On an ordinary day, and a most ordinary time, I got onto the light rail along with about 60 carriages complete with teary-eyed babies, all in one compartment. I had a long way to go and didn’t look forward to sharing my small space with so many strangers. Each stop only got worse and worse. I gained an insightful meaning of what panim-el-panim really meant.
To make things worse, we were headed right into the heart and center of Jerusalem. On a whim, plus a desire to get rid of the choking feeling that was threatening to overwhelm me, I stepped off at Machane Yehuda. I breathed in a very welcome breath of air, only to start choking once again by the smoke of a teenager lounging around just looking for someone to pick on. I quickly walked the other way and found myself with a front and center view of a very large, and very dead, fish. My head was spinning, and it hit me that I was in the smack center of the famed Shuk. Every step was another smell, another vendor telling you how cheap his fruit is, another despondent woman begging for coins.
By the time I got to the end of the shuk (or the beginning, depending on where you start from), I was desperate for something to take all the images and sensations out of my mind. Too much of it was giving me a headache. I jingled the coins in my pocket, took them out and counted 12 shekalim. I promptly headed towards the section in a candy store that held the green and red candied bricks they were famed for. I decided that, if nothing else, at least I would be able to have something to show for my trip. Never mind that I was late in getting home to dinner; the bricks would be worth it. I carefully stuffed candy into a bag (with a glove of course) and exhaled when the total came out to 12 shekalim. But it was ok, because the light rail was still free.
I can remember the smell of the shuk forever!!! Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteYum!!! Those Bricks are amazing!
ReplyDeleteI cant believe after all those years of construction the lightrail is finally ready.