In Jerusalem 10 Signs of Purim Season

You can never tell what you will find on the streets of Jerusalem, Israel,

and that is especially true at this time of year.

The month of Adar has arrived,

and though the Purim holiday is still two weeks away,

Purim mask on Jerusalem street photo

here is a sign of the season, a great mask I passed on the street.

balloons, Jerusalem photo walk

Across the street from the Prime Minister’s residence

blue balloons were hanging and blowing in the wind.

At first I thought they were some sort of reminder of a terrorist attack

Jerusalem photo memorial

 that had killed 10 people at this spot in Adar of 2003.

But, the number 18 was not about years or the number of victims of terror,

when I looked more closely, they said:

Balloon 18 ministers is enough

 18 ministers in the new government is enough!

Jerusalem photo tour, sale sign

End of season sale signs are up in Mamilla Mall, where

Jerusalem street picture

 the humor themed art is perfect for this time of year.

Marathon sign at Jaffa Gate

The giant sign for February sport events and the Jerusalem Marathon

at Jaffa Gate cannot be missed

Jerusalem construction sign

Even with signs, the construction of new sidewalks

can be hard to figure out, and it took awhile to get around this mess.

Jerusalem protest sign photo

For months on this corner, there was a protest against racism,

in the same spot where Gilad Shalit’s family spent so many years. 

Jerusalem street photo

Today it was cleaned up and clear of all tents and banners.

Jerusalem street sign picture

You can now see the sign that says that it is prohibited to hang signs.

However, there are new signs being hung

Free Jonathan Pollard sign

across from Beit Hanasi, the Israeli President’s Residence,

“Honored President, Save Pollard.”

There are  many more signs of the Purim season,

but two of my favorites 

Mordehai street sign in Jerusalem

are the street signs named for Mordechai the Jew,

and of course,

Hamentaschen photo

 those full plates  of hamentaschen being served where ever you go.

Shh, Sharing a Secret Spot in Jerusalem

I lived in NYC when snow came down so fast all the buses stopped running.

The only way to get home was to walk or hitch a ride with a stranger who

got off the Long Island Expressway, and tried to drive on side streets. 

I also lived in Boston where once the snow was so deep that guests

could not walk the short distance to come over for our Purim seudah.

Once in Maryland, Shabbat guests got snowed in until Wednesday.

 Oh, I do not miss shoveling all that white stuff one little bit.

This weekend, once again the Northeastern US got buried in white.

What a contrast,

as the Hebrew month of Adar begins,

and in Jerusalem, Israel, it is such a colorful time of year.

Purim costumes, Purim wigs, costume photo

There are plenty of colorful costumes and things for Purim on display,

but it is the natural colors that are so impressive after so much rain.

photo almond blossoms, Jerusalem photo tour

On Friday, white almond blossoms were in full bloom against the blue sky.

Anemones photo, red flowers, Jerusalem photo walk

Thousands of people drove to the Negev to see anemones in bloom,

Anemones photo, Jerusalem nature walk

but the wild red flowers

Jerusalem photo, Jerusalem nature walk

and beautiful scenes

Nature walk Jerusalem photo

can be found right in Jerusalem, off the Yael Sapir Trail.

Red flower photo, Jerusalem nature photo

Maybe these anemones are not as dense as in the Negev,

People in park photo

and only a few people seem to know about this nature spot,

Valley of the Cross, Jerusalem photo

but it is near the center of Jerusalem.

Anemone photo, Jerusalem nature spot

I love seeing the anemone in full bloom.

Jerusalem marathon, Jerusalem photo

The Jerusalem marathon is coming soon.

runner marathon, Jerusalem marathon

Red flowers are not the only things popping up in the Valley of the Cross.

Runners in red tee-shirts are getting ready for the Jerusalem marathon.

This road is the end stretch of the marathon route.

Valley of Cross photo, Jerusalem nature walk

Wonder if any runners will notice the flowers,

or will it stay our secret spot for another year?

Jerusalem after a very Wet Week

Last week it rained, and then it rained some more.

Today the new members of the 19th session of the Israeli Knesset

Knesset building photo

eagerly await to be sworn in.

Those people who stayed up all night to watch the Super Bowl live 

are suffering from football fatigue and moving slower than usual.

But for most people, after a week of rain and grey clouds,

blue sky Jerusalem, photo Jerusalem, photo tour Jerusalem

 the big excitement is that sun came out and the sky was bright blue.

Montefiore windmill photo.

Runners were not the only ones out on the streets;

Jerusalem photo tour, photo Jerusalem street

 many people were happy to be able to walk outside again.

smiling baby, Jerusalem photo

Even little babies seemed to enjoy the warm temperatures.

DSC_0114

I love that a rose in the garden is budding in the middle of winter

Jerusalem flowers photo, photo tour, photo walk

and that flowers are blooming in so many small parks.

Jerusalem photo tour

But I hate that these steps are usually blocked by a parked car.

Free parking is hard to find in Jerusalem, but still, it is real chutzpah

to constantly block access to stairs leading to a public park.

Jerusalem sigh flowers, Jerusalem photo tour, photo walk

And what would Jerusalem be, 

cats photo, Jerusalem photo tour

without cats out enjoying the weather too?

It is clouding over again, so better get going before the rain starts.

Yes, we need rain, but people do smile more when the sun is shining.