Jerusalem is pretty much closed down on Saturdays for Shabbat. So I hopped on a Palestinian bus headed for Bethlehem. From what I have learned recently, I don’t think this is what Jesus would have done.
Author: klmalcolm2014
Shabbat Shalom
I can’t believe I am in Jerusalem, the holiest city on earth! For the past couple of weeks, I have been reading a lot to orient myself but it would take years to understand the very complex history of Jerusalem. Just consider a very few of the things that happened (or allegedly happened, you decide) in Jerusalem’s Old City, which you can walk across in fifteen minutes:
- Jesus was tried, convicted, crucified and rose from the dead
- God created the universe
- Mohammed ascended to heaven
- Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac
- King David was buried
- Solomon placed the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple
Back in Budapest with Hendrix and Zappa
Back in Budapest for a couple of days, staying at the Jimi Hendrix Guesthouse and drinking coffee at Zappa Caffe. The boys aren’t here although I think they were responsible for some of the decor and housecleaning.
Daisy’s Hungary
I didn’t tell anyone that everything I write about would be cheerful or limited to hardships that involve nothing worse than tiring train rides. I didn’t embark on this journey because I expected to find joy around every corner. As Javier said, “I go for the difference.”
Continue readingBratislava
After a car-bus-taxi-train never showed-bus-train-taxi ride where pretty much everything that could go wrong did, I arrived in my lovely Bratislava hotel just before midnight on Friday. The journey would have been on my (mercifully short) list of worst travel days ever except that I met some wonderful Czechs on the train.
Hungarian Cowboy Country
Imagine trying to get from Mill Valley to Tilden Park using public transportation and the bus ride ends on San Pablo Avenue so you have to walk the rest of the way and of course no one speaks English. That was what it was like to get to the “Bugacpuszta”, a traditional Hungarian horse show 30 miles from my hotel in Kecskemet, which is a little off the beaten track to begin with.
Lady Who Lunches or Lunch Lady?
So…I had my fun with friends in Spain and Hungary. And now it’s just me. Time to make the transition from a tourist to a traveler. A vagabond. A nomad. A homeless person with no friends!
Goulash Patrol
I arrived in Budapest late Tuesday. First impressions — gorgeous architecture, strong feeling of community, beautiful parks, great museums and lots of performing arts. Many of the downtown streets are lined with trees and busy sidewalk cafes, and there seems to be a thriving youth culture (which is on my official list of criteria for healthy cities).
