 1955. A most humble setting, an aura of bonhomie and an afternoon of pleasant diversions.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Y09fuDXOkMpU_Ad8ZUnD7g0Xmbb8J2iWZ0VfINd6bBK0O4ni5eV7Nzio9hF5m4E_Vb23_8mk8SwC2hS9E2Ndq8WqTmJHFhgb2OffC96jBtluCf949vphO2N361v3bazlnWBc/s1600/IMG_2062.JPG) |
Peek inside the door to see where the games were being played. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3unJ-SF9P9fZin8GXr_QGpfpVXgtZFDfb3s3s11XYTeKJLyuoyDv48kU8KPEtnBOr7GId4tZv__Pbb0gNeAjSl88MMtn0REH66PcRjGwyr6AUWo_0UOVOFjstAp0DKeOzFneu/s1600/IMG_2064.JPG) |
Around the corner, we saw more old men, this time playing Shesh Beish. Or what we used to call backgammon in the Old Country. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQq9B3IAp9WzSkUaaw2I5YBYLsljCSKob3gCRH4dVBjrbXBLNKjXmYMdiqT5rn2fPAgfR8qWLuSxhwobju7R_d2LkmZXa8NB7wpmlLv8039O_g5o8jLmoKTDsKWCNvkBDSZWnr/s1600/IMG_2065.JPG) |
Two chayalot - female Israeli soldiers, enjoying lunch (and technology) off the beaten path in the shuk. |
|
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2h1MtUB9F6EKlPP6kHyRu1Y0ysH0gUKVrSqROqoJmZsdOH1iAV8g-XO6WEkUSAq1pVY6HCr7FkCuJeYa7F4cGoU1cGqIZ-zJBv3yY1Mc4AOSEOUT_Fo8WhfGFtMiu9zH922jQ/s1600/IMG_2066.JPG) |
I cringed at this t-shirt that was for sale, but ultimately had to laugh at it. It says, "I don't need Google. My wife knows everything!" | | |
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_M1IhC0BHgqc6gjSXIE_BgaAbQD4yWiPQq-YQexgw3Wiap4SYtX-WQLLN8fRt5M10MLiG0a6_64559PiALddxQjosxiyqjFriroL0r-d99UE7wto7SGJF70nmroBDwDE5sAe/s1600/IMG_2067.JPG) |
A classic Jerusalem alleyway with the requisite image of a random religious man. |
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pENEnrYpqhJuvVbstdIyJ0Ue_BMyY8pnWgAevHAAHW5iLOUV-0WHKl77riohojNIHlbr53bEaoWRjxs4WbdMayoSqDGiVCWbhjrzhhu8Qezfkyze-9U_hsR5K70FCTLbfgVG/s1600/IMG_2069.JPG) |
If you're into cooking Asian food, this store on Agrippas probably has all the ingredients you'll need. |
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHVapEgU_MEMvQxk5fvTJOg0LJn6HXDYb4rBP17bNldY50CmtXZb2RH05zN4p0SyE3GjzK9Sn6NRbQRv4b1iF-Ex8ci_IJsT0EzaimywyJXIWangAi-Ir4cI2mddXOhwg2zO5/s1600/IMG_2073.JPG) |
Of course, not everything sold in Jerusalem is quite kosher. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RaTKNnm1SAioY_6Q9LvAGxANyPsk8VKwnEWap8M3X0DsAINTr0L0gLHy6H97g5srZ5xk8pGYa1oR2oPBN_WONVjLdPJNL_0_hVRpW8LN-H7z7EhDbome6fTw52T_9sJsWsGF/s1600/IMG_2074.JPG) |
Israel's equivalent of the "Be Right Back" sign on a locked store front. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xoBhlTyasTLRMvrnzPspPRvGxyk6mDCAeSTLH6YInCGdh50TohK-C9P7qTqVHD61ZAHHIRrRDdBUsSw_z-aUZM4cCcyfiqq3LdvtOFWLmeW91-KYv1sAWQ0LUTT3dJrTW5SZ/s1600/IMG_2076.JPG) |
We bumped into an open-air flea market where, it became pretty obvious, junk is still junk anywhere in the world. |
|
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS555stgFM_sl-UWMEvIgYXHhSJlb3JUSk5oWmMsSjkKOzhS0DfPKiK5vArCeRYWtHNQkZKIip1TZmblnM4_GZJan9qkOUA39qB07A4LoC4Y88gCoBi8oHpYT8Ehrtk7_85n7X/s1600/israel_telephone_token_back.gif) |
Although I did snag a handful of old Israeli telephone tokens (asimonim) and learned that they are decorated on the back with a replica of an old phone dial. How many of you knew that? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4ZSCt90M4CNc4komSQUj9qQQbCRfPFO0uBjcQI_CnJQ6BsgIQ3Pwr8EeqUFtYSp_zb0c2U7OJmBPcC8ryWsaSZ3jU4QosSq4RIlV5MTfPMj156qJaNEHBFfTRMgfK4gKz9QF/s1600/IMG_2077.JPG) |
What is it with old Israeli men sitting on the street? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyccIgiBAC_a-kQKl4f7lwmC0Zc6Ov1YSFgug3CDzrc1jsWnlLo-cKIwMT4Zk-CXYR5iv-mdKF2vOAZxJ6cPGOG_KdBFwOFRXah_r9b4jOtNHMqyq0hkik6GGx7dvpvjn1gxr/s1600/IMG_2078.JPG) |
They're everywhere, in the most random places. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCJ8qsAtQfsPM8ZGum2T8aQmwQUrjBSIdOdoI6WWDa9zCFBrWPWYkcO7j5vyrxtlGMEZ16URJa2XPX8bJ3FrPrTHlZZDPKSTNJvTdqsy9OQotg0CjU7rlnyxWRLQsr35rcmbf/s1600/IMG_2082.JPG) |
Here's a picture of some Arab women sitting on a bench, waiting for the Light Rail, under the flag of the Jerusalem municipality. Yeah, definitely an apartheid country. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGwq1b5q4EVbZhQJJNcnZ57pcAmaEvOvMFfxmXJA2tVyLzpYnumV2Gte23j4GpWRuySIkZnvnP2ewt9U3YrID7gcY2dWjEz7v3bF1bl76afEp-tx0D_OEyQ-ErM8XYtWRKSJ1/s1600/IMG_2080.JPG) |
And everywhere you look... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZ9GYKgCaQvdDoLj2iumBMtCwl6cjCyGd_-koKRuBfVaRXj4WYRfICpFd8cGPxCnKCF6Y_dmtFz6Xqcc1GobE6PE7kcvyFevnsEZxZPMfWsBBzOVFZI6IJry8lSJBkwjI7Pin/s1600/IMG_2079.JPG) |
Israeli flags. |
It was an altogether satisfying afternoon playing hooky in Jerusalem.
4 comments:
Okay, what did you pay for the asimonim? I saved two :-)
And yes, I knew it was a dial phone design.
I liked the photo of the Haredi guy in the alley. You're good!
And here I was wondering what caption you'd give that (first) picture, and it ended up being a whole blog! Enjoyed!!
Varda - Not likely to make you rich. I paid 2 NIS each. Thanks for reading!
Playing hooky and roaming around Jerusalem is infinitely more fun than playing hooky in NYC was :)
Wish I could do it more often!
Terrific pics, thanks for sharing.
Post a Comment