Dancing In The Street

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My negative perception of Jerusalem is slowly changing. I used to think that Jerusalem was nothing but birthright groups and religious people, and although there's a lot of that in this city, I realized that Jerusalem has quite a unique personality.

My weekend in Jerusalem started off with an inpromptu visit to a street party that was taking place near Yaffo street. This was my second time at a street party in Jerusalem, but this time I had a much better experience as there were no drunk people passed out on the sidewalks like the last time. The party was spread out over an entire block and there were four separate stages-- one with electronic music, one with hiphop, another with a live metal band, and the last with some form of alternative music that's slightly reminiscent of India, drugs, and barefoot children-- this type of music is a favorite among the dreadlock-laden Jerusalemite youth (I figure it brings back memories of that post-army trip to India or South America).

My best friend and I spent most of our time in the hiphop section of the party where the music was surprisingly well chosen considering the often disappointing selection of hiphop music at most Israeli clubs. I was surprised to see that the party was taking place in the middle of a residential neighborhood (a few people were standing in their balconies looking down at the partygoers)-- in America this would never fly. The hiphop section seemed to attract the girls with the one-sided head shave which is probably one of the more hideous trends that Israelis have picked up.

After the party my best friend and I walked through the Shuk (market) to pick up some food and then to her apartment in Nachlaot, which in my opinion is one of the more visually interesting sections of the city. We sat out on the balcony and talked about how much our lives had changed since we last saw each other. In the evening we walked to another apartment in Nachlaot where we had been invited to dinner with some of her friends. I hope I have the opportunity to create friend-filled Shabbats like that one in my new apartment in LA.

The next day my best friend and I went with her friend to a stream near Jerusalem called Ein Rafa. To get there we had to walk downhill on a gravel path that was ornamented with a few fig trees. I realized that the smell of fig trees in the summer is one of my favorite scents on the planet (if anyone knows of a fig tree inspired perfume please let me know).

We got to the stream which flowed into a small pool made of cement. The pool wasn't exactly clean and we couldn't tell how deep it was, but it was hot out, so in we went. After a refreshing dip we got out and ate lunch (Iraqi pita which we got at the market, cheese with olives in it, vegetables, and fruit)-- It was delicious.

The hike back was quite steep and extremely difficult. By the time we got to the car we were dripping sweat. But it was totally worth it.

One thing that I love about spending time with my best friend is that she is the queen of cramming a million different activities into one day. After swinging by to check out a (creepy) apartment on our way home (my best friend is moving) we showered and went out to a tasty restaurant called Focaccia. From there we met up with a few friends and sat down for coffee. By the time we got home we were exhausted but super happy.

The next morning we woke up early and went out for iced coffe and rogalach (sort of like croissants with chocolate or cinnamon in them), then we went our separate ways. I went back to Ashdod and slept for the rest of the day.

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