The day begins rather early in Nuweiba. Hedi and our Bedouin driver load our luggage on the top of the Land Cruiser one last time and we’re off to the border crossing at Taba.
We leave Egypt and enter Israel. “Keep your answers brief – yes or no. Don’t volunteer any additional information, or you’ll just encourage more questions from the Israelis.” Following this advice, we clear the border procedures and are met by a welcome face, Henry, the van driver from St. George’s who first met us at the airport when we arrived in Israel two weeks ago. We’re hoping our early start and Henry’s driving will bring us to Jerusalem in time to meet with Iyad, now leading a new group, and join him at the traditional Palm Sunday Procession from Bethphage, down the Mount of Olives into the old City.
We make good time and arrive at St. Georges Guest House in time for lunch. At 2:00 we’re off with Iyad and his new group, to Bethphage. The procession is led by Franciscan priests followed immediately by the Boy and Girl Scouts and a school band with the good Father playing the tuba. It’s warm and crowded, but everyone knows why we’re here and we all process in good fellowship. Up the hill from Bethphage we go, to the church we visited back on March 31st. From the church at the top of the Mount of Olives, we turn right and head downhill toward Jerusalem. On our left, we pass the Jewish tombs that occupy most of the west face the Mount, where the dead lie awaiting Messiah’s return. On our right is the Garden of Gethsemane. We reach the floor of the Kidron Valley and make our way up to the Lion’s Gate/St Stephen’s Gate and to the Church of St. Anne where the procession ends. From there we walk back to St. George’s.
We enjoy our last dinner together, repack our luggage, and the Colorado pilgrims head off to Ben Gurion International Airport. David and Karen are coming later as their flight is tomorrow morning. Carolyn is staying another day.
Security at the airport is thorough. Lots of questions from the Israeli security people. We answer “Yes”, “No”, and nothing additional if possible. Bags are thoroughly x-rayed and checked. Fr. Mike’s razor in Barb’s luggage is cause for great concern and Fr. Mike is called out of line to help explain. There is no express check-in. Those boarding passes I printed at St. Georges? Forget it. Allow 3 hours. Period.
“Israeli law requires you remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the plane is 30 minutes outside Israeli airspace,” intones the flight attendant. With that, we’re headed home after a wonderful pilgrimage.
Kip and Linda
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 4, Sinai
April 4, 2009 – Sinai
The intrepid Mt Sinai hikers (Fr Mike, Barb, David, Karen and Carolyn) enjoyed their first day of sleeping in after many days. We gathered on the patio of St Catherine’s Monastery at 8:00 for breakfast – egg casserole, cucumber and tomato salad, yogurt and vegetables, bread, strawberry jelly and, of course, Nescafe. There was quite a crowd of people, mostly European by the sound of it, who had just finished the Mt Sinai climb. It’s Saturday today, and the crowds are bigger than usual, according to Hadi, our guide.
At 9:00 we gathered outside the monastery gate, a small portico allowing one-at-a-time to enter. The crowd was now about 200, making our way in was a “full contact” sport. Our destination was the Icon Gallery where many of the most valuable icons, bibles and books and other holdings are on display. The main attraction is the 600 AD icon of Christ is displayed. We were drawn to another of St Peter and a larger one of St Catherine herself.
At 10:45 we were checked out and in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser which had been converted to bench seats across each side. Our driver, an older man in Bedouin garb complete with kefir and long outer robe, deftly climbed atop the spare tire and then to the roof to load our luggage on the roof rack. Then off we went, bouncing along for about an hour until we went off-road to the site of the Nawames, round structures with roofs made entirely of sandstone tiles (like flagstone), doors all facing west. Nawames date from 4500 BC and represent some of the earliest human made structures known. We got two explanations of their use – one was for tombs and the other involved mosquitos which is hard to understand now, but 6500 years ago, when the land was green and wet, would have made sense.
Still off-road, we went to a large rock “pilgrim’s hill” with inscriptions dating to about 100 BC. The inscriptions were used by ancestors of the Arab people, Nebatine, and up until the time of the Crusades. They described sand, wind and rain conditions and gave directions to the next oasis and days marked with 4 vertical lines crossed with a fifth horizontal line. There were also carvings of crosses. Fr Mike remembered a menorah from his earlier visit in 1996, but it had been removed and cemented over since then. A little further along we came to the spring, mentioned in Numbers 33:17 – Hazeroth. Spring water could be taken by any traveler, but water from a well had to be paid for.
We lunched at what might be called the Hard Rock Café. The Bedouin who schedules all camel trips among all the tribes has a parking area next to a huge limestone formation. We stopped there and got out. Two young men brought out mattress-like pads which they set on the ground and leaned against the boulders and another man prepared tea for us. We enjoyed our tea while Hadi and our driver cut up cucumbers and tomatoes, opened cans of sweet corn and tuna, sliced up some oranges and set out the flat bread for lunch. We were joined by several children who laid out cloths and set out necklaces, alabaster eggs and other goodies for what would soon be the well fed tourists in search of a bargain. Hadi made pita sandwiches for the little girl and boy (ages 3 and 4, probably) which they consumed with gusto. Our shopping at the make-shift market, after an appropriate amount of haggling, provided satisfactory results to merchant and shopper alike. The little boy helped Linda fasten her new bracelet (put end “A” through loop “B”) and it was delightful to watch him give such expert help. As we left, we noticed a faded sign welcoming us to the Gazelle Valley Cafeteria.
