Last week I had most of my days free as ulpan was over and Bezalel classes had yet to start. On Saturday I went with a couple friends to the Islamic Art Museum. The options of what to do in Jerusalem on Shabbat are few and far between, but this is one of the available open options. Also, interesting note for those who have never been here- busses and public transit also does not operate on Shabbat (a point of contention for the secular population living here). Though more expensive than taking a bus, cabs here are plentiful (and are available on Shabbat- either driven by less religious Jews, or most often Arabs), and when going with a group of friends the cost is not so bad. We went first to a photo exhibit on Yemen, which I found to be pretty fascinating and gained some interesting insight about the country. Also to our surprise there was a very cool pocket watch exhibit (most notably housing several watches by Abraham Louis Breguet, maker of the “Marie Antoinette”). This collection is not Islamic at all, but the founder of the museum used to collect them. While the watches themselves were all pretty fascinating, the way they were displayed was almost equally as fascinating and elevated the viewing experience- the room was pitch black except for a spotlight on each watch which had been elegantly suspended in the air.
Beautiful tile that I liked
Also, Saturday was the day everyone claimed it was going to snow in Jerusalem. The debate is still up in the air. It seemed more like a hail-ish type snow to me. The weather since had been quite beautiful, except starting today we are having another cold/rainy/windy period.
On Monday I took myself to Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem is “Israel’s official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.” I had been here before on Birthright, but wanted to go again because I felt I would be able to have a different approach to it being alone as opposed to with a group. The museum is very beautifully done and very moving in so many ways. Videos of survivors telling their stories are placed throughout, which I found to be both what I was most interested in as well as a very emotional experience.
And finally this past Saturday I went to yet another one of the available things open on Saturday, which is the Israel Museum. This place is amazing. And huge. I will definitely be back. Not only does it house the Dead Sea Scrolls but it also has a nice sculpture garden, vast modern art exhibit, as well as plenty of historical art.
Robert Indiana's "Ahava." (Ahava means love)
Sculpture by Anish Kapoor
One of my favorite pieces in the show by Julius Popp. This article gives a better explanation (and picture) but it's basically an electronically programmed device that creates words in the water droplets one at a time as the water is shot down.
Since I haven’t mentioned food yet in this post, here we go: Persimmons. This is a food I was sure I must have tried before, but don’t believe I actually had. There are several things in the states that are persimmon scented, or colors called persimmon, but I’d never seen and eaten a real one before- they are delicious. Fairly mild, kind of flowerly tasting, hard skin that you can eat, but delicious juicy inside.
They look quite like tomatoes, but I assure you they are not
And now for more food pictures:
The best waffle I have ever tasted. They're from a tiny little hole-in-the-wall joint called Babette and served on tiny pieces of cardboard. This is considered one waffle, but you can choose two different toppings. Half is drenched in butterscotch, the other half with cream cheese and cinnamon.
Popular method of bread transportation. I'm glad that's not my job.
View of sunset from my roommate's window. My window unfortunately faces the next door building, but at least I can steal glances from hers.
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