A Parade in Jerusalem!

We just got back from a very busy day! Simon and I went into town and met up with Matt (for those who don't know, Matt is a friend of mine who used to work at JCRC and is now here getting a Master's at Hebrew U) and walked to the Old City. It is REALLY hard to navigate through the Old City with a stroller. I've also never seen it so crowded. I couldn't even get all the way up to the Kotel to touch it. We'll have to go back again. Simon was really interested in looking around at everything and at all the people. We walked around the Old City for a while looking for somewhere to eat but it was just way too crowded and there was some sort of concert going on too, so we went back into town to get schnitzel. Simon was not impressed by the schnitzel and refused to eat anything except for one tiny bite of a tomato. He pushed his stroller around and read his little book while Matt and I ate. Once we were done eating, Simon insisted on sitting on the stool at the counter and then he said "chicken." I told him it was too late and there was no more chicken. We walked back to Ben Yehuda Street to get Simon some ice cream for lunch--Simon wanted to walk and not go in the stroller anymore--he was holding each of our hands and he'd run a few steps and then go completely limp because he wanted us to swing him. This was fun for a few minutes and then pretty annoying. He ate his ice cream and then David met us and we went to watch the parade. At first it seemed that the parade was not ever actually going to come, but it eventually did and we watched it as we walked back to Mic and Ayla's since that happened to be the parade route. I'm not sure exactly what the parade was for but it seemed like it was every Israeli company (El Al, the mail service, Bank Le'umi, etc) and also christian groups from a lot of different countries giving out flags. Simon was waving around his Dutch flag and waving at all of the people passing by, some of whom gave him candy. So far, everywhere we have gone, strangers have offered him food. That would freak me out in America, but here it doesn't seem that weird. Simon is taking a nap now and when Mic and Ayla get back from the Golan, we are going out for dinner and Matt is babysitting for Simon and Shalem!