After lunch, we drove to Nuweiba where we checked in to the Getaway Resort. We headed for the beach on the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea. It was wonderful to do some swimming and sunning, and relaxing. Dinner held a special treat – Egyptian belly dancing. Our poor dancer was upstaged by two small children though, who went up on the stage and then would not leave. They bounced to the rhythm and the little boy did some break dancing moves.
Off to bed now as tomorrow begins early and we return to Jerusalem, hopefully in time for the Palm Sunday procession from Bethany down the Mount of Olives. Kip and Linda
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
The intrepid Mt Sinai hikers (Fr Mike, Barb, David, Karen and Carolyn) enjoyed their first day of sleeping in after many days. We gathered on the patio of St Catherine’s Monastery at 8:00 for breakfast – egg casserole, cucumber and tomato salad, yogurt and vegetables, bread, strawberry jelly and, of course, Nescafe. There was quite a crowd of people, mostly European by the sound of it, who had just finished the Mt Sinai climb. It’s Saturday today, and the crowds are bigger than usual, according to Hadi, our guide.
At 9:00 we gathered outside the monastery gate, a small portico allowing one-at-a-time to enter. The crowd was now about 200, making our way in was a “full contact” sport. Our destination was the Icon Gallery where many of the most valuable icons, bibles and books and other holdings are on display. The main attraction is the 600 AD icon of Christ is displayed. We were drawn to another of St Peter and a larger one of St Catherine herself.
At 10:45 we were checked out and in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser which had been converted to bench seats across each side. Our driver, an older man in Bedouin garb complete with kefir and long outer robe, deftly climbed atop the spare tire and then to the roof to load our luggage on the roof rack. Then off we went, bouncing along for about an hour until we went off-road to the site of the Nawames, round structures with roofs made entirely of sandstone tiles (like flagstone), doors all facing west. Nawames date from 4500 BC and represent some of the earliest human made structures known. We got two explanations of their use – one was for tombs and the other involved mosquitos which is hard to understand now, but 6500 years ago, when the land was green and wet, would have made sense.
Still off-road, we went to a large rock “pilgrim’s hill” with inscriptions dating to about 100 BC. The inscriptions were used by ancestors of the Arab people, Nebatine, and up until the time of the Crusades. They described sand, wind and rain conditions and gave directions to the next oasis and days marked with 4 vertical lines crossed with a fifth horizontal line. There were also carvings of crosses. Fr Mike remembered a menorah from his earlier visit in 1996, but it had been removed and cemented over since then. A little further along we came to the spring, mentioned in Numbers 33:17 – Hazeroth. Spring water could be taken by any traveler, but water from a well had to be paid for.
We lunched at what might be called the Hard Rock Café. The Bedouin who schedules all camel trips among all the tribes has a parking area next to a huge limestone formation. We stopped there and got out. Two young men brought out mattress-like pads which they set on the ground and leaned against the boulders and another man prepared tea for us. We enjoyed our tea while Hadi and our driver cut up cucumbers and tomatoes, opened cans of sweet corn and tuna, sliced up some oranges and set out the flat bread for lunch. We were joined by several children who laid out cloths and set out necklaces, alabaster eggs and other goodies for what would soon be the well fed tourists in search of a bargain. Hadi made pita sandwiches for the little girl and boy (ages 3 and 4, probably) which they consumed with gusto. Our shopping at the make-shift market, after an appropriate amount of haggling, provided satisfactory results to merchant and shopper alike. The little boy helped Linda fasten her new bracelet (put end “A” through loop “B”) and it was delightful to watch him give such expert help. As we left, we noticed a faded sign welcoming us to the Gazelle Valley Cafeteria.
After lunch, we drove to Nuweiba where we checked in to the Getaway Resort. We headed for the beach on the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea. It was wonderful to do some swimming and sunning, and relaxing. Dinner held a special treat – Egyptian belly dancing. Our poor dancer was upstaged by two small children though, who went up on the stage and then would not leave. They bounced to the rhythm and the little boy did some break dancing moves.
Off to bed now as tomorrow begins early and we return to Jerusalem, hopefully in time for the Palm Sunday procession from Bethany down the Mount of Olives. Kip and Linda
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
April 3 - Sinai
April 3, Friday at St. Catherine’s Monastery
For the third or fourth day in a row, we were awakened by an alarm and not by sated slumber…today for a hike up Mt. Sinai. As most of these readers know, Mt. Sinai is the site where Moses received the stone tablets with the ten commandments. The Monastery is on the traditional site where Moses confronted the Burning Bush. The bush believed to be the Burning Bush is said to be a Lantana shrub by our tour naturalists Karen and Carolyn. Something I learned is that the Burning Bush is also associated with Mary, Jesus’ mother, because just as the Burning Bush was on fire and was not consumed, the Virgin Mary “conceived the fire of deity, yet was not burned…she brought fourth the Lord, yet remained forever Virgin.”
