Blogs from Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel, Middle East - page 55

So when I left off, the plan was to go to bed. But somehow that did not happen. I stayed up until 6am. It was cool though. I spent time talking with Mary Eileen (Denver) and then Analia came in from Bolgaria. Somehow or another I managed to wake up at 9am. Shibolit made Turkish Coffee for me. It smells like Cedar (yes the tree - and it looks like there are little bits of bark in it too). It was very tasty (even though I disappointed Shibolit by putting milk and lots of sugar in it). Apparently, this particular type of coffee can only be found in Galilee (yes, like in the Sea of Galilee). Analia provided breakfast of Croisants stuffed with strawberry jam (yum!). Today we headed to Bethlehem for a small service. It ... read more

After 3 days and 4 flights, I finally made it to Jerusalem. I made it through customs with no issues and found my way to the baggage claim, still unsure exactly where my ride (Greg) would be meeting me. I think my bag passed by me about 3 times before I realized it was mine. At which point I had to sling all 65 lbs of it across the belt almost taking out myself and a 9yr old boy in the process. But we both survived! Once my bags were loaded on the FREE luggage cart, I rolled out toward the exit sign. When the door opened there were hundreds of people on the other side - cheering and screaming! I felt like a movie star. Of course, they weren't screaming for me, but it felt ... read more

Geo: 31.7857, 35.2007It's certainly been a long time since I was in Israel, the first of my exciting travelling experiences, but I shall never forget it. I believe this country touches everyone who visits it, no matter their religion and culture. For me, a Christian, all the Bible stories I had grown up with came alive, and given a concrete context and setting. I remember sitting on the shores of The Sea of Galilee waiting for the sunrise and just being able to picture so vividly Jesus and the disciples out fishing. I gained a whole new appreciation of my religion. At the same time, Israel also homed in on the importance of diversity. That different religions have so much in common and can co-exist very happily. In Jerusalem we started at The Wailing Wall (most ... read more

Not to be outdone by the boys. While making a visit to the ladies room we met two young, beautiful Israeli soldiers. They were very friendly and happy to let us take a picture of them. We found they spoke perfect English (with American accents) and explained they had once spent almost a year in the United States. It’s such a foreign concept to go into the ladies restroom and have a conversation with young girls WHO JUST HAPPEN TO BE CARRYING BIG GUNS. We have learned that in Israel everyone including the girls are required to serve time in the Military. As an (already established) over- protective Mom is very glad that "a" and "j" won’t be “carrying” when we come back to the states! Our tour of the Holy Land is drawing to an ... read more

Today was a big day... After breakfast, our first stop was a tzataff outside of Jerusalem. A Tzataff is a river valley, kind of like a wadie, but naturally carved rather than man made. The trail we walked was part of the Israel trail, a trail running from the northern-most point of Israel to the southern-most. Joe, our guide, told me that it takes about a month to hike the Israel Trail. Someday I want to try it. Anyway, hiking down the tzataff, we saw fig trees and olive trees, as well as some the ruins of a village, some parts dating back to the Byzantium period. We made our way into an underground spring. Kinda wish I had had a flashlight. It was really cool, though a couple people freaked a bit from the enclosed ... read more