Blogs from Israel, Middle East - page 189

Today was incredible! In the midst of the campground, I was able to find a little remote area nestled between 2 trees where the water was just starting to become rapid. I was able to read my bible and reflect/pray on how many blessings God has giving me. Including being able to come to Israel and spend time in the area that Jesus lived. This has been an amazing experience for me; most of which I can't even begin to put into words. After breakfast (pita, cucumbers, tomato, cheese and turkish/arabic coffee - there was a pretty healthy debate on who invented it) off to Nimrod's Fortress. Unlike most of the other places we've visited, Nimrod was built as an offensive fortress. It's located on the top of Mt. Hermon. At 9,200 feet above sea level, ... read more

Minsann, da ar man i Jerusalem! Vi bor pa ett vandrarhem som heter Hebron numera, har hetat Tabasco fram till nyligen. Agaren ar fran staden Hebron, sa darav namnet. Vi ar alltsa har for att traffa syndikalister fran Franrike och Spanien, samt en kille fran Boras, och sedan aka runt i Palestina och traffa fackforeningar och andra intressant agrupper, typ kvinnoorganisationer och arbetslosa. De forsta dagarna, lordag kvall till mandag em, har vi for oss sjalva i Jerusalem och kan turista, sa det gor vi. Via Dolorosa ska ses! Det finns saklart utsatt var det ena och det andra hande, typ "Har tappar Jesus korset forsta gangen.", "Har traffar han sin mor, Maria." o.s.v. Kanns lite tacky, men som tur ar ar det inte utskrivet sa mkt pa vaggarna, eftersom det ar mitt i marknadsgatukvarteren, utan ... read more

A few years ago I wanted to go to a dangerous country and I kept thinking of only one: Israel. At the time there were a lot of news regarding bombings in the area and the Palestinian issue...I was a childless daredevil with maybe a secret death wish, so I decided to go there. When I first arrived I immediately realized that this country was like no other. I waited in line at the customs observing the diversity of the people at the airport: a mixture of white western looking people, typical Jewish ones with the hat and the long curls and Arabic looking ones were waiting for their turn next to each other. But what make Israel different from any other country is definitely their immigration procedures: You would not believe the questions I was ... read more

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