There were five of us Pilgrims making the assent. Four mounted camel for the first hour of trail, while I and my guide sought to stay ahead of these awkward-looking animals and riders. Our hike started at 5 AM, but dawn was rapidly approaching. Egypt is in the same time zone as Israel, but their observance of daylight savings time does not start for another week or two.
I was glad I wore a sweater, but after only 15 minutes or so, I had shed it and eventually rolled up my sleeves. I was accompanied by Mohammed, a member of the local Djebeliye tribe which has served the monastery since the Justinian time, early 6th Century. These tribe members are said to be a mix of the local Bedouin and the mercenaries from Greece who settled a colony to protect the church that was to be built.
Two Bedouins on foot accompanied the five camels…Hadi our guide for this trip was on the fifth. The camels go up two-thirds of the way and that is where we got back together. The land is almost completely devoid of green matter, but there are birds to be seen. There are several Bedouin-staffed tea houses along the way, starting primarily after the camel terminus. We ate our bagged breakfast at this point before pushing on to the last 750 steps.
This was slow, steady steps interspersed with catching our breadth and enjoying the view. The mountain is said to be 2,285 meters and except for Mt. Catherine peak next door, is clearly the highest peak in the area as well as fourth highest on the Sinai peninsula.
We passed an overlook of where Elijah’s cave is traditionally placed as we made our final dash. The views from the top were spectacular. It was easy to see other trails leading through passes and criss-crossing, because no plants impeded the view. It was not as cold or breezy at the top as on a Colorado peak, but that may have been because of the lower altitude.
Our hike down was easy and about half the time of our 90-120 minute assent. We were greeted by Linda and Kip partway down and enjoyed swapping stories of the hike and the dining room breakfast.
With scant rest, our guide told us more detail about the Monastery and church’s history. We visited the church which yesterday we had entered for the prayer service. This time we had a chance to view many icons more intently. However, the church was crowded with many high school aged kids on a field trip and other pilgrims, so in some ways we felt more encumbered than during the service the previous afternoon.
We also viewed the burning bush which not only grows in a chapel dedicated to it, but the root system apparently was routed externally so the bush could be visited without entering the chapel.
By now we were fairly exhausted and dragged our bodies into the dining hall for lunch. We were the only ones.
The afternoon was unplanned. Some like me napped and awoke for an aborted attempt to join the prayer services. Others roamed the grounds and Karen walked the perimeter of the Monastery.
We enjoyed our traditional pre-dinner wine and snacks, shared the dining hall with 20+ late teen pilgrims from Great Britain, plus a group I guessed to be Greek Orthodox pilgrims. After Evening Song, we all eagerly retired…no alarm clock set for tomorrow! David and Karen
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
For the third or fourth day in a row, we were awakened by an alarm and not by sated slumber…today for a hike up Mt. Sinai. As most of these readers know, Mt. Sinai is the site where Moses received the stone tablets with the ten commandments. The Monastery is on the traditional site where Moses confronted the Burning Bush. The bush believed to be the Burning Bush is said to be a Lantana shrub by our tour naturalists Karen and Carolyn. Something I learned is that the Burning Bush is also associated with Mary, Jesus’ mother, because just as the Burning Bush was on fire and was not consumed, the Virgin Mary “conceived the fire of deity, yet was not burned…she brought fourth the Lord, yet remained forever Virgin.”
There were five of us Pilgrims making the assent. Four mounted camel for the first hour of trail, while I and my guide sought to stay ahead of these awkward-looking animals and riders. Our hike started at 5 AM, but dawn was rapidly approaching. Egypt is in the same time zone as Israel, but their observance of daylight savings time does not start for another week or two.
I was glad I wore a sweater, but after only 15 minutes or so, I had shed it and eventually rolled up my sleeves. I was accompanied by Mohammed, a member of the local Djebeliye tribe which has served the monastery since the Justinian time, early 6th Century. These tribe members are said to be a mix of the local Bedouin and the mercenaries from Greece who settled a colony to protect the church that was to be built.
Two Bedouins on foot accompanied the five camels…Hadi our guide for this trip was on the fifth. The camels go up two-thirds of the way and that is where we got back together. The land is almost completely devoid of green matter, but there are birds to be seen. There are several Bedouin-staffed tea houses along the way, starting primarily after the camel terminus. We ate our bagged breakfast at this point before pushing on to the last 750 steps.
This was slow, steady steps interspersed with catching our breadth and enjoying the view. The mountain is said to be 2,285 meters and except for Mt. Catherine peak next door, is clearly the highest peak in the area as well as fourth highest on the Sinai peninsula.
We passed an overlook of where Elijah’s cave is traditionally placed as we made our final dash. The views from the top were spectacular. It was easy to see other trails leading through passes and criss-crossing, because no plants impeded the view. It was not as cold or breezy at the top as on a Colorado peak, but that may have been because of the lower altitude.
Our hike down was easy and about half the time of our 90-120 minute assent. We were greeted by Linda and Kip partway down and enjoyed swapping stories of the hike and the dining room breakfast.
With scant rest, our guide told us more detail about the Monastery and church’s history. We visited the church which yesterday we had entered for the prayer service. This time we had a chance to view many icons more intently. However, the church was crowded with many high school aged kids on a field trip and other pilgrims, so in some ways we felt more encumbered than during the service the previous afternoon.
