183. Into the Holy City

183. 

Into the Holy City:

Before I leave the customs house, other officers invite me to sign up to work in a kibbutz for the winter. They say kibbutz work is not difficult and there may be a free private room, maybe even with a private bath and refrigerator for a guest worker with a university degree, like me. I don’t even have to be Jewish and it is nice and warm in Israel in the winter. They make it sound more like a fun “vacation” than a job, but I DO love my freedom, so: no thanks!

A half-hour by taxi and I see the white walls and golden dome of the Holy City.

Sunny told me she knew of a cheap hotel near the Damascus Gate. I find it. They have a room!

I walk thru the Damascus Gate into the Old City. The streets are like tunnels with small shops on all sides. The vendors do not hassle me at all. There are no beggars and I hear a lot of English being spoken.

In fact, there are LOTS of Americans here, many in tour groups wearing distinctive caps or badges.

I buy some delicious black raisins, some raw peanuts and drink a cool glass of freshly squeezed carrot juice. 

Here is a shop with something I really need—American made “Levi’s”! I try them on behind a curtain, pay for them and wear them out of the shop and throw away the crude imitations I bought in Egypt.

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