a heartbreakingly horrible place.

I haven’t been writing simply because of the lack of time. I would like to tell you about all the insane things that have happened but I don’t think I will give you much more than a supershort summary and then let some pictures tell you more.. this week I’ve partied in Haifa, been to Ramallah and other places around Palestine where I among other things somehow managed to crash another conference. Beside that I’ve been shot at with teargas, drinking a lot of amazing coffee, walking around Jerusalem by night, showering in waterfalls and floating around in the very salty dead sea.

This country is without any doubt the country of crazy coincidences, and I will write this more than once.

So, as always, a few pictures:

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The morning after we got up really early (that’s about nine o’clock..haha) and went out for the two silent minutes for the victims of the holocaust. There was an alarm, everything freezed, people were standing still and cars stopped..

We headed to the old city again and went to see the highlights that we had saved for the day. We headed up to the roof of the Austrian Hospice where the view was great, then we did the Via Dolorosa, visiting the beautiful gardens of the Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock and continued to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that is said to mark the spot where Jesus was crucified and buried..

Or, shtayim days in Jerusalem.. (two is a number I haven’t really managed to memorize yet, but now that I have written it down maybe I will.)

Today we came home from two overwhelming days in the Holy City of Jerusalem. I don’t really know where to begin.. but I just realized that covering both days in one blogpost will be an overkill, so I’ll do one for now.. and maybe the second day later or tomorrow.. there are many pictures to look through..

We came to the Jaffa Gate in the Old City and saw a girl standing with a big sign saying “free tour”.. we figured it could be nice to join and learn some while exploring so we did, and it was great. We walked around the four corners of the city and explored a part of all there is to see. We walked around for hours and even though the sky was white from all the sand.. (the sandy wind from the desert that I mentioned last time is called Khamsin and makes the air white, hot and dry..) After walking around the old city we went to the windy center to find a hostel and get something to eat. I had to change to pants because the wind was too cold.. and as yesterday was the holocaust memorial day everything was closed and all we could find was a dodgy pizza place.. However, the pizza was great, and then Shay came! It was really great to see him again, we talked and then we all headed back to “the cave” which was the name of our dormroom..

Hello world!

Shalosh days in Tel Aviv! Everywhere I turn I hear “shalosh” which means three and is the first number I learnt and managed to remember.. I just think it really sounds like “galosh”..

Tel Aviv is really an amazing city, in many ways. The incredible mix of cultures, languages, food and just about everything.. these three days I’ve been walking around the city with my host Noam and eating a lot! haha..

When we woke up the first day, Thursday, we went to eat in a shopping centre where they had all kinds of food.. I was overwhelmed with how many different things they had in the foodstands.. and we ended up with fantastic Iraqi food.. it was really really good and we both overdosed on it!

After eating we took a walk around the central Tel Aviv, went to the beach, and strolled around in a big market.. I bought a really old key that I put around my neck and a thick sweater for the chilly nights, I heard Jerusalem is even colder by night than Tel Aviv! On our way to Noams apartment in the center I literally bumped into another friend from South America! It was really really random, we hadn’t decided on meeting, I just suddenly saw her on the street and we were both like “what!!?” I mean, what are the odds?? haha

Friday is the Israeli “Saturday” so everything closes early, so friday morning we went to beautiful Jaffa and walked around there, we went to Abu Hassan and had the worlds best Hummus!! I’m really amazed by all the amazing food around here, and I can’t get enough!

After walking around Jaffa, the markets and the harbour we went back home and went to friends of Noams family who were holding a party for their son who is going to the army. It was a really big family gathering and people were singing and the food was just amazing and I had the best of times among really friendly people in a really beautiful villa.

After the dinner we went downstairs and had a ping pong tournament in pairs.. haha.. after winning, (yeaah) we went to a pub and met Noams friends for a while and then back home to Noams parents.

After waking up this morning we went to a hamburgerbar and ate really good hot wings and hamburgers.. for breakfeast (?!), after that we went to the beach and stayed there all day.. It was warmer today, so I could actually use my bikini.. However, I’m still not even pink.. the sun is not strong enough! haha

I’m having a great time in Israel, Noams family is really friendly and Noam is being a really good guide taking me around the city, showing me the flavours and colours of Tel Aviv. “This is the best ice cream in the world” – and it really was great! Now Noam is at work and I’m sitting in my room, I’ve just had tea with his mom.. and an Avocado.. the Avocado here is AMAZING!! I’ve been eating like hundreds of them! haha

Tomorrow I’m going to Jerusalem and hopefully I’ll get to meet my friend Shay! Everybody talks about the “hot air with sand from the desert” that will change the weather tomorrow.. I wonder what that is.. well, we’ll just have to see.

And right.. they have really big bats here.. the harmless fruit-eating type but still.. bats. Noam gave me a mission-impossible.. taking a sharp picture of a bat.. haha I have three more weeks to get a better picture, but here’s my first try to capture a bat in action:

You know that you can find most of my pictures in my flickr, right? In full resolution :)

I’m sitting at the airport in Riga now with my baby-Asus, we have some more hours to kill here before the flight leaves.

I’ve been walking around Riga, exploring the city.. it’s nice, small and cosy, nothing extraordinary though, and it was COLD.. I had some Pelmeni in “Pelmeni XL” – a really cute place where you get to choose which “dumplings” you want  by fishing them up yourself from the pots.. and then they weigh everything and you pay. Nice! Thanks Chriz! :)

I found a pair of really cool earrings that I didn’t get.. with Freud on them!

Maybe I should have bought them.. I mean, listen to Freud! :P

I’m speaking “polish with a russian touch” to everybody around here and they understand! At least the older generation does, but the younger ones get english so I managed my way around. haha..

Hey.. guess what? I’m out travelling again! :D