We also viewed the burning bush which not only grows in a chapel dedicated to it, but the root system apparently was routed externally so the bush could be visited without entering the chapel.
By now we were fairly exhausted and dragged our bodies into the dining hall for lunch. We were the only ones.
The afternoon was unplanned. Some like me napped and awoke for an aborted attempt to join the prayer services. Others roamed the grounds and Karen walked the perimeter of the Monastery.
We enjoyed our traditional pre-dinner wine and snacks, shared the dining hall with 20+ late teen pilgrims from Great Britain, plus a group I guessed to be Greek Orthodox pilgrims. After Evening Song, we all eagerly retired…no alarm clock set for tomorrow! David and Karen
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
April 2 - Departures and Sinai Trip
Thursday, April 2, 2009
After goodbyes the Fellowship of the Pilgrimage broke up this morning. Some headed for home, others are spending a few more days in Jerusalem, and our group of 7 headed for the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Our group now consists of Carolyn, Karen, Dave, Kip, Linda, Mike and Barb.
Four hours on the bus took us past many large groves of date palms and on to Eilat. The boarder crossing into Egypt was uneventful and our driver was waiting for us. We drove to Nuweiba where we waded in the Red Sea, walked on the beach, and had lunch.
We hadn’t gone very far into Egypt before we started to encounter Bedouin with camels. What a different world this seems to be! The hills become high, rugged mountains. It’s hard to believe people actually live in this land. We arrive at St. Catherine’s (St. Katharine’s, St. Katherine’s – we have seen it spelled many different ways). It is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert. The walls of the monastery were built in the 6th century and are 3-4 feet thick.
We are allowed to attend the vespers service with the Orthodox monks.
Now it’s off to bed as we meet at 5:00 am to board camels and ride to the top of Mt. Sinai, Jebel Musa – Moses’ Mountain.
Barb and Mike
Travel day - no new photos
Helpful web links: photo album Pilgrimage website
After goodbyes the Fellowship of the Pilgrimage broke up this morning. Some headed for home, others are spending a few more days in Jerusalem, and our group of 7 headed for the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Our group now consists of Carolyn, Karen, Dave, Kip, Linda, Mike and Barb.
Four hours on the bus took us past many large groves of date palms and on to Eilat. The boarder crossing into Egypt was uneventful and our driver was waiting for us. We drove to Nuweiba where we waded in the Red Sea, walked on the beach, and had lunch.
We hadn’t gone very far into Egypt before we started to encounter Bedouin with camels. What a different world this seems to be! The hills become high, rugged mountains. It’s hard to believe people actually live in this land. We arrive at St. Catherine’s (St. Katharine’s, St. Katherine’s – we have seen it spelled many different ways). It is a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert. The walls of the monastery were built in the 6th century and are 3-4 feet thick.
We are allowed to attend the vespers service with the Orthodox monks.
Now it’s off to bed as we meet at 5:00 am to board camels and ride to the top of Mt. Sinai, Jebel Musa – Moses’ Mountain.
Barb and Mike
Travel day - no new photos
Helpful web links: photo album Pilgrimage website
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
On Pilgrimage, Day 11 - Via Dolorosa to Emmaus
The day started early as we set out from St George’s Guest House under the dawn sky. Iyad, our guide, who is also a Canon at St George’s Cathedral, carried a wooden cross through the streets of the new city and into the old city through Herod’s gate. We walk in silence through the mostly deserted souk arriving at the Church of the Flagellation where we read scripture and said prayers from a book by John Peterson called A Walk in Jerusalem: Stations of the Cross. At Station #1: Jesus is Judged. The last prayer at this station is: "Let us pray for ourselves; when we judge others, and for those we condemn; when we stand condemned, rightly or wrongly; that we may know the witness and humility of Christ." We go on to Station #2 which is nearby: Jesus Receives his Cross. Different people of the group carry the cross and we walk on to Stations #3 through #9 which are in the old city, then walking up a brighter street into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher or Church of the Resurrection, for the remaining five stations. At Station #5 we end with this prayer: "Let us pray for ourselves in deepest thanksgiving that God finds us loveable; that God gave Jesus Christ so that we may have eternal life."
Inside the church, we climb the stone stairs to the high place which is Golgotha, rock considered too flawed and poor to quarry and left for higher purposes. Stations 10: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments, Station 11: Jesus Is Crucified, and Station 12: Jesus Dies on the Cross, are all remembered in this loft above the main church. Kneeling under the altar at Station 12, I put my hand in an opening to feel the stone and a rectangular hole once holding the upright post of the cross. The ornamentation in hanging lamps, mosaics and icons gives a surreal sense of the sadness of the place.
The high mass is starting at the tomb, or Edicule, so we move past the tomb to an altar of the empty tomb and say our final station, Station #14: Jesus’ Body is placed in the Tomb. While the Latin mass is sung at the front of the tomb, the Coptics chant and burn incense on the other side. The holiest site in Christendom hosts six denominations each with their own traditions and celebrations. Our service concludes with a series of confessions and prayers. Fr Mike reads "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" and our response is we are afraid, guilty and wounded. Fr Mike reads:
Do not dwell on your wounds
For he has risen to heal you,
He has risen to forgive you,
He has risen to change you all,
and bind us all together now.
