Fredag / Friday

Weekenden blev tilbragt i den gamle by, mere eller mindre. Uden computer, men med oplader (hvor dum kan man være?). Der er mange museer som har lukket på sabbaten, inklusiv "City of David", der viser den helt gamle del af Jerusalem. Altså - knap 4000 år gammelt!
Det ville jeg mægtig gerne se, ikke mindst pga. chancen for at gå igennem Hizkijas tunnel (link desværre kun på engelsk, men google det evt. selv). Sidst jeg var i Israel (for ca. 20 år siden!) var den lukket, men denne gang var jeg heldig.


The weekend was spent in the old city, more or less. Without computer, but with the charger (how dumb can you be?). Many museums are closed for shabbath, including "City of David", showing the very old part of Jerusalem. You know - almost 4000 years old!
I really would like to see that, especially due to the possibility of walking through Hezekiah's tunnel. Last time I visited Israel (about 20 years ago!), it was closed, but this time I had luck.

Tunnellen er mejslet ud af klippen og er ca. 500 m lang. Den blev bygget fra begge ender samtidig, og hvordan de fandt sammen i midten kan man vist kun undre sig over! Den blev bygget som en vandledning ind i byen inden en lang belejring, og der løber stadig vand igennem. 
Faktisk er den berømt for at man bliver våd. Temmelig våd! Det lød nu ikke så farligt. "Vand til lige under knæene, og kun 5 meter med vand op til låret". (Jo tak!)
Der er mørkt i tunnellen. Som i bulder-ravende mørkt! Sådan her så der ud med blitz. Man kan lige akkurat skimte dem der gik foran!


The tunnel is chiseled in the rock and is about 500 meters long. It was build from both ends at the same time, and how they found each other in the middle is quite a mystery! It was build to lead water into the city before a long siege, and the water still flows.
It is famous for making you wet. Very wet! It didn't sound that bad. "Water height is just below your knees, and just 5 meters of the tunnel has water to below the hip". (Yeah, right!)
It is dark in the tunnel. As in pitch dark! It looked like this, with the flash on. You might be able to see the people ahead of me?

De der 5 meter med dybt vand kom ca. 2 meter inde i tunnellen, og så var man jo ligesom i gang! Det var ikke koldt - 18 grader er jo nærmest dansk badevandstemperatur! - men man skulle nok ikke gå derind med klaustrofobi!
Bagefter var jeg sådan temmelig våd, så det var rart med tørre bukser! (Og ja. Jeg kunne lige så godt have ladet være med at smøge dem op!)
Men det var sjovt - og vildt! - at se tunnellen i virkeligheden!


The 5 meters of high water came like 2 meters into the tunnel, and it kind of started you off! It wasn't cold - almost like the Danish sea-water in summer! - but you wouldn't want to enter this tunnel if you were a claustrofobic!
Afterwards, I was kind of very wet, so dry pants were really nice! (And yes. I might just as well have left my pants down instead of rolling them up!)
But it was fun - and wild! - seeing the tunnel in real life!

Om aftenen gik jeg ind i en butik. Og kom ud med dette fantastisk, håndbroderede sjal! Det var mega-dyrt (de der butiksejere i Jerusalem kan sælge sand i Sahara!), og jeg er temmelig sikkert blevet snydt selv om jeg fik prisen ned til 2/3 af den oprindelige. Men det er flot, og i forhold til det arbejde der ligger bag, var prisen absolut okay. Så jeg er glad for det.

In the evening, I entered a shop. And came out with this amazing, hand-embroidered shawl! It was crazy-expensive (the shop-owners in Jerusalem can sell sand in Sahara, as we say in Denmark!), and I most certainly have been lured, although I only paid 2/3 of the original price. But it's beautiful, and considering the work to make this shawl, the price was okay. So I'm happy with it.