An absolutely dreadful day yesterday - a heavy hamsin or sandstorm blew right into the country. The sky was dull and brown without the sun. The heat was oppressive - 36 degrees at its peak. And the sand - everywhere .... in your eyes, nose, ears, mouth, through every crack and cranny in the wall and pavement. I guess it set the mood for later in the evening when Israel began Remembrance Day - commemorating the Jews killed in the Holocaust.
The wind was unbelievably strong - something we might equate with Typhoon 8 signal. I was twice almost blown off my feet. And it was cold. Never saw the likes of this in recent years.
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| Rockefeller Museum's flag at halfmast |
With the dismal weather, and the beginning of Remembrance Day, many shops and businesses closed early yesterday ... like by 2pm most people were on their way home. An unfortunate accident at the Yad Vashem museum - a pylon to hold lights and loudspeakers - collapsed under the gusty winds and killed a girl. The central ceremony for Remembrance Day took place there this morning.
Well I've been terribly terribly sick since yesterday. The diarrhea and cramps are crippling me. Last night it was so bad ... I can't even write about it. Let's just say the people who knew insisted I go to the hospital in Haifa.
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| Damascus Gate Square |
Anyway I've been writing about my place for so many years and many of you still don't have an idea of where or what it looks like. So here's a photo of Damascus Gate square just outside Damascus Gate (where else???) where usually hawkers and bedouins do their selling and buying. It was empty today. It's outside the City walls of course. The bridge at the bottom of the pic leads you into the walled City.
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