Housing for important people

This evening I went to go look at an apartment in Talbeih, one of the nicest neighborhoods in Jerusalem. I had a hard time finding the apartment and I needed to call the dude, Walter, to tell him I was a little lost and consequently very late. But payphones in Israel only take cards which was news to me. So I had to find a store. Using my cartographic spidy-sense, went up this street to where I thought there might be stores. Unfortunately, after a couple of blocks, the street was blocked off and a secret-service looking guy came out to see what I was doing loitering and looking confused with my map. He was very nice and helpful and so I waved my hand at the road block and asked him “So, does someone important live on this street?” He looked at me strangely and said “Yes. The Prime Minister.” I had stumbled on the Israeli version of 24 Sussex Drive. Oops.

I eventually made it to the store, bought a phone card and outside met David, my first genuine J-town creep. He said I “look spiritual, my face and eyes look spiritual.” I told him, “no, I look lost” and promptly made an exit from the situation. (I know this guy was wierd, but I thought you would like to know, that for the most part I feel really safe here walking down the street- safer than I felt in Edmonton)

Anyway, I eventually called Walter, a Swiss born philosopher, and saw his fabulous and reasonably priced apartment. It looks like this might work out for a sublet while he is in Europe. He would be leaving behind all of his furniture, dishes and even his piano (YEA!!!). No papers have been signed yet, but we have an oral agreement and I will keep my fingers crossed.

So it looks like “number one” (a.k.a. me) and the “number one minister” (a.k.a. the Prime Minister) may be living in the same general neighborhood. Spiffy. Put the number one Chicken in this mix and that is a lot of important people living together.