A sojourn to the Holy Land..

This set of posts is actually going to take a few days. Last month, I mentioned my trip to Israel. In order to make it right, I had to get V. to scan some pictures for me so that it would make it a bit more interesting.

I didn't decide to go to Israel. I was invited there. My boyfriend at that time worked at Rockwell International and had gotten a work assignment in Tel Aviv. It was all hush-hush and classified so I didn't know the nature of the work he would be doing but knew it had some relation to the Israeli military.

He asked if I would like to go.

Oh, like... yeah... I think so!

We would stay for six weeks. I would have to fend for myself while he was working.

I was rather excited about the trip for a couple of reasons. It was my first trip out of the country as an adult and I've also had a lifelong fascination with religion and the history of religion. The idea of walking on the very steps where Jesus had walked excited me. It was going to be an important trip for me. I planned to do a lot of religious exploring.

You know, Israel. That's where it all started.

I'd also had a lifelong affinity for Jewish people and felt very strongly about the Jewish homeland. The idea that they would finally have their own land after the horrible experience of the Holocaust seemed like some kind of divine justice. I'd read "Exodus" a few years before and had a very strong feeling about it.

After an ungodly amount of time in the air and a stopover in Germany, we landed in Tel Aviv on Friday evening. We were able to check into the hotel and were treated to a traditional Shabbat meal. It was only the luck of timing that made that possible.

Since Don didn't have to show up to work until Monday, that left us all weekend to explore. Saturday, of course being the Sabbath day, the Jewish part of the city was as dead as Los Angeles on Sunday morning. We headed off to visit Bethlehem in the West Bank. We found a Christian cab driver who was willing to take us. There were a few scary checkpoints but beyond that, it was quite a stunning sight!

We found ourselves at the Church of the Nativity where it is said Jesus was born. The opening is so small that unless you are a child or very short, you can't help but bend over in respect.

It was probably built that way to keep out invaders but I like the first explanation better.

We filled the remainder of the day looking at other churches in Bethlehem. There were also caves that had been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times.

That night, we ate street food at a walking mall and it was quite tasty! Not unlike Thailand, there are all kinds of food available and booths were tended by Christians, Muslims and Jews. So there were all kinds of interesting things to sample.

We went back to the hotel and relaxed with some fuji which is a really tasty fruit. It looks like a tomato and tastes like an apple, a very sweet one. It has a bit of a tough texture but it really is very good. We watched a bit of television. And thus completed our first full day in Israel.

More in the next installment. (These won't be consecutive by the way. I don't want to bore anyone senseless. :)



Peace,


~Chani