Greetings, Effurrybuddies!
They say all good things must come to an end, and it is true. Yesterday, We bade fur-well to Flat Moo, Joanie's Travelling Cow from the 15 and Meowing blog, who has been staying with Us here in Jerusalem for the past few weeks. We were furry sad to see her go, but She has lots of other places to visit on her World Tour and lots of other anipals to meet - and We mustn't be selfish.
As We purr-omised, before she left, We took Moo to Tel Aviv for a day at the seaside. We went first to the Old Port, which was built in the 1930s to replace the Port of Jaffa, when the latter became too dangerous for Jews to use, because of the Arab riots. The port is no longer in use for maritime commerce but it was completely restored in the early years of this century, and now teems with restaurants and cafes. Well, what else could We do? We needed sustenance to give Us plenty of energy for the day's adventures (mol)!
Here We all are, #MooToo, at the port.
We strolled along the wooden deck which runs along the shore, until We met this kitty, who was on her way to her favourite eatery (she looks as if she needs feeding, don't you think?) and didn't really have time to stop and chat.
A little further along, We met another one of the locals, who didn't want to let go of the Fishie between her teeth to answer Our query, but pointed Us with a toss of her glossy black head in the direction of one of the jetties.
We eventually stumbled upon a long, stone wall jutting into the waves. From a distance, it looks like the deck of a half-submerged submarine, doesn't it (mol)?
We didn't think anyone but a sure-footed Feline would brave the wet, slippery stones, but there were fishermen there and Moo summoned up all her courage and posed for a photo with them.
The fishermen were quite surprised because, although they are used to kitties hoping for some fishy tidbits, they had neffur met a travelling cow before. Still, they were furry kind and shared their catch with Us.
By now, it was getting quite late, so We walked back along the wooden deck and down to the seashore, where We had some ice-cream and enjoyed the beautiful sunset.
Then it was time to head back home to Jerusalem, where We had a Fur-well Supper with Moo and helped her to pack.
This morning, We said Our goodbyes and waved her on her way. We shall miss her furry much - but We are somewhat comforted by the fact that Mummy remembered that She, too, has a travelling cow, Milka, who came from Switzerland as the representative of a Chocolate Manufacturer, and liked it so much in Israel that she decided to stay. Here she is, with Flat Moo:
We are looking forward to reading about Moo's adventures at her next port of call.
Bon voyage, Moo - or, as We say in Hebrew, Nessia Tova (נסיעה טובה).
Hallo again, Effurrybody!
Here We are again - which is to say, Moi, Queen Trixie and My brofurs, Caspurr and Shimshi, and Our Special Guest, Joanie's Travelling Cow from the 15 and Meowing blog, Flat Moo.
Flat Moo has been with Us for several weeks now and her visit is drawing to a close. We will be furry sorry to see her go - but We were furry glad that she was able to spend the High Holy Days with Us and also to enjoy Sukkot (Tabernacles) here in Jerusalem. We were effur so glad to be able to welcome her to Our Sukkah:
Earlier this week, We took her to visit the Nachlaot neighbourhood, where there are lots of quaint little houses built around picturesque, interconnected courtyards, each courtyard a mini-neighbourhood originally populated by a different Jewish community - Syrian Jews, Iraqi Jews, Sephardic and Ashkenazi, etc.
Once one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, it has now become gentrified and the tiny one-room and two-room houses are gradually being replaced by extremely expensive houses which the local people cannot afford and which are being bought up by outsiders:
As you would expect, each of the courtyards of Nachlaot has its own resident cat population, and naturally, the local population treat them with the Respect to which We Felines are entitled, which includes feeding them furry well - as you can see from this picture:
In fact, this kitty was definitely a bit - well, chubby.
And we also made the acquaintance of this elegant panfur, in one of the courtyards:
There are many synagogues in Nachlaot, some of them tiny little enclaves in the middle of the famous Machane Yehuda market (which lies at the heart of Nachlaot and about which, more later), like this one, sandwiched between two shops:
and some of them quite impressive, like the Hesed VeRahamim synagogue, seen below, where Moo and Caspurr posed for a picture outside its silver-covered doors, which have twelve panels depicting the Twelve Tribes of Israel:
The Chubby Kitty whom We met earlier told Us that, as well as being fed by the humans who lived there, they could always find plenty to eat in the Machane Yehuda market, commonly known as HaShuk (THE Market).
I should explain that when Jerusalemites talk about going to "the market" - they mean Machane Yehuda, where now, in addition to all the food stalls, there are also more and more cafes and restaurants.
We all enjoyed the market. Here I am, outside one of the shops:
And then Our Official Photographer (aka Mummy) found a Sweet Shop:
If you look carefully, you can just about see Me in the lower right-hand corner.
Shimshi, of course, hit the jackpot:
Unfortunately, the one thing that did not appear to be for sale in the Shuk was grass, so, as Moo was now beginning to feel rather hungry, We decided to head back home.
Before Moo leaves, We want to take her to the seaside at Tel Aviv, so watch out for next week's blog. We hope the weather will hold. On Shemini Atzeret, which immediately follows Sukkot, the Humans start to pray for rain. It is officially autumn. But so far, you would neffur guess that (mol). So We are hopeful that We will be able to enjoy a fun day with Moo at the beach, before We have to say goodbye to her.
Have a lovely weekend, Effurryone!
And Moooooooo from Our Guest!