Our Way of the Cross service is over. We spend a half hour lingering in the church hearing the high tenor chants and smelling the incense. When we emerge from the church, there is Canon Iyad, our guide, with fresh, hot bread rings from his "cousin’s" bakery, and we break fast.
Back we walk to St George’s, Iyad leading the way still carrying the wooden cross. Nobody pays much attention. People carry crosses through the city all the time. After breakfast we board the bus and drive the 7 miles or so to Emmaus where two men meet, but do not recognize, the risen Christ. Our purpose is to celebrate the Eucharist, and there is a marble altar conveniently placed in the ruins of an old Byzantine church and exposed to the sky. Fr Mike calls us to remember our own encounters in the land of the Holy One over the past 10 days. One of us has had an unusual experience in Nazareth where light from the Church of the Annunciation streamed into her third floor convent room. Others of us have had individual moments of revelation, peace or enlightenment. I remember that first day at the Sunday mass in St George’s Cathedral when the words of the prayers and reading seemed mysteriously new. Fr Mike speaks about the origins of the word mystery - muein - to close one’s lips or hush.
Leaving our open air sanctuary, we find archeologists digging nearby. They are using a metal detector and have one area gridded off with metal posts and thin rope. In another area we find a first century CE tomb whose stone is more of a stopper than a rolling stone. Further along the trail is a two level tomb.
Returning to lunch in Jerusalem, we have the afternoon free. One group is going to see the famous Chagall Windows in Hadassah University Hospital. Another is off to walk the ramparts of the old wall. Others are going to catch the first nap in 10 days and just relax for a few hours. Linda and Kip
Tonight we have our farewell dinner, and tomorrow many of us fly home. Good-bye from Jerusalem. Thanks for joining us! A few days from Sinai follow if you would like to come along.
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
Inside the church, we climb the stone stairs to the high place which is Golgotha, rock considered too flawed and poor to quarry and left for higher purposes. Stations 10: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments, Station 11: Jesus Is Crucified, and Station 12: Jesus Dies on the Cross, are all remembered in this loft above the main church. Kneeling under the altar at Station 12, I put my hand in an opening to feel the stone and a rectangular hole once holding the upright post of the cross. The ornamentation in hanging lamps, mosaics and icons gives a surreal sense of the sadness of the place.
The high mass is starting at the tomb, or Edicule, so we move past the tomb to an altar of the empty tomb and say our final station, Station #14: Jesus’ Body is placed in the Tomb. While the Latin mass is sung at the front of the tomb, the Coptics chant and burn incense on the other side. The holiest site in Christendom hosts six denominations each with their own traditions and celebrations. Our service concludes with a series of confessions and prayers. Fr Mike reads "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" and our response is we are afraid, guilty and wounded. Fr Mike reads:
Do not dwell on your wounds
For he has risen to heal you,
He has risen to forgive you,
He has risen to change you all,
and bind us all together now.
Our Way of the Cross service is over. We spend a half hour lingering in the church hearing the high tenor chants and smelling the incense. When we emerge from the church, there is Canon Iyad, our guide, with fresh, hot bread rings from his "cousin’s" bakery, and we break fast.
Back we walk to St George’s, Iyad leading the way still carrying the wooden cross. Nobody pays much attention. People carry crosses through the city all the time. After breakfast we board the bus and drive the 7 miles or so to Emmaus where two men meet, but do not recognize, the risen Christ. Our purpose is to celebrate the Eucharist, and there is a marble altar conveniently placed in the ruins of an old Byzantine church and exposed to the sky. Fr Mike calls us to remember our own encounters in the land of the Holy One over the past 10 days. One of us has had an unusual experience in Nazareth where light from the Church of the Annunciation streamed into her third floor convent room. Others of us have had individual moments of revelation, peace or enlightenment. I remember that first day at the Sunday mass in St George’s Cathedral when the words of the prayers and reading seemed mysteriously new. Fr Mike speaks about the origins of the word mystery - muein - to close one’s lips or hush.
Leaving our open air sanctuary, we find archeologists digging nearby. They are using a metal detector and have one area gridded off with metal posts and thin rope. In another area we find a first century CE tomb whose stone is more of a stopper than a rolling stone. Further along the trail is a two level tomb.
Returning to lunch in Jerusalem, we have the afternoon free. One group is going to see the famous Chagall Windows in Hadassah University Hospital. Another is off to walk the ramparts of the old wall. Others are going to catch the first nap in 10 days and just relax for a few hours. Linda and Kip
Tonight we have our farewell dinner, and tomorrow many of us fly home. Good-bye from Jerusalem. Thanks for joining us! A few days from Sinai follow if you would like to come along.
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
On Pilgrimage, Day 10, Mt of Olives to Holy Sepulcher
I brought two books along with me on this trip: the first, The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist, a tragicomic novel by Palestinian author Emile Habibe; the second, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by American author Annie Dillard. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek provides fertile ground for the traveler’s mind because it takes vision and sight as one of its many and diverse subjects; and seeing, for both the traveler and the pilgrim, is a mantel that we must continually assume if we are to appreciate the multitude of sights and sensations we encounter along the way.
