Peace at last

Back in Israel, and - an unprecedented two weeks down the line - finally back in Jerusalem, where I get to sleep more than four hours at a stretch, and boy does that feel good! Nothing against Tel Aviv (at all), and it was good to see the Zend people and the Hayarkon folk and the Mike's Place gang again, but Jerusalem's like nowhere else in this world.

I'm still trying to analyse why.

I think - maybe - it's something to do with the way the sunrise paints every building golden-pink, and the sunset does the same only in pure gold. And then there's the stillness in the air. And the friendliness of the people. And the silence in the night-time. And (in Nachlaot, in 'my patch') the musicians rehearsing in the evening before they leave home to play, and the singing in the synagogues floating into the quiet night just before dawn. I think - maybe - it's something to do with all that stuff.

Whatever it is, the depression that's been on my back since March is gone. Even in Tel Aviv it was still making itself known, but not here. 'Course it helps that this is panning out to be a strangely mild winter (so far) and the weather's like a pleasant English May, but that's not all of it, by any means. (And actually the locals are hoping for rain, for obvious reasons.)

Mike's in Jerusalem has moved to a much better place - off Yafo, and through an off-road compound (very secure), and filled with tiny rooms and cellar areas. It's a brilliant building for live music, and Daniel looks so much happier there it's cheering just to see his face. The Blue Hole's also undergone some renovation, and now boasts a small underground area where they're testing out live music - hopefully on a smaller scale, because that room's perfect for something jazz-like rather than the full-on rock/blues you tend to find at Mike's. I haven't had the opportunity to check out my other old haunts properly yet - although I did wander into Egon's and gape at their shiny new bar briefly - but doubtless will do so as soon as payday arrives.

My landlady Denise hasn't changed, and I had a plate of cooked potatoes more or less on arrival :) She suffers from breathing problems these days, so the flat's smoke-free at present. That won't be a problem while the weather's still fair, but we might have to re-negotiate when the heavy rains and winds turn up, I don't know. We'll see. I got through today on a record-busting 10 Mustang...

The cats are, of course, everywhere. But they look well-fed and clean, and both are an improvement. I'm told that 2005 was the summer the tourists came back to Jerusalem, and everyone's better off as a result. Interestingly, the tourists seem to have skipped Tel Aviv for the most part - and the state of the cats there reflects it, they've become rat-like again. But hey, at least the water's clean :)