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.

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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.

 

After the Holidays, What Now?

For months people have said “after the chagim

well, the time has now arrived and the holidays are over.

Yesterday the winter session of the Knesset began in Jerusalem, Israel,

only to shut down a few hours later, to prepare for elections in January.

Knesset

However, the lights were still on in the building when I went to sleep.

Over 40 rockets fired from Gaza fell already this week in the South.

There is the nuclear threat from Iran.

No one knows what will happen next on the Jerusalem streets,

but there certainly are many cameras on hand to record it.

Muslim Quarter

Sukkot holiday crowds pushed through the Old City to the Kotel,

 the Western Wall,  for Birchat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing.

photographers Jerusalem

Photographers were ready for action in the crowded Muslim Quarter.

photographers Jerusalem

Serious cameras were there to get close-ups of the faces.

Old City

Thousands of smiling visitors posed for their moment.

Meir Goldreicht

There were so many phones out taking photos,

Kosel crowd

 many were photos of the holiday crowds at the Kotel.

In the sukkah at Beit Hanasi, the President’s residence,

sukkah

not only people posed for photos,

seeing eye dog

but even this dog stopped and posed.

kids camera

There were children taking pictures

Shimon Peres

and official photos with President Shimon Peres as well.

Having your camera handy is a good thing, 

mime

as you never know when you will need it on the Jerusalem streets.

Jerusalem parade

At the Jerusalem Parade, marchers took photos with and of the spectators.

Nigerian tourists

Who knew so many Nigerians were camera crazy?

Jerusalem streets are narrow,

a car on the corner can make it impossible for a truck to pass.

cars

This looked like possible trouble, so I took a photo of the scene.

Not everyone wants me to take their photos, that is for sure.

pose for camera

 In fact, this man jumped out of his truck and started towards me!

I sure was relieved that all he wanted was for me to take his photo!

Most people are back to work.

School classes are in session until Hanukkah,

the universities start next week.

One might expect quiet streets, 

but yesterday there were crowds and shofars and cameras

bar mitzvah

and drums for a bar mitzvah boy’s celebration.

Gotta love those Jerusalem streets,

where you never know what or who you will find.