We stopped first this morning at Franciscan church in Bet Fage (House of Young Figs) near Bethany that celebrates the site where Jesus mounts the donkey, beginning his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. A rock within the church, roughly the size of a donkey, suggested to the crusader imagination the vision of Christ entering the city "gentle and on a donkey;" the rock is now covered in beautiful frescoes of the Palm Sunday procession. Another fresco, covering the wall at the front of the church, displays Christ on the donkey as three figures lay down their cloaks in his path. Interestingly, the face of one figure is still hidden by a cloak, which allows the viewer to imagine himself or herself as part of the festive scene. The Franciscans who maintain the church at Bet Fage also constructed 82 homes immediately behind the church to house Palestinian families at an affordable cost; the homes have remained unoccupied for two years as the Franciscans wait for Israel to issue the appropriate permits.
From Bet Fage we moved to the Mount of Olives, a brief journey by bus. The churches that commemorate important sites from Holy Week dot the landscape of the Old City and the area still outside the walls: the teardrop church where Christ weeps; the golden dome of Al Aqsa mosque, which sits on the temple mount where Christ stands in judgment; and St. Peter Gallicantu (cock-crow in Latin) where Peter denies Christ outside the home of the Caiphas.
We descend from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane where we share reflections-take away moments as a college professor once described them. The garden is quiet, and good. Olive trees are planted throughout the garden; some are young saplings and others, gnarled and twisted, appear far older than the Byzantine church built on the site (4th - 5th century CE). We enter another garden with still older olive trees (we are now on the grounds of the Church of Gethsemane, or Church of All Nations. Gethsemane derives from two words, Gat + Shemanim, that translates to "oil press for olives."
The Church of Gethsemane was re-built on the remnants of earlier churches by Antonio Barluzzi in 1919 (the two churches we visited earlier in the morning-the Franciscan church at Bet Fage and the "Tear Drop" church were also designed by Barluzzi). Inside the church, the lighting is dim; light penetrates through purple circles of glass that form the shape of the cross. Above, the cupolas are covered in deep blue mosaics. The front wall of the church, divided into three sections, depict three images of Christ in the garden: the center panel, which is the largest, shows Jesus in agony, praying in solitude beside a rock (I was struck by the simplicity of the simile "His tears became like drops of blood," which we read together earlier in the garden). To the left, we see Judas as he kisses the cheek of Jesus, betraying him to the religious authorities; on the right panel, we see Christ quieting Peter’s sword, revealing "I am He."
Some quick facts on the church of the Holy Sepulcher/Church of the Empty Tomb/Church of the Resurrection since it is getting late and we’re up early in the morning for the stations of the cross and Via Dolorosa:
-Originally built by Helana, the mother of Constantine
-The church is inside the modern city walls, but was outside the city during the 1st century CE.
-Built twelve times but destroyed only four; much of the construction are new additions within the existing structure (such as the aedicule which many believe to be the location of the empty tomb)
-Maintained by 6 sects/denominations: Ethiopians, Assyrians, Armenians, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Coptics; a Muslim family locks the church at night and keeps the key until morning
-The 10th through 14th stations of the cross occur within Church of the Holy Sepulcher -The site of the crucifixion was near where stone was quarried to build the ancient city of Jerusalem; the rock of Mt. Calvary was poor quality and not used in building projects. Michael (of Michael and Jane)
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
We stopped first this morning at Franciscan church in Bet Fage (House of Young Figs) near Bethany that celebrates the site where Jesus mounts the donkey, beginning his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. A rock within the church, roughly the size of a donkey, suggested to the crusader imagination the vision of Christ entering the city "gentle and on a donkey;" the rock is now covered in beautiful frescoes of the Palm Sunday procession. Another fresco, covering the wall at the front of the church, displays Christ on the donkey as three figures lay down their cloaks in his path. Interestingly, the face of one figure is still hidden by a cloak, which allows the viewer to imagine himself or herself as part of the festive scene. The Franciscans who maintain the church at Bet Fage also constructed 82 homes immediately behind the church to house Palestinian families at an affordable cost; the homes have remained unoccupied for two years as the Franciscans wait for Israel to issue the appropriate permits.
From Bet Fage we moved to the Mount of Olives, a brief journey by bus. The churches that commemorate important sites from Holy Week dot the landscape of the Old City and the area still outside the walls: the teardrop church where Christ weeps; the golden dome of Al Aqsa mosque, which sits on the temple mount where Christ stands in judgment; and St. Peter Gallicantu (cock-crow in Latin) where Peter denies Christ outside the home of the Caiphas.
We descend from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane where we share reflections-take away moments as a college professor once described them. The garden is quiet, and good. Olive trees are planted throughout the garden; some are young saplings and others, gnarled and twisted, appear far older than the Byzantine church built on the site (4th - 5th century CE). We enter another garden with still older olive trees (we are now on the grounds of the Church of Gethsemane, or Church of All Nations. Gethsemane derives from two words, Gat + Shemanim, that translates to "oil press for olives."
