An Epic Journey

So last night around 7 or 7:30, I set out on a little stroll with my roommate and her boyfriend, thinking to have a little walk before finding some little hummus place or something to eat. Well, we forgot that we are living in Jerusalem, The Holy City. Shabbat doesn't end until there are 3 stars in the sky - and since it is summer, the sun doesn't set until like 9. We walked for hours, all over the whole city, until finally we had to stop and buy some burekas to keep us going until we found something. Finally we saw that the best baguette shop in Jerusalem (there aren't many, but still) had opened, and I swear it was one of the best meals of my life. I can't tell you if the baguette was that great, or if I was just so famished I would have loved anything. But we finally were fed. At around 9:30 or 10.

My new South African friend from Ulpan came to meet us, so we ended up sitting in some coffee shop, which was quite nice. There were about 144438358 people out and about, I guess in part because of Shavuot and all the good Jews who had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as they are supposed to. It kind of took me by surprise, though, since I tend to assume that Saturday night here is like Sunday night everywhere else, since there is work and whatnot the next day, but I guess not. Sometimes Western logic just doesn't fit in to this little part of the Middle East. (understatement, anyone? anyone else catch the -ahem- subtleness and underlying message of that one? just checking).