My first grown up relationship was with a beautiful Israeli woman. I was a philosophical curious political pragmatist from a nice town and she was politically passionate, fiery and hot war-hawk from the big city. We met in the advanced calculus class which we were both taking for the wrong reasons. I was an ambitious pre-med student my freshmen year in college, and figured out early on that the secret to doing well and enjoying college life was to pack all your required classes between 9am and 1pm. And in fact, if you can get all your class to be in the same building or buildings nearby, you could actually get from class to class mostly avoiding the numerous wonderful distraction of early college life (mostly girls, food, and hanging at the apartments of upper classmen).
So, mostly for as a lifestyle choice I took this class even though I was so very much not qualified to be in this class. But, luckily, little did I know at the time, there I was soon to meet my girlfriend. Now, she was also in the class for the wrong reason. She had a crush on the instructor, and also very much not qualified to in the class. So, when we found each other in the back of the classroom, vaguely pretending to understand anything that was being said, it did take long for us to become “study buddies.” Well, studying led to kissing, and kissing led to… well you get the idea. Of course, given our philosophical differences, this relationship lasted only a year, but gratefully our friendship continues to endured, even now some 20 years later.
As a real grown up many years after I first her, I visited her extended family with her in Jerusalem. My wife and I decided to stay at the Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem, located in the city-center. Mamilla is a refined and elegant amidst the ever-present beauty of sand and stone, the strong sun, the subtle surface textures, and the soft, sun-bleached tones of color. Mamilla expresses all of this, and that harmony creates a peaceful, classy and confidently un-trendy hotel environment.
With a history that stretches back to around 4000 BCE, and being the focal point of the world’s three major religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism), the city is well aware of the need to maintain the historic nature of this place. So, to this ancient look all new construction must by law use the local light-hued limestone called Jerusalem Stone.
Yet this hotel take this idea not as legal requirement, but as an invitation to remind guests of connection people here feel towards the stoned surroundings. The rooms proudly display exposed Jerusalem Stone, integrating the as well the use of metal and wood, sharply accented by modern custom-designed furnishings by Piero Lissoni.
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