in Palestine (2nd try)

What do I say? Where do I start?
This really is a trip into Palestine. Jericho and the Mountain of Temptation on Tuesday; I was sensible and stayed in the car park drinking ornge juice freshly squeezed and eating ice cream. The view of the monastery was good from there anyway! It was just like Rocamadour; a monastery just perched on a cliff... but no touristy pilgrim things to play with. The climb up for the others was not rewarded either. The gates were locked.

So I guess I felt a little smug even if I was feeling a bit hot.

I later learned the temperature was forty two! As bad as it had been in the Kimberley four years ago.

We returned to Jericho and there it was: The tell, the walls, the trenches. I had to see this archaeology! I went up onto Kathleen Kenyon's trench. but it was getting hot; legs were starting to go. I moved over to an explanatory board; the others were leaning over, looking at Kathleen's excavation. I could not go over... I started the return journey. The group overtook me. Doug's shoulder came to my aid; then Chris'; John took the double walking stick; Erica already had my bag. I was fortunate, my friends somehow got me down. At the end I bumped down the steps on my bum and was wheeled across the car park on an office chair!

so I stayed in the airconditioned mini bus at the Dead Sea resort and also at Qumran...
I should have written about brokenness in a retreat; about The Wall and Bethlehem; about Ramallah, today; and Sabeel... but my mind is confused, exhilarated and in turmoil. The best blog will probably be written at home.

later: Saturday night... it really was the heat; things are going a lot smoother now. it is getting close to the end and we are all tired. We were in Galilee today and returning to Jerusalem for Yom Kippur.

Jerusalem

well, let's just try before, before we go to Jerusalem!

 

Petra was quite an experience.

 

Realising that going down the Siq was impossible I took the horse drawn cart option.  Chris Ledger and I bumped our way down and the poor horse did an amazing job! so then we gazed upon the Treasury building and I took a camel to see a little bit further! yes, there is an animal welfare organisation ensuring the animals welfare. Reading the paper though, no one ensures that the boys who have to work with the animals can get to school and learn to read.

 

 

then on Friday 18th September. taxis to the Allenby Bridge. It is a very steep drop down into the Jordan Valley. eventually we got through to sitting on the bus to go over the bridge. The man who had difficulty walking turned out to have MS. The Indonesian family might have been coming back from Mecca; my tiny bit of Indonesian was useful. The woman beside me was returning to Nablus for the first time in 15 years. She can do that now because she now has a USA passport....

 

and there we all were crammed into a totally disorganised and chaotic situation on the Israeli side... suitcases over here; with assports on top! Passports disappear; wait; will we ever see them again?

 

 

yes we did, to go to another area, another queue.... "fearless leader" was quizzed: are you going to the West Bank? ... yes, he says; Jerusalem! ummm, not quite the right answer; but eventually we are through and a mini bus taxi brings us here.

 

Our first experience of what it is like to get through check points...

 

Then we re in the old city, in Knights Palace Hotel and recovered enough to explore! the crowded alleys and amazing things... It takes the breath away. Unfortunately it also took my legs away, so Chris and  I peeled off and returned up the Via Dolorosa. slowly. very slowly.

 

today was another MSsey day. I stayed behid and walked down the outside of the wall to the Damascus Gate. What an amazing crowd and celebration! fInal preparation for Eid... more later

 

 

 

Apostrophes and keyboards

and let me comment too on the french keyboard I am using. M is in a different spot, so is A... I noticed one error there. As for apostrophes, I cant find one unless it is uner 4' yep.... under the 4. so now you can criticize my grammar. What will an Arabic keyboard have???? (Linda)

 

I woiuld send this to Brian if I could. I couldn't make a comment on his blog tonight about apostrophes!

 

The Cantal, a pilgrimage

Today I said farewell to St Bonnet de Salers and went through much of the countryside on the train up to Cler,ont Ferrand and thence over much flat land to Paris. The flatter and drier the country becomes the more Australians crop up!

 

But this country around Salers and Mauriac have shown Fred and me much more than bricollage and Brico Marché shops. (do it yourself plumbing à là Fyshwick!)

 

It has been sad to farewell Anthony and Dany and all of Greg and Wendys friends. Here is a land and the people of the land... they are not all locals. Some come from the Dordogne; some greet with four, not three kisses; but it is a land and its people that we have been amongst for two weeks. Fred returns later in the week to do more work. 

 

On Friday we joined with the tourists in the Dordogne; at the huge chasm of Grouffre Padiraic and in Rocamadour. Rocamadour was a pilgrimage centre and it is now continuing much of that tradition as a tourism centre; selling fine arts and crafts and hospitality. Its just the spiritual feeding which is perhaps missing! or something... perhaps the missing bit is why we all gather at these places; like flocks of hungry birds....

 

now I need to find out where Women in Black meet in Jerusalem! I did not write it down... (sigh)

quickly from the Auvergne

Just checking that this still is working!

sorry not to have been in much contact but I think that all amail has now been checked out and perhaps replied to!

I am surrounded by green! still huge blue skies with wonderful sunsets! and ancient towns and modern people. Enjoying meeting many of G & Ws friends and listening in to French conversations (with a bit of franglais thrown in)

Fred is working hard on the barn. We have had our travellers illness, hope that is all there is!

Been out of contact with news for most of the time! a real change from a previous life!

au 'voir!