ALAN SILLITOE’S HEAVEN ON EARTH

Daily Telegraph
3:40PM GMT 03/03/2008
UK

Writer Alan Sillitoe loves the sights, smells and fantastic food
of Jerusalem.

Perhaps it’s something to do with reading about Jerusalem in the Bible
as a child – it was the first exotic foreign place I learnt about –
but I’ve always been fascinated by this marvellously picturesque city
and its intoxicating mix of religion and history.

I first visited it in the 1970s and have since made a lot of friends
there and been back half a dozen times, most recently last year. I
usually go in the spring – I find the summers a little too hot.

Despite having returned so many times and seen a lot of the tourist
sites, I always visit the Old City – and in particular David Street,
the central lane which leads you to the Western Wall, where I picked
up some beautiful Armenian pottery for a song on my last trip.

I love to savour the city’s sights and smells, and the food in
Jerusalem is fantastic. I enjoy an English breakfast but when I’m
in Israel I always tuck into a delicious Israeli version: salt fish,
cream cheese, kosher sausage with lots of coffee and fruit.

You can also get the most terrific Arab food: the salads at the Colony
Hotel in the eastern side of the city are unbeatable.

So many places I’ve visited over the years have failed to live up to
the hype but Jerusalem, if anything, exceeded my expectations.

As for the supposed danger of visiting the Middle East, that’s not
something you worry about if like me, you grew up in the war. I’ve
never experienced any trouble; in fact, I’ve always found it extremely
friendly.

And of course, it’s not just a fascinating city in its own right,
it’s also a great place from which to explore Israel – it’s only half
an hour to the Dead Sea, for example.

Alan Sillitoe celebrates his 80th birthday on Tuesday 4th March. A
new edition of his novel, ‘A Start In Life’, is being simultaneously
published by London Books, priced £11.99.

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