Nostalgia

You would think wouldn't be surprised by now, coming around the corner on the 18 bus and seeing the circus tent, fairy lights, go carts and carousel of the First Station leisure complex. I should be used to it but somehow it still surprises me every time more than two decades after the station shut to trains. 

It's certainly a cool place to hang out these days. You can find everything from traditional Middle Eastern grill and hummous to Italian to creperies to east Asian fusion to smoothie bars to burgers to boutique beer breweries and chic bars, from super duper Mehadrin kosher certification to none at all and open on Shabbat.

On an August night it is crowded with locals and tourists alike, restaurant tables spilling out on to the cobbles and decks which were once track and platforms.

The "First Station", the original late 19th century Jerusalem train station built when the region was part of the Turkish Empire, later expanded during the period of British rule, a mix of Ottoman and British colonial styles. 

I have fond childhood memories of this place, back when it was actually the Jerusalem train station within walking distance of the historic walls of the Old City. I remember as a little girl taking the train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem with my mother.

Back then it was a sleepy old railway line, lazily chugging its way up from the coastal plain, slowing even more as it began to wend its way through the foothills and then mountain passes climbing up to the Israeli capital. How slow was the train? Jokes ran the gammut of you'ed get there faster on a camel, a donkey or even on foot. It was faster to take the bus. 

For all its inefficiency, ancient rolling stock, uncomfortable seats and snail's pace though it was a charming line, especially the section from Beit Shemesh to the Jerusalem central station, which passed through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery, the Sorek stream, pine forests. And it did so so slowly that you had time to appreciate the view, snap a few photos (if the windows weren't too smudged) and enjoy the journey.

But in the late 1990s it was decided that having a noisy, smelly, dirty diesel train route going through the heart of the city was not such a great idea. The city's station was moved to the more industrial outskirts and the beautiful Ottoman era stone station was turned in to a leisure area with bars, restaurants and entertainment along the old track, waiting rooms and even signal box. The section of track running through prime residential neighbourhoods became an urban park, beloved today of runners, cyclists and parents pushing prams and pushchairs. 

First Station today is a fun, happening, recreation area but part of me still misses the old working station. There was something magical about pulling in to the heart of the city, right in the middle of everything, a short walk from some of the most iconic Jerusalem sights, including the majestic walls of the Old City. When the train arrived at that station you really felt that you were in historic Jerusalem.

Sitting in the bustling modern leisure district tonight I closed my eyes and thought back on those memories. The summer throngs melted in to late 20th century travellers and in the thumping beat of 21st century electronica wafting along from a nearby bar I could imagine the clickety clack of the rails, the vibrating rattle and whine of a gritty engine, a hint of diesel on the night breeze, the sweet-tart taste of a freshly squeezed orange juice from the old time station kiosk.