It's a day of rest and rain here in Jerusalem, on Shabbat. My newly purchased but not so newly manufactured bike has unfortunately burst a tire after its first ride back from the station, unused to action after rusting away on the sad pavement in Tel Aviv where I found it. It’s a happy yellow colour and hopefully a bargain, although the owner was so shocked that I was buying it to ride back in Jerusalem 'with the snow and the drivers and the hills' that he barely even tried to rip me off. In fact, he seemed pretty convinced it would be stolen, ‘like all bikes are, even with you on it!’ so we'll have just have to see what it's lifespan is and hope it lasts the six months that I'm here.
For today at least, it's temporarily out of action, and therefore so am I. I've had only five days back in Israel starting with intensive Hebrew language classes from 8-1 (the fun of zoom!), after which I emerge from my dorm, dazed and deprived like some hibernating animal in search of food and sunlight. And with the exception of today's rain, Jerusalem's skies have not failed me:
And the skies after the next 24hrs spent in Tel Aviv, were similarly beautiful although in their own way.
I headed to Tel Aviv with friends after classes finished, to swim (though I was solo in that pursuit), stride around and see everything that it had to offer. And like I said, I was pleasantly surprised by the city - perhaps because my first trip in first term involved a night spent on the beach with no accommodation. But as Millie and I said, snuggled into a fancy hostel after a night of dining and dancing, we're learning!
The next day was consequently much fresher after a good night's sleep and a bracing sea swim:
And as I walked to warm up, the sun joined me and the locals pottering about, starting their mornings with coffee and each other. I tried to capture some of the sights I was privy to, inspired by the Gerald Durrell ('Birds, Beasts and Relatives') naturalist novel I had tucked under my arm. Here are some of the screenshots:
Like I said, I’ve been charmed by Tel Aviv in a way I didn’t expect from it’s skyscrapers. And like I am by Jerusalem every day.