I have a little problem. Call it massive ADD. Call it an inability to stay on track. I tend to, uh, drift.
I took the bus from Mount of Olives to the closest gate to enter the Old City and wandered around for a bit. I stopped in a few shops, since there were some souvenirs I still needed to buy for people, but I didn't buy anything. Then I found my way to Al-Aqsa, only to be told that it was closed for prayer until 1:30 and that I couldn't go through if I wasn't Muslim. I could probably have told them I was Muslim, but I wasn't dressed properly anyway, so I just left, thinking I would wander around until 1:30 and then be able to come back and take some pictures at that time.
As I walked back past a shop I had already stopped in, the elderly shop owner talked to me, asking if I was Arab. I told him I was Moroccan but had grown up in the U.S. and I explained what I was doing here, and this sparked a whole conversation. He invited me in for coffee, and I accepted. And then we couldn't stop talking. We talked for a few hours as tourist after tourist passed by, occasionally buying some small item from the front of the shop. He told me many interesting stories about what it was like to be a shop owner there. For instance, he said that sometimes tourists will come to buy a lot of stuff from him, but the second he offers them coffee and explains that this is Arab hospitality, they leave the shop without buying a thing because they have been warned by their guides or their friends not to buy from Arabs. He spent a long time showing me all kinds of antiques and explaining their origins (he know a lot about antiques from the area). It was incredible to hold in my hand an object that had been held by another person 2000 years ago! In the end, I bought some of what I needed to bring home to people from his shop, but the best part about it was being able to connect with this interesting person.
By the time I left, it was way too late to go to the
mosque, since it closes to outsiders again at 3PM. I did, however, convince the guys at the entrance to let me just pop in, take a quick picture, and leave. They were very kind in letting me do so. (I'll upload the picture tomorrow.)Then I walked down Via Dolorosa (sp?), again meaning to just leave the Old City and return to my hotel for a few hours of rest before heading off to see Adel, Susie's cousin, and his wife Laila. As I passed by one shop, however, rows of good quality pottery caught my eye, and I went inside. I spent the next while looking at pottery and picking out pieces, at the same time talking with one of the shop owners about Zionism and world politics. We had a lot in common in our perspectives, and we ended up talking for a few hours. I didn't leave his shop until after 7PM. To put this into perspective, I had picked out all I was going to buy by about 5PM. So two hours was spent talking (again over coffee) and getting deep into the politics of Zionism.
By the time I left, I was in a real rush to get back to Mount of Olives. I got to have a nice conversation with my mother on the way back, a quick conversation with Samer when I reached the hotel, and then I ran out to see Adel and Laila and their kids.
I had a really great time with them tonight. When I arrived, the other kids were asleep, but their youngest son Muhammed was still awake. He is probably the most adorable thing you've ever seen. He has serious spunk for a 5-year-old and is thoroughly fun and huggable. I made it home with sleepy eyes, and, after a few hours on the computer trying to update this blog and upload pictures, I'm wiped out.
I will try to post something tomorrow, but it is my last day here (I'm spending it in Ramallah) and I don't know how late I will be arriving back at the hotel. So check back late tomorrow. If I don't post anything tomorrow, I may not be able to write anything until Friday night or Saturday, when I arrive back in the States. So please don't be alarmed if you don't hear from me for a few days.
I do plan on continuing my blog for a while even after I return, as there are many things I've wanted to write but didn't for lack of time. So if you're still interested, I'm still writing!
I am really sad to leave here, but I can't wait to see Samer, my parents, and his parents on Friday! Also, I will be spending Thursday night with our friend Matthias in Stuttgart, Germany, as I have an overnight layover in Frankfurt. I haven't seen Matthias for a really long time, and it'll be great to catch up. (I know he's reading this blog, too, so he is up to speed with my trip as well.)
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