All’s well that ends well and it did!
But first, did you know that if you don’t speak for three days, your voice sounds like you have laryngitis?
2014
Shanah Tovah
Rosh Hashanah is over but that doesn’t mean I have access to food except what it stacked up on the bathroom sink, or transportation except my feet. It’s Shabbat.
The Power of Dashed Expectations
I am in Safed, a small Israeli city 3 hours north of Jerusalem. The picture in my mind of Safed was pretty different from reality so far. The picture above is where I am staying. As a center of Jewish mysticism with hippie-ish sensibilities, I expected a city that would feel loved and welcoming and in tune with the natural state of things. You know, like Berkeley before the iphone.
New Friends and Old Things
I decided to spend the day at the Israel Museum, which has a nice cross section of western art but is famous for the Dead Sea Scrolls and archaeological artifacts organized to unwind the 9,000 year history of the Levant. Steve Tobias reminded me of this word.
WWJD?
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.
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.”
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Camino Milagro 