Dusty winding roads

So these past few days in Jerusalem have really been a blur.

I'm sitting now in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, the amazing coffee chain from L.A which is extremely overpriced. But worth it on occasion. Plus they have free wifi and I kind of have this obsession with my Mac and Ice Coffees.

So lets talk about Jerusalem. It's dusty for one. And very white for a second. (is that a phrase? Let's make it into an acceptable phrase)

All the buildings are made of this whitish stone material and at times it seems as if the whole city is gleaming reflective sun.

That is, if you can see the buildings through the dust.

Or think through the noise.

The old city is really beautiful though. Its this laberynith of lanes with Arab shopkeepers selling the exact same t-shirts and trinkets shouting "excuse me" at everyone who walks by.

That always unnerves me. When people say 'Excuse me" in Canada its a polite gesture meant to inform the person of a stain or ask a question.

Here they just use it to get your attention which is kind of extremely annoying. Fuck off, if I want to buy something I'll walk in.

But the lanes are cobblestone obviously and they have these ramps on each step that I guess were used for wheels.

I always feel like I'm about to slip down them in my over-priced brown Havanias.

I could literally get lost for hours. And when you look at the old city from a distance its so nice. Its walled and stoned and ancient and beautiful and.... amazing that its been the source of so much bloodshed, just for all the whitish stone.

I'm staying in a hostel in the Christian quarter in this ancient building that is basically a cave with free wifi. They have a rooftop dorm where you can sleep and it has the most amazing view over the city which someone should remind me to post a picture of.

I met like 20 ex-birthright Canadians there and we played Jewish geography for a while. But that will be the next post!

The other part of Jerusalem is the new city. This is where the Mcdonalds and tourists shop are. Including the cafe I'm sitting in now. Its entirely filled with English speaking people. Mostly Americans, mostly modern orthodox.

On the famous (or popular) Ben Yehuda street is Shopper DrugMart (I kid you not), tired old souviner stands, falafel places which I am already getting sick of, and very bored security people in yellow vests. Subtle.

There is where everyone meets up at night. The Jerusalem Hostel is across from there; I might be moving there when I get sick of my hostel or fail to find an appt.

Outside the central part of the city, Jerusalem seems to be crowded and noisy and well...Middle Eastern.