I was so excited to finally relax and just enjoy the ride. Two adults in the front seat; I couldn't wait to be led around by the all-knowing elders. Until they turned to me excitedly and exclaimed, "All right, Aubrey! Lead the way! It's all up to you!"
So, I dejectedly accepted the task of corralling my mom and Jeni through Jerusalem.
Upon arrival to the Old City, we walked (ran) directly to the Western Wall and explored the tunnels underneath the Old City. We saw arches, cisterns, and walls from 100 BCE. It was astounding, and our tour guide was the sweetest thing in the world. It was amazing, guys.
Crazy arched roof underground
After this hour-long tour, we practically sprinted to the main gate for our next tour, a tour of the entire city. Beautiful views, fascinating information, and explorations into the nooks of the Old City. It was exciting to watch Jeni and my momma see some of these sights for the first time.
The Old City from the rooftops
The girls and the dome!
But I have to say... Watching Jeni take on the shopkeepers just about killed me. I was gasping for air as she bargained with shopkeepers in the Old City. Belly-dancing outfits for her daughter; an alabaster shell for $55; camel leather sandals... I seriously about died. I'm dying laughing right now as Jeni is showing off her souvenirs and realizing she shopped like she was drunk. I'm dying, guys.
We hurried to the City of David, the capital of ancient Israel, for our final three-hour tour of the day. But about 15 minutes into it, we knew this wasn't gonna work out. We hated the guide to distraction; he about put us all to sleep. We skidaddled after a half hour, and Jeni stalked to the customer service office to get some money back. She talked to the lady for about ten minutes--at one point, I think I heard her say "you should pay us to take this tour"--and came back to me and my mom proud with her skill. "Alright," she smiled, "I was able to get them to come down from 141 shekels to 125."
I sat about frozen for a second. "Um.... 16 shekels?"
She nodded with a grin.
"That's about three dollars."
Jeni's face
She literally ran back to the window and gave that girl a verbal butt-whoopin'. I think that the hilarity of Jeni's anger outweighed my frustration with losing so much money (aka $12 a person). Once again--my mom and I were dying. DY. ING.
We wandered back into the Old City and continued shopping. But, as the sun started to go down, the locals began to swarm into the streets, and we began to get some pretty dirty and suspicious looks. It was time to get out of the city. Especially because we needed to restrain Jeni from going back to a shopkeeper that had ripped her off.
We had the most delicious Italian dinner, and then we drove back home. We've been chatting with fam having the most hilarious and fun time. This has been the most fun week ever--the colliding of my favorite parts of two different worlds. Tomorrow we head northeast--gonna be another amazing day!
Hooray<3
Aubrey
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