Sunday February 12, 2006 - Magnificent Pitas

We walked the ramparts of the old Venetian walls surrounding Jerusalem to get a bird’s eye view of the city. Following the lofty stroll, we visited two museums excavated complex preserving a 385-foot section of the Upper City near the Temple Mount dating back 2,000 years) before gorging on two magnificent pitas filled with falafel, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, hummus, tahini, and bell peppers. After our late lunch, we grabbed our bags and headed to Tel Aviv to meet up with Meital and Hillel (friends/colleagues from my two previous trips to Israel for work last year) for dinner and gelato. It’s hard to explain, but there is really a difference between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Jerusalem feels amazingly intense with a large population of Yarmulkes wearing Jews, throngs of Arabs, soldiers with rifles, ancient/fascinating history…while Tel Aviv feels like any European city. You don’t feel any religious fervor (rarely see a Yarmulkes) nor see any firearms, but appreciate its coastal and cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Dinner was fun – great food and company. It didn’t feel like a year and half passed since I saw them last. We shared many stories and laughs before all going our separate ways. We had to leave for the airport Monday morning at 4:15 AM.