Blogs from Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel, Middle East - page 18

Geo: 31.7738, 35.2252This was a very long day but we visited many places all to do with the New Testament. We left Jerusalem at 6-15am and drove to Tel Aviv where we changed cars and set off for the day. We were a small group again. There was a young woman, Teiko, from Tokyo and a lovely young couple, Rebecca and Bram originally from Melbourne but working as lawyers in London at the moment. Our guide was Jacob who certainly let us know how much he knew. He told us he had two PhDs, one in Biblical Studies and one in Ancient languages and he could speak 14 different languages including the ancient ones. He did know his stuff but was fairly bossy.Our first stop was at Nazareth where we visited the Church of the Annunciation ... read more

Geo: 31.7738, 35.2252Today was one of the best days so far on the trip. In my reading about Roman HIstory I had learnt about the Jewish Revolt against the Romans in 66 AD during the reign of Vespasian.Some Zealots had holed up on top of a mountain in Masada near the Dead Sea. The Romans came there to lay siege to the place from 73-74AD. Led by Flavius Silva the Romans took many months to finally enter the fortress.This is now a National Park and a Unesco Heritage listed site. To get there a ride in the cable car is the preferred option. There is what is called The Snake Path which "snakes" up the side of the mountain and was originally used as a supply path for donkeys. Some people were walking this but the ... read more

I lived in West Jerusalem for the past three weeks and visited the Old City at least a dozen times; yet, there’s so much I still need to see! Jerusalem is many things—beautiful, frustrating, magical, mysterious, tense—but one thing that it’s not, is dull. I can walk around the city every day and still be overwhelmed by its labyrinth-like alleys (which, by the way, rarely have signs). I tried finding a place in East Jerusalem but became mesmerized by the Palestinian town of Ramallah before I could. Now I have to go through the gruesome Qalandia checkpoint every time I travel between Ramallah and Jerusalem—a 10-mile distance that can take over an hour (and hoursss if it’s Friday) to cross. Going from Israel into the occupied territories is easy, but the other way around can take ... read more

Thursday October 27, 2011, 6:00 a.m. Adin woke up with wide eyes, bushy tail, and a huge smile. It was the morning of his 8th birthday. Every other day, it takes Aimee and I the better part of a half hour to get Adin up and dressed. But on this day, Adin was the family alarm clock. We had lots of ground to cover and, thanks to Adin, got an early start. All the boys knew about the upcoming day was that they did not have to go to school, we were going on a trip to some special places, and that everything else was a closely guarded secret. After a series of birthday calls over breakfast, we hit the road. Our first stop was almost two hours to the north and thankfully, after such an ... read more

After the better part of two months getting settled into a routine, we spent the last two weeks during the Chagim (Jewish Holidays) free of routine. For two weeks the boys went to bed way too late, and then slept well into the mornings. But after a challenging month of new beginnings at school, music lessons, and chugim (extracurricular stuff) the boys well-earned their break. We did a number of day trips around central Israel, but always returned to our own beds at night – except for the first two days of Succoth which we spent at a kibbutz guest house. “B’sach ha’kol” (overall) our trips were worthwhile and enjoyed by all. Our two weeks began with Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) - which was not a highlight for me - though I suppose one shouldn’t ... read more