The Church of Gethsemane was re-built on the remnants of earlier churches by Antonio Barluzzi in 1919 (the two churches we visited earlier in the morning-the Franciscan church at Bet Fage and the "Tear Drop" church were also designed by Barluzzi). Inside the church, the lighting is dim; light penetrates through purple circles of glass that form the shape of the cross. Above, the cupolas are covered in deep blue mosaics. The front wall of the church, divided into three sections, depict three images of Christ in the garden: the center panel, which is the largest, shows Jesus in agony, praying in solitude beside a rock (I was struck by the simplicity of the simile "His tears became like drops of blood," which we read together earlier in the garden). To the left, we see Judas as he kisses the cheek of Jesus, betraying him to the religious authorities; on the right panel, we see Christ quieting Peter’s sword, revealing "I am He."
Some quick facts on the church of the Holy Sepulcher/Church of the Empty Tomb/Church of the Resurrection since it is getting late and we’re up early in the morning for the stations of the cross and Via Dolorosa:
-Originally built by Helana, the mother of Constantine
-The church is inside the modern city walls, but was outside the city during the 1st century CE.
-Built twelve times but destroyed only four; much of the construction are new additions within the existing structure (such as the aedicule which many believe to be the location of the empty tomb)
-Maintained by 6 sects/denominations: Ethiopians, Assyrians, Armenians, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Coptics; a Muslim family locks the church at night and keeps the key until morning
-The 10th through 14th stations of the cross occur within Church of the Holy Sepulcher -The site of the crucifixion was near where stone was quarried to build the ancient city of Jerusalem; the rock of Mt. Calvary was poor quality and not used in building projects. Michael (of Michael and Jane)
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
Monday, March 30, 2009
On Pilgrimage, Day 9 - along the Dead Sea
Between a 6:00 wake-up in Nazareth and an 8:00 PM return to St. George’s College in Jerusalem, we enjoyed a spectacular, packed day by Jericho and the Dead Sea. In the morning we drove for 3 hours: east through the Jezreel Valley, where the Armageddon is supposed to take place; past the mountains of Gilboa, where the Philistines killed Saul and Jonathon; by Mt. Moriah (Nain, where Jesus heeled a widow’s son, on the north side, and Shunaun, where Elijah heeled a widow’s son, on the south side) and south on I-90 along the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, with Jordon across the water.
On the way, Amanda shared her research on Israel’s art. It seems the ancients were determined to have their art last into the ages, having designed mosaics in tile. Many modern Israeli artists have chosen to work outside Israel for freedom of expression, but a current work under adjudication commemorates gay victims of the Holocaust, who were forced to wear pink stars. Amanda passed around articles on other contemporary artists.
A little while later we were pointing out both sides of the bus at ibexes leaping gracefully up the steep slopes, and black and white storks flocked in a damp wadi near the Jordan River. Caroline took the opportunity to enlighten us on the natural history of the area. With a latitude almost exactly like Southern California, the plants and even the animals are similar. Five hundreds bird species pass through, with 200 of them breeding here. There are over 100 mammal and 100 reptile species, including poisonous snakes.
Caroline’s specialty is birds, and she’s seen 20 species so far; we’ll get the list later. Meanwhile, we’ve been enjoying a wildflower guide of Iyad’s, and this being peak season we’ve identified quite a few on our drives and walks:
Syrian thistle
Judean Viper’s Blugloss
Syrian Bear’s Breech
Bristly Hollyhock
Corn flower
Common chamomile
Crown anemone
Corn poppy
Nerved vetchling
Crown daisy
White mustard
Scarlet pimpernel
The countryside could have entertained many of us all day, but we had myriad sights in store. The first was the Dead Sea, at 1100 (?) feet below sea level it is the lowest place on the surface of the earth. Most of us donned swimwear and tiptoed into the salty water, leaning back to float like rubber duckies on the surface. After a few minutes we got creative and started some synchronized swim patterns, to the delight of the rest, who were snapping photos. After showering, we spread out in the sun with picnic lunches.
After lunch we pulled on hiking boots for a stop at Masada: Herod’s Hanging Palace, a huge fortress with 38 towers high up on a mesa. This was the Jewish Zealots’ last stand, where eyewitness Jewish historian Josephus described the siege and how the Jews held out for over a year on the Romans’ stored supplies and aqueduct and cistern water. 957 men, women, and children are said to have committed suicide rather than be taken as slaves by the Roman in 60
AD, though Josephus’ account is now questioned, since no bones have been found.
We all watched a 7 minute video, then took a tram up to the top, where Iyad showed up the highlights. Six of us endured the knee-killing return hike, including some 700 plus steps. The weather was gorgeous. As if in punctuation of this important Jewish historical site, low-flying military jets flew over the sight in pairs, patrolling the border with Jordan.
Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1947, was our next stop. We’d seen the scrolls (mostly replicas) in Jerusalem, but it was amazing to visit the actual site of the discovery by Bedouins. Cave 4, where 500 of the 800 documents were found, looking pretty inaccessible from the overlook. The eroding and cave-rich badlands, near the site of an Essene community active at the turn of the Common Era, look like they could house all of the history of civilization without ever giving a clue.
