Holiday Cheer

Ok, granted this is not really travel related. But even though we live here, Anguilla is a foreign country so I am using a little poetic license here. Plus, I just couldn't resist taking these photos of our local version of holiday cheer compliments of the National Bank of Anguilla.
I mean, who among us doesn't recall warm childhood memories of the arrival of the traditional Christmas frog? Or that wacky, noel crocodile (well perhaps that unfortunate reindeer next to him who appears to have met a very, un-merry end). And then finally, from what must be this, the real island of misfits (toys, I mean), this adorable, sparsely spotted, wry-necked holiday giraffe. Oh if only there were competent veterinarians living on island licensed to help!
Merry Christmas to All!

heading home

Well, here we sit in the club lounge at the airport in Tel Aviv waiting for the first leg of our trip home. TLV to LHR to JFK (sleep over) to SXM and a ferry back to AXA.  It is 6AM now. We've been up since 3AM. The security at the airport here was certainly thorough but leaving is not nearly as interrogative (if that is a word) a process as coming into the country.

Yesterday we relaxed a little. Walked back around the old city of Jerusalem for a couple of hours. Went back to the wailing wall in the daylight to see three different Bar Mizvahs taking place. And went in search of a simple little dreidel. Could not find one anywhere - and it's Hanukkah. Even the woman in the hotel said she had just commented to a friend that you really don't see them anymore. So in the old city we kept asking. Apparently, don't ask in the Armenians or the Christian sections. Sure they sell yarmulke and menorahs but no dreidels. Even in the toy shops, no luck. Michael asked one man, Isn't htis Israel? Finally we found a guy who had them. Cheap little wooden ones and he wanted 120 sheckels which is like $38US. Michael said 20 sheckels so the salesman acted all indignant. Were we implying that he was profiting 100 sh? Well, yes we were. Why you have to be like that? He asked Michael. Michael answered, Why YOU have to be like that? After much hollering and walking away, one little dreidel worth probably $1.50 was finally purchased for $5.00. It's still very hard to get used to that system of commerce. Just put a price tag on it and let me decide, that's what I say.

Then we needed to get back to Tel Aviv in the afternoon. Called the hotel that I had chosen specifically because it was nearer the airport than any I had found AND has a shuttle to the airport. That meant that we'd take a cheaper shuttle to the airport (rather than a taxi to the hotel itself) and then catch their shuttle to the hotel. When I called the hotel, however, to find out how to find their shuttle at the airport I was informed that I misunderstood. They do not have a shuttle from the airport. Pardon me? Your website says you do. Oh no, go back and read it, it says they have a shuttle TO the airport. Only TO. Not FROM. So that's a new one.

That meant that we had to negotiate a cab ride from Jerusalem to the Hotel itself. That went from 350sh to 300sh to finally 250sh. UGH! In their defense, though, it was the very first hotel of this entire stay that offers FREE internet access. Every other one charges $20US/day. And they have free Happy Hour at 6PM. Of course, it consists of tea and coffee and juice and crackers but it was a thought. Finally, we gathered at 4AM with a couple from India on their way to Athens while the desk clerk called the cab to take us to the airport. Four adults, four large bags and three carry-ons and they called a teeny tiny cab so that we had to sit with luggage on our laps while the driver strapped bags to the roof! Luckily the hotel had signs all over asking patrons to go to TripAdvisor and post comments on the behalf....so perhaps I shall !!!!

Meanwhile, let us eat cake (here in the lounge) and wish ourselves safe travels.

Merry Christmas!

Finally, what do you think were the odds that we would find ourselves at Petra at night at the full moon, the Wailing Wall at night on the Sabbath on the first night of Hanukkah, AND come out of the Church of the Nativity to find them erecting the Christmas Tree on Manger Square in Bethlehem? Pretty nice little trifecta?

It is, again, a perfect example of the incongruities of religion in this part of the world to see a Christmas tree being raised in front of a minaret with women in Muslim attire in the forefront.

on to Bethlehem

Not included in our original tour was a trip to Bethlehem even though it is only about 5 km south of Jerusalem. Supposedly because the US State Department has warnings against visiting Bethlehem which is under Palestinian rule. But they agreed to let us go provided that they held no liability for us during out time there. It just seemed incomplete to come this far and to see this religious sites and then to stop short of visiting the birthplace of Jesus. So we and most of the rest of the group decided to go.

Our guide once we crossed the checkpoint was Gabriella, a Romanian Christian married to a Palestinian.  There is not much to see here….pretty much that one place. But here is a picture of Michael entering into the Church of the Nativity.

THE SPOT

In the basement of the Church of the Nativity are two marked sites: this star marks the place of Jesus’ birth and nearby is the location of the manger.

The Rock

After walking the Via Dolorosa through the first stations of the cross we ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In a very small area (all inside one church) are the top of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified (in the photo), the flat rock where he was presumably aid down to be anointed and prepared for burial and finally the cave/tomb where he might have been buried.

Olive Press

No the picture is not of an olive press. It is of the olive trees at the Garden of Gethsemane – Gethsemane which means olive press.  Amir gave a beautifully illustrative description of the increasing isolation that Jesus must have felt in his last days as all the light in his world slowly went out and then how it slowly came back after his resurrection and then multiplied many fold to encompass the earth. He compared it to the Farewell Symphony by Haydn. It was a very lovely analogy especially coming from a secular Jew.