Blogs from West Bank, Israel, Middle East

Before we talk about the 12,000 steps taken on today's tour, I want to comment on hydration and tipping. No matter where you travel or at what time of the year you travel, hydration is critical to having a safe and healthy trip. As part of your planning phase, you need to understand what climate you are going to, and how hot it will be. This will help you in packing the right clothes as well. If you are on any form or religious journey, you must also consider church rules, such as men and women must have their shoulders and knees covered. For men, this means long pants and a modest shirt. For women, you can use a shawl or other cover for your shoulders or to wrap around your waist to cover your knees. ... read more

Vuorossa oli opastettu päivämatka ( https://www.beinharimtours.com/masada-dead-sea-1day-tour/ ) ja meno noutopaikalle klo 7.15. Heräsin jo klo 3, nousin aamupalalle klo 5.30 ja olin noutopaikalla klo 7. Pikkubussi tulikin sinne jo pian. Matkailijat koottiin pikkubusseilla hotelleilta, vietiin lähtöpaikalle, josta heidät jaettiin varsinaisiin päiväbusseihin, jotka menivät eri kohteisiin. Hyvä systeemi. Pikkubussiin tuli istumaan espanjalainen Javier. Hänkin oli menossa samalle päiväretkelle kuin minä, ja istuttiin sitten vierekkäin bussissa. Puhuimme pääosin englantia: hän oli asunut kaksi vuotta Australiassa. Jerusalemia ennen pysähdyttiin tauolle kahvilaan, jonka pihassa oli Elvis-patsas. Jerusalemista ei poimittu ketään kyytiin. Reitti kulki Länsirannan läpi. Pääsimme ongelmitta tarkastuspisteiden ohi. Muuria näkyi paikoin. Jerusalemin jälkeen korkeus putosi 1,2 km noin 40 kilometri... read more

a highlight of our visit on Sunday. we visited the the basilica (a Catholic church with particular significance), of the Annunciation built over the well and possible house where the Virgin Mary lived as a girl. Parts of that actual building and a later 4th century church on the same site are incorporated into the present church built in 1960. It is a wonderful vision of preserving old with new. The lower church preserves the 1st century remains and has a feeling of a womb. The upper church includes and entire wall from the 4th century church and has a brilliant feeling of light and space, and includes artwork commissioned from around the world of the Virgin Mary - fabulously creative pieces. Here is a picture that tries to incorporate a bit of both spaces. A ... read more

Da un po di tempo non esistono fine settimana per il popolo palestinese, eterno perdente nella lotta contro Israele e piu' in generale contro tutta l'opinione pubblica mondiale; troppo complessi i problemi e troppo stratificate le conseguenze per poterne trarre un giudizio saggio ed equilibrato, inutile chiedere ai rispettivi protagonisti un'opinione imparziale e distaccata dai propri interessi, e non saro' di certo io qui ad ipotizzarne una soluzione: troppo superiori gli israeliani e troppo grande il cuore dei palestinesi per affrontare quest' impresa. Inutile anche fare una breve introduzione alla questione perche', come qualcuno mi ha fatto notare in questi giorni (sta a voi capire se israeliano o palestinese...), la storia non puo' essere raccontata a partire da una certa data ma deve sempre essere narrata dall'inizio e quindi, trattandosi nello specifico di una storia particolarmen ... read more

Today was a moving day - that is moving from one hotel to another. On those days we pack up our suitcases, put them out in the hall on our way to breakfast, identify our luggage before we board the bus to make sure it gets loaded. This was a long day of travel from one part of Israel to another, so we spent a lot of time on the bus. We started the day at nearby Yardenit, a baptismal site on the upper Jordan River. Several people wanted to reaffirm their baptism, some by immersion and others by pouring. It was a bit cold in the water but it was a wonderful way to start the day and to celebrate the reaffirmation of baptism. We then took a long bus ride to Jacob's Well in ... read more