You’d think we’d be out of day by now, but we squeezed in several more events. Two were drive-bys: Tel Jericho is a lumpy ruin just west of the main city which archaeologists have dated to 8000 BCE, the oldest city known on earth. Up the road is an overlook from which we looked at the Mount of Temptations Monastery, built precariously into the side of a steep cliff. Monks from a Greek Orthodox order still live here, one of the earliest monasteries.
Arriving finally in Jericho, we made a requisite quick stop at a stately old sycamore tree which commemorates the tax collector Zachius’ famous climb to see Jesus pass by. Then we drove to one of Iyad’s many “cousin’s” Hebron glassworks store, where every employee was on hand to help us. They could not have been disappointed in our purchases.
Having completed the triathlon of swimming, hiking, and shopping, we retired to Iyad’s Jericho house at the gracious invitation of the Qumris: Iyad, Simone, and their sons Sami and Rami. We enjoyed appetizers and sunset from their many view rooms on three floors before settling down to lamb and rice in grape leaves, stuffed zucchini, a meat pastry, salad, and sesame cookies. We finished with a quick backgammon contest between Iyad and Michael before heading back to the bus and a half hour ride to Jerusalem. Karen
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
On the way, Amanda shared her research on Israel’s art. It seems the ancients were determined to have their art last into the ages, having designed mosaics in tile. Many modern Israeli artists have chosen to work outside Israel for freedom of expression, but a current work under adjudication commemorates gay victims of the Holocaust, who were forced to wear pink stars. Amanda passed around articles on other contemporary artists.
A little while later we were pointing out both sides of the bus at ibexes leaping gracefully up the steep slopes, and black and white storks flocked in a damp wadi near the Jordan River. Caroline took the opportunity to enlighten us on the natural history of the area. With a latitude almost exactly like Southern California, the plants and even the animals are similar. Five hundreds bird species pass through, with 200 of them breeding here. There are over 100 mammal and 100 reptile species, including poisonous snakes.
Caroline’s specialty is birds, and she’s seen 20 species so far; we’ll get the list later. Meanwhile, we’ve been enjoying a wildflower guide of Iyad’s, and this being peak season we’ve identified quite a few on our drives and walks:
Syrian thistle
Judean Viper’s Blugloss
Syrian Bear’s Breech
Bristly Hollyhock
Corn flower
Common chamomile
Crown anemone
Corn poppy
Nerved vetchling
Crown daisy
White mustard
Scarlet pimpernel
The countryside could have entertained many of us all day, but we had myriad sights in store. The first was the Dead Sea, at 1100 (?) feet below sea level it is the lowest place on the surface of the earth. Most of us donned swimwear and tiptoed into the salty water, leaning back to float like rubber duckies on the surface. After a few minutes we got creative and started some synchronized swim patterns, to the delight of the rest, who were snapping photos. After showering, we spread out in the sun with picnic lunches.
After lunch we pulled on hiking boots for a stop at Masada: Herod’s Hanging Palace, a huge fortress with 38 towers high up on a mesa. This was the Jewish Zealots’ last stand, where eyewitness Jewish historian Josephus described the siege and how the Jews held out for over a year on the Romans’ stored supplies and aqueduct and cistern water. 957 men, women, and children are said to have committed suicide rather than be taken as slaves by the Roman in 60
AD, though Josephus’ account is now questioned, since no bones have been found.
We all watched a 7 minute video, then took a tram up to the top, where Iyad showed up the highlights. Six of us endured the knee-killing return hike, including some 700 plus steps. The weather was gorgeous. As if in punctuation of this important Jewish historical site, low-flying military jets flew over the sight in pairs, patrolling the border with Jordan.
Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1947, was our next stop. We’d seen the scrolls (mostly replicas) in Jerusalem, but it was amazing to visit the actual site of the discovery by Bedouins. Cave 4, where 500 of the 800 documents were found, looking pretty inaccessible from the overlook. The eroding and cave-rich badlands, near the site of an Essene community active at the turn of the Common Era, look like they could house all of the history of civilization without ever giving a clue.
You’d think we’d be out of day by now, but we squeezed in several more events. Two were drive-bys: Tel Jericho is a lumpy ruin just west of the main city which archaeologists have dated to 8000 BCE, the oldest city known on earth. Up the road is an overlook from which we looked at the Mount of Temptations Monastery, built precariously into the side of a steep cliff. Monks from a Greek Orthodox order still live here, one of the earliest monasteries.
Arriving finally in Jericho, we made a requisite quick stop at a stately old sycamore tree which commemorates the tax collector Zachius’ famous climb to see Jesus pass by. Then we drove to one of Iyad’s many “cousin’s” Hebron glassworks store, where every employee was on hand to help us. They could not have been disappointed in our purchases.
Having completed the triathlon of swimming, hiking, and shopping, we retired to Iyad’s Jericho house at the gracious invitation of the Qumris: Iyad, Simone, and their sons Sami and Rami. We enjoyed appetizers and sunset from their many view rooms on three floors before settling down to lamb and rice in grape leaves, stuffed zucchini, a meat pastry, salad, and sesame cookies. We finished with a quick backgammon contest between Iyad and Michael before heading back to the bus and a half hour ride to Jerusalem. Karen
Helpful web links: Today's photo album Pilgrimage website
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