Site Seeing and LOTS of shopping

     This morning after eating breakfast at our hostel, we rode our bikes to The Holocaust History Musem. Unfortunately, no photography was allowed inside so I didn't get any photos. But it was very interesting going through the musem with a Jewish guide whose father was taken to a Jewish Ghetto when the war first began. It was interesting how the different parts of the musem are symbolic of various things that occurred during the war. For example, certain parts of the museum where smaller (and more clostrophobic) than others and the tempurture changed throughout various parts of the musem. It was a very different experience than the Holocaust Musem I went to in Washington D.C. five years ago.

     After leaving the main musem we went to get a snack in the building where all our backpacks were stored. It was interesting to see a divider up in the cafeteria with two separate serving areas. On the left was dairy and on the right was meat, in order to keep kosher. I got some weird ice cream that was like a vanilla base with what tasted like brownies chunks and also had some  kind of nut mixed in.

     While cycling back to the Jaffa Gate an American woman walked past us and yelled at Angela and Elyssa telling them, "it's illegal to ride bikes on the sidewalk!". We all responded with laughter, no wonder why so many locals hate Americans, they think we're all stupid and that our laws apply to other places. We also passed by a local market place where almost everything was half off or free as store owners were trying to sell all perishable items before Sabbath began. The streets were flooded with people similar to when kids got out of school yesterday. We dropped our bikes off in the parking garage for the bike rental company to come pick-up.

     We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping in the main gates of Jerusalem. I got some cool souvenirs such as; a nativity scene carved from olive wood, frankensense and myrrh, a postcard, a couple communion ceramic cups, a while kilo of candy, a cashmere scarf, and a wool blanket. The man who sold me the scarf was trying to stick his hand down my shirt and fondal my breast while he was putting the scarf around me to show me how to "properly" wear it. It was so awkward and I felt so violated (note to self, DO NOT wear V-neck shirts in foreign countries).

     Anyhow, CHi-um picked us up in the tour van and drove us back to our hostel. The elevators here are turned off because of Sabbath and the Jewish kids that are here (who were celebrating someone's Bar Mitsvah last night) were obnoxiously loud. They were all singing very loudly and yelling in Hebrew. It reminded me of the camp dining hall when kids get really wild during no-hands/hands-optional night. Tomorrow is still Sabbath until sun down so it will be interesting to see first hand the cultural/religious differences that come with this day of rest.