It was one of these hot summer days. But in Jerusalem a hot summer day begins with freshness. The night’s chill always transfers into the early morning pockets of fresh air that break through the rising heat.
The light is strong, but not blinding as it is around noon.
I was walking on a narrow street in the Christina Quarter, near the Greek School “Aghios Demetrios”, when I saw the house.
The first thing that was embedded in my eyesight was the Greek flag. What impressed me was how well the colors of the flag blended with the colors of the wooden frame and the steel rods of the balcony.
The second was the little tilted black rectangle above the balcony. It shows the twin-headed eagle of Byzantium in black and white, which is the sign of the Greek Football team PAOK of Thessaloniki (or Salonica). Usually these go together with a “fans’ gate” , in the case 15. I have no idea what this gate signifies. The hard core PAOK fans are in Gate 4.
Then came the camera. There are hundreds of these all over the Old City of Jerusalem. The locals told me that they have been there since the Pope’s visit in 2014.
Finally, the through rods attracted my attention. These steel rods run through the stones of the masonry to the other side of the building and they provide support to the masonry by “holding it together”. There is no trace of concrete on this structure.