Dorel Golan

I've often said I don't particularly like piano recitals, but I've changed my mind.

Why? Dorel Golan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqboNwwVBLw

Copyright 2012 Jane S. Fox

Central Bus Station

BREAKFAST says a large sign on one of the stands in the food court at the Jerusalem bus station. They offer several options including very, very fresh salads, eggs, breads and pastries, and fruit all day long -- each combo for well under 40 shekels.

Other stand offer excellent shewarma, Chinese food, and the usual food courts menus -- all with very, very fresh salads and very good bread at low prices. Only the burger places look unappetizing, but that's true all over Israel.

Much more appetizing than what you see at the Ben Gurion airport. Noisier, though.

(If you are hungry at the airport, your best bet is in the arrivals hall.)

Copyright 2012 Jane S. Fox

Demonstration against the light rail

At 8 AM on 14 March a protest is planned at the Har Herzl end of Jerusalem's light rail line. According to the poster, users protest crowding, lack of seats -- especially for the old and infirm -- lack of buses along Sderot Herzl (the lines that used to go that route were replaced by the train), infrequent service (it is, indeed, slower than the buses, and they went to more places), and impolite conductors (transfer from bus to light rail is only with a ravkav card, which confuses people used to buying a ticket on a bus and transferring with that paper ticket to another bus annd leaves them open to a fine; plus the machines that read the ravkav do not always work).

Copyright 2012 Jane S. Fox

Big breakfast

I overheard two Americans bemoaning the expense of breakfast in Jerusalem. "40-60 shekels," they said. I disagree.

You can get what they call the "Israeli breakfast" (boker yisra'eli) for under 40 shekels at many smaller cafes and restaurants. For example, Marzipan on Rakhel Imenu (just off Emek Ref'im) charges 38 shekels for two eggs, mixed salad, two cheeses. bread ,butter, pickles, olives, tampenada, natural juice, and tea or coffee. Ta'mon on King George charges 37 NIS for a similar meal. Ta'amon's sign and menu are in Hebrew only but the staff understands the English you need for ordering breakfast. It is between the Mahogony dress shop (sign in English) and a pharmacy on the corner of King George and Hillel Streets (http://g.co/maps/wrwnj ). Marzipan also offers granola or waffles. The menu of La Cuisine in Beit Avi Chai -- farther up King George on the other side -- lists breakfast for even less and a special discount for two.

Ta'amon is an old-fashioned cafe with two or three tables outside, a few immediately inside, and a loft with more. You will be having a pleasant, nontourist experience if you go there for any meal.

Hotel rates all include breakfast, though that could change, and the breakfast at all but the cheapest is a buffet of eggs, cheese, bread, butter, jam, salads, juice, salads and -- at medium-price and higher hotels -- fish. The more expensive the hotels the more lavish the choices of eggs, salads, fruits, pastries, and cheeses. I once stayed at the King David and once at the slightly less expensive Prima Kings. Both breakfast buffets included American offerings such as waffles and cereal.

Copyright Jane S. Fox 2012

Fashion

I thought the woman was wearing an ankle-length skirt. the fabric was georgette but opaque. Gathered at the waist. Bloused in, I thought, at the hem. Then I saw that the skirt was banded around each ankle. Modest, but hobbling if climbing on or off a bus.

A day later I saw a woman in another example of what seems to be a new fashion. Hers was like a knee-length A-line to whose hem was sewn the bottom third of a pair of trousers. Downright ugly.

the following day it was a woman wearing the very-long-in-the-crotch trousers old Arab men wear, except that the crotch of the men;s trousers is at the knees and on this outfit the crotch (if it could still be called that) was at mid calf or lower. Strange-looking but not repulsive.

Copyright 2012 Jane S. Fox

Shushan Purim

Mimes, acrobats, Flamenco music and dance, children's entertainers, and other performances entertained massive crowds today on the Ben Yehuda Midrakhov.

This year the Jerusalem Municipality's T"u b'Shvat activities ( http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-year-for-trees.html ) were cancelled. Stated reason was the weather, but as it did not rain that day I think the real reason was the strike of regular workers in support of benefits for contract workers.

The performers are appearing today, on Ben Yehuda and elsewhere in the city, and drawing more crowds than I've seen on T'u b'Shvat in past years.

The Flamenco performers were particularly good and included the excellent singer who has appeared at the best flamenco concerts ( http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/israel-flamenco.html ) and as a guest soloist with the Andalusian Orchestra of Ashdod. You'd think I'd remember his name by now.

Thank you, Google. His name is Yehuda Shwaiki.

Walking home, from the windows of several apartments the Book of Esther being read to the audible enjoyment of families.

Copyright 2012 Jane S. Fox