Shabbos number two

Yerushalayim has a siren that goes off warning people that candle lighting time is near.  We can barely hear it from Shaun's apartment,  but this week I did.  (I was finishing up my blog post.)  Now keep this in mind ... Eruv shabbos when we went out, it hit 70 degrees,  which was the warmest day we've had since I've been here.  I am perpetually freezing in the winter,  and I've been dressing in layers.  Doesn't seem to matter,  I'm still cold! Comes Friday with such beautiful weather,  and I finally peeled off my layers,  discarding my sweater.

Imagine my disappointment when we went for a stroll after the seuda,  and Zahava and I ran back in for our heavy coats.  Literally, it was like someone had flipped a switch and turned winter back on! Brr!!! We walked briskly around the Rechovia neighborhood,  and into Shaarei Chesed. Shaarei Chesed is neat, because no cars are allowed to drive there. We could walk in the middle of the street. It was a very unusual walk. When we first started out, we were actually walking in a cloud. You could see a fine mist all around. At one spot, we noticed the mist was moving; much like you see clouds blowing along on a peaceful summer's day.
We ran into the Rosh Yeshiva's son. When Shauly introduced us, I noticed he didn't look at me. Later I was reflecting on this. I imagine that some women may find this insulting or degrading. However, I actually admire him for this. This is a man who has obviously worked very hard on himself to come to this level. I know my husband would be happy to know another man wasn't looking at me. I think this is a very good attribute he has.
Shauly and Zahava took me to the heart something or other.  I forgot what it's called.  It has a big heart on it. Because of the weather, we couldn't see anything.  I saw some big, gorgeous houses that are empty. Shauly said that people own these houses and come once a year, for Succos. I also got to see where Sruli lives.
We ate lunch by Shauly's good friend Josh. We had a very pleasant time there.
Motzai shabbos was especially special. (How do you like that choice of words???)  I got to see my friends, Adina and Carl. They are the first frum family I met when Yossi a'h got sick. They helped show me the ropes in the beginning. In 2000, they made a trip to the US, and stayed a night by me. We took the kids to Nauticus, a navel museum in Virginia Beach. I always said I was going to visit them in Israel, and now I finally had the chance.  They live not far from a super cool building. In Brooklyn, NY, there is a building called 770, which is the address for Lubavitch World Headquarters. There is a law that every building in Yerushalayim has to be built of Jerusalem stone. The community here in Ramat Shlomo got special permission to build a replica of 770. It was one of the sights I was looking forward to seeing. (I got married on those steps 28 1/2 years ago.)

It was cold and rainy, so I didn't get out of the car.

Let's hope it doesn't take 15+ years for us to get together again!