Or, shtayim days in Jerusalem.. (two is a number I haven’t really managed to memorize yet, but now that I have written it down maybe I will.)
Today we came home from two overwhelming days in the Holy City of Jerusalem. I don’t really know where to begin.. but I just realized that covering both days in one blogpost will be an overkill, so I’ll do one for now.. and maybe the second day later or tomorrow.. there are many pictures to look through..
We came to the Jaffa Gate in the Old City and saw a girl standing with a big sign saying “free tour”.. we figured it could be nice to join and learn some while exploring so we did, and it was great. We walked around the four corners of the city and explored a part of all there is to see. We walked around for hours and even though the sky was white from all the sand.. (the sandy wind from the desert that I mentioned last time is called Khamsin and makes the air white, hot and dry..) After walking around the old city we went to the windy center to find a hostel and get something to eat. I had to change to pants because the wind was too cold.. and as yesterday was the holocaust memorial day everything was closed and all we could find was a dodgy pizza place.. However, the pizza was great, and then Shay came! It was really great to see him again, we talked and then we all headed back to “the cave” which was the name of our dormroom..
Shalosh days in Tel Aviv! Everywhere I turn I hear “shalosh” which means three and is the first number I learnt and managed to remember.. I just think it really sounds like “galosh”..
Tel Aviv is really an amazing city, in many ways. The incredible mix of cultures, languages, food and just about everything.. these three days I’ve been walking around the city with my host Noam and eating a lot! haha..
When we woke up the first day, Thursday, we went to eat in a shopping centre where they had all kinds of food.. I was overwhelmed with how many different things they had in the foodstands.. and we ended up with fantastic Iraqi food.. it was really really good and we both overdosed on it!
After eating we took a walk around the central Tel Aviv, went to the beach, and strolled around in a big market.. I bought a really old key that I put around my neck and a thick sweater for the chilly nights, I heard Jerusalem is even colder by night than Tel Aviv! On our way to Noams apartment in the center I literally bumped into another friend from South America! It was really really random, we hadn’t decided on meeting, I just suddenly saw her on the street and we were both like “what!!?” I mean, what are the odds?? haha
Friday is the Israeli “Saturday” so everything closes early, so friday morning we went to beautiful Jaffa and walked around there, we went to Abu Hassan and had the worlds best Hummus!! I’m really amazed by all the amazing food around here, and I can’t get enough!
After walking around Jaffa, the markets and the harbour we went back home and went to friends of Noams family who were holding a party for their son who is going to the army. It was a really big family gathering and people were singing and the food was just amazing and I had the best of times among really friendly people in a really beautiful villa.
After the dinner we went downstairs and had a ping pong tournament in pairs.. haha.. after winning, (yeaah) we went to a pub and met Noams friends for a while and then back home to Noams parents.
After waking up this morning we went to a hamburgerbar and ate really good hot wings and hamburgers.. for breakfeast (?!), after that we went to the beach and stayed there all day.. It was warmer today, so I could actually use my bikini.. However, I’m still not even pink.. the sun is not strong enough! haha
I’m having a great time in Israel, Noams family is really friendly and Noam is being a really good guide taking me around the city, showing me the flavours and colours of Tel Aviv. “This is the best ice cream in the world” – and it really was great! Now Noam is at work and I’m sitting in my room, I’ve just had tea with his mom.. and an Avocado.. the Avocado here is AMAZING!! I’ve been eating like hundreds of them! haha
Tomorrow I’m going to Jerusalem and hopefully I’ll get to meet my friend Shay! Everybody talks about the “hot air with sand from the desert” that will change the weather tomorrow.. I wonder what that is.. well, we’ll just have to see.
And right.. they have really big bats here.. the harmless fruit-eating type but still.. bats. Noam gave me a mission-impossible.. taking a sharp picture of a bat.. haha I have three more weeks to get a better picture, but here’s my first try to capture a bat in action:
You know that you can find most of my pictures in my flickr, right? In full resolution :)
I’m sitting at the airport in Riga now with my baby-Asus, we have some more hours to kill here before the flight leaves.
