By Day & By Night - Machaneh Yehuda Explored

Jerusalem Overview
Today was our first ulpan outing and, convenient enough, it was a few hours tour around some Jerusalem neighborhoods to give us a good idea of her boundaries and what lies on the outskirts of the city. The highlights (according to the esteemed author) included a stop at Hebrew University's Mount Scopus campus, overlooking both the western and southern neighborhoods as well as providing a scenic view of the West Bank and a nice anchor of nostalgia from when I used to go to school there. I also enjoyed seeing the areas that were surrounding the ulpan that I wasn't familiar with and learning some of the back stories of the recent and ancient events that took place right around where we live.

Return to Shangri La
As promised, for the third week in a row I returned to the Machaneh Yehuda open air market to enjoy the festivities of the day. This time, I got there during the daylight hours and really appreciated a lot more of the variety and activities that were showcased. Quite random street performers included a moderately older Yemenite gentleman who played religiously inspired mizrachi (of Spanish/Eastern Jewish influence) tunes on an electric guitar to a welcoming crowd. A young woman who captivated the attention of Jerusalem youngsters as she took them on a tour of the shuk - and even managed to coerce a smile from a friendly pita vendor. An interesting fellow who carved up watermelon to give away...and then proceeded to nail the spent 'crust' to a wooden board. A Sephardi band that kicked up quite a scene, inspiring some improvisational dancing amongst a 7 year old and an 80 year old while onlookers assembled in nearby chairs and some played intense matches of shesh-besh (backgammon). There was also an interesting sort of subdued departure of creativity: a table was set up inside one of the market aisles at which two guys sat before a sign that said in Hebrew 'a song for a shekel.' I was certainly tempted to put my silver colored, plastic feeling coin forward, but lacked a theme about which to commission a song. Next week it will be done, so long as the affordable composers show up for work.

Let's pause for dinner.
Mmmm. I've never had any sort of meal in the market before tonight. After walking all over the city to get here, I had to sit down and take a break and reward my stomach with the pleasures that my eyes had envied from all the market stalls. Sheeran and I went to a place that looked pretty packed: Ima, Hebrew for mother. It bridged both main aisles of the shuk and was another opportunity to eat a hearty Moroccan meal. We split an appetizer of a few types of kubeh, which are basically meat and other spiced stuff fried in a dumpling sort of thing. It tastes better than I can describe it, trust me. I had a beef goulash mixed with vegetables and rice and Sheeran got a pretty interesting and flavorful lemony kubeh dish. And on to a bit more wandering after the gorging ended...

As Sheeran watched patiently and then continued excitedly to beat some kids in foosball, I went to watch and join in on some Israeli dancing. It was a pretty great experience again. I enjoy the spontaneity of it and the free spirited fun and warmth that people have with others who they have never met, united with a common goal of celebrating the music and dancing that has been a cornerstone of Israeli culture since its birth. After I was ready to leave, I ran back for more - they had just put on one of my newest favorite songs. I'm not sure what it's called, who sings it or how they fit all of the greatest sounds into that track. I was able to record a bit of it (below) for repeated enjoyment, but had to live the moment and go dance to it as well.