I’ve been walking around Riga, exploring the city.. it’s nice, small and cosy, nothing extraordinary though, and it was COLD.. I had some Pelmeni in “Pelmeni XL” – a really cute place where you get to choose which “dumplings” you want by fishing them up yourself from the pots.. and then they weigh everything and you pay. Nice! Thanks Chriz! :)
I found a pair of really cool earrings that I didn’t get.. with Freud on them!
Maybe I should have bought them.. I mean, listen to Freud! :P
I’m speaking “polish with a russian touch” to everybody around here and they understand! At least the older generation does, but the younger ones get english so I managed my way around. haha..
Heard about Dropbox? After comparing it to the other free backup and online-storing options I think I made the right choice. Dropbox syncs your files across your different computers and iphone, instantly, and you always have a copy of these files online in case you would need them when you’re away or if your computer would crash. It’s great for travellers who want to store their photos and important files, instead of backing up your stuff on USB sticks and CDs, you can just upload them and keep them online where they’re always safe!
You get 2GB of free space with dropbox.. there is the possibility to get much more space if you’re ready to pay, and also by giving out Dropbox invites to friends you can extend your capacity to up to 8GB of free space! (Using this link, you get 2,25GB of free space from the beginning and give me 250mb extra space.)
The great thing is that the program syncs your files across your computers, so that you always have the latest version of that paper you are working on without having to email it to yourself all the time and change the name of it. You don’t have to be online to use the file, but then, the second you connect to the internet, it updates the version you have on your other computers!
Another great thing is the ability to share, you can invite people to folders that you want to share and share your files, pictures and music with anybody by sending them a link. So, for example, you can have a folder named “schoolfriends” and add stuff to that folder that all of your schoolfriends can access.
This thing is great.. so really, don’t ask, just Get it here!
There’s a serious epidemic that spreads faster among girls my age than any flu I have ever heard of.. it’s a brainwashing addiction of reading fashion blogs and their frenetic “this is what I’m currently doing” updates. I hate to admit that I also tend to have a look at what Kenza has been up to or what Dani’s new fantastic lips look like. But it’s entertainment, they do their job, and we do ours by following their lives when we have nothing better to do.. however you would want to put it, it’s not very stimulating and after half an hour of looking at Lookbook I feel as if I am really becoming stupid.
However, as “blog” to many people out there means just the above mentioned, I need to tell you that there is an alternative way of spending time on the internet. I am using google reader for my blog reading, which is great, and I am reading a whole lot of blogs that I have collected over a period of time and that are worth a whole lot more in terms of mindfood. They are my little gemstones that make fashion-blog-following somehow worthwhile and excusable and I thought I should share them with you before we all become braindead zombies spending too much money on clothes. Here’s the list, happy reading!
Barking up the wrong tree is a science/psychology blog that I found just three days ago.. summarizing scientific reports and a whole lot of sex, relationship and other life-related stuff makes it really, really great – not just for psychology students!
Nonicoclolasosis a much alike blog, however focusing more on politics, economy and philosophy.. this one is in Swedish.
PsyBlog is another psychology blog.. in english! I can’t get enough of psychology science reports.. they rock my world.
Henrik Alexandersson is a Libertarian blogger that writes about politics in Swedish.
Then.. well.. here’s some procrastination helpers that entertain in an exceptionally time-consuming way.. enjoy!
Geekologie– it’s geekologie.. you probably have to be a geek to love it as much as I do.
Wall Street Photo Journal – Pictures of the week, pictures of the day.. and it’s not just any pictures.. it’s fantastic high end photography that will blow your mind and I can look at some of these shots forever.
IDG.seSwedish IT magazine.. real gadgets, always gadgets!
And then there’s comics, some of them extremely weird.. but you just have to love them.
Okay, that should be it for today. Of course, this is just a selection of what I am following, but if you think there’s anything great I’m missing out on, please do tell me.
Women’s favorite spot to be kissed, other than the mouth, is the neck. Ninety-six percent of women reported that they like neck kisses, while only about 10% of men do, so a guy will not even believe that a girl likes being kissed on the neck because it doesn’t really do anything for him.
