Life in Tirana: Exploring the Holyland

A Week in Israel and the West Bank, land of 3 major religions, cuisine of many small dishes and wonderful hosts

Our wonderful hosts, two couples we have gotten to know in Albania who have now returned to their homeland, helped us make the most of our time in Israel. It was the week of elections and many late night conversations about Netanyahu and whether there can be a two state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. I have grouped photos in categories, not following our itinerary. Enjoy.

Religious Sites Galore

Christian sites...


With the Eritrea refugees (of which there are many in Israel) we visited the site where the angel Gabrielle told Mary she would have a baby by the Holy Ghost in Nazareth


Here is Joseph the carpenter. You can see his wood shop. Maybe one of the only statues of him with young Jesus


Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth


Now we are in Bethlehem. This is the famous church of the Nativity built on top of the spot where people think Jesus was born


Entrance to the church is 4 1/2 feet high to keep invaders and camels out over the centuries

This is the spot where Jesus was said to have been born. Below an Armenian Priest doing mass at this very small alter


People actually get down and kiss the stone


You can walk the stations of the cross in Jerusalem. This is supposedly where Jesus sat in prison. See mosaic.


Above, where Jesus was crucified and below the cave where he ascended to heaven

Jewish Sites.....

This is Masada, the summer palace of the warrior king, King Herod. It sits on a hill above the Dead Sea in the middle of the desert so invaders could not attack easily. That is an understatement!

He LOVED extravagance. Remember, this is at the time of the birth of Jesus. Plastering walls and painting frescoes was usually done only in the main room even in a palace. He did it in every room in his palace. He also had humans haul wood over the desert for days to adorn the palace architecture

Man who forgot his cap. That desert sun is intense!

This is a story worth telling. So Herod dies and the fort is occupied by 960 rebels and their family members. The Romans want to capture the palace and extend their territory. The honor in winning comes as the invading soldiers get themselves up the steep cliff, break into the palace and take the prisoners, now slaves, back to their leader. Being Jewish, you are not allowed to take your own life. So, in a premeditated act, when the folks in the palace saw their fate, they were killed by their own people. The only two woman who were left when the invaders arrived said that the last 10 men left, each wrote his name on a piece of pottery. By lottery, one man picked a piece and killed the person whose name was on the shard. This happened down to the last man who had to kill himself and thus take the glory of victory away from the invading Romans. Recently they found these 10 pottery pieces.

The famous Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem

The woman's wall is separated from the much larger part of the wall for men

This wooden stand is where one rocks as he or she reads the Torah. The idea is that this rocking keeps you awake during long periods of recitation

Muslim Sites.....

In Jerusalem, there is the walled in old town with covered market stalls, many of the Christian sites above and residents living in small apartments. On top, King Herod built his palace, 19 football field in length,!!! This man pulled out all the stops around 25 BC to build an opulent palace. However, after 95 years, the place caught fire and was destroyed. For hundreds of years it sat empty. Then during the Ottoman empire, in 691 AD the Arabs built this holy mosque. So you have the Jews feeling this is the holiest of the holy places and the Muslims feeling this is the place that Allah will return. In the background is new Jerusalem

All over the grounds, school children, men, co-ed Muslims groups are praying, chanting and even screaming to Allah

Baha'i Faith.....

This is the most recent of the world's religions (1844). The Baha'i Shrine and the sloping gardens sit in Haifa, a large port city in northern Israel.

Tel Aviv

Our hostess, Shula showing us the happening city of Tel Aviv, attracting many of the young people for high tech jobs and a more modern lifestyle

Markets in Jerusalem and Bethlehem

This was a very funky shoe store with a sign "50% off" these dusty old shoes.

Making falafel above

In Bethlehem, this guy serves you "tea to go" on the street

Amazing spices. How about that designer mound!

This gives a new meaning to designer Yamakas that are worn on men and boys heads!

The dates in Israel are so moist and delicious

The Wall

Unfortunately there is a wall separating Jerusalem and Bethlehem, though they are only 7 miles apart. Jews can't go to Bethlehem and the Christians and Arabs living in Bethlehem can not leave their small geographic area and go to most of Israel or leave the country!

A controversial new settlement for the Jews

Our amazing hotel in Bethlehem

We had one of the most remarkable stays in Bethlehem. Emily has had this home in her family for 500 years. The huge front door was to let in camels bringing goods from the orient. She is serving us her lemon juice as we arrive.

Each room is simply done, retaining the architecture of the building and adding elegant touches

We stayed in this room. Each room tells of its use with a bit of history. Below we are eating a scrumptious breakfast on the deck with the Church of the Nativity behind us.

You saw Emily above. She is posing in this photo in 1959 for a magazine article on Arab countries. It is such a shame that more tourists won't cross the wall and visit Bethlehem or simply come for a couple of hours on a tour bus. It is worth an overnight.

Guess, what I found in Bethlehem....A Nativity Museum with depictions of the birth of Jesus from all over the world. Having collected 25 nativity scenes from around the world myself... I was in my element.

South Korea above and Bedouin nativity below

Having fun.....

This fellow came to Burlington as part of the sister city program between Arad, Bethlehem and Burlington. Walid proudly showed us the key to the city that Peter bestowed on him during the visit. See the notebooks below in the Bethlehem city hall to prove it!

Free exfoliation procedure in the Dead Sea. 9% salt.

Above and below, our two couple friends that made the trip personal and special

Religious tension manifests itself...

Signs of election day politicking, tensions running high at the holiest mosque in Jerusalem and street signs for shelters in case of attacks.

These Arab women are gathering, chanting and provoking the authorities as they want to claim this space as Muslim holiness, not Jewish holiness

Politics in action

In Israel each new apartment or house has to have a room constructed as a shelter from bomb attacks. There signs tell citizens where to gather in case of an attack

Trip to the Dead Sea and Bedouin settlements along the road

300 feet below sea level and counting as we drive to the Dead Sea

Above are date palm trees, where those big juicy dates come from along the Dead Sea. Below are sculptures made out of salt

Bedouin Settlements along the highway to the Dead Sea

Random Churches and Buildings that caught my eye

The first settlement built outside the original walled in Jerusalem was a thousand years old. Not wanting to destroy the structures, but needing to update that part of the city, they moved the building, one block at a time and by numbering them, could recreate the original buildings

Russian Orthodox Church

Good Eats

Many food dishes to excite the palette

Falafel

All of these dishes cooking on the stoves at the back of the photo

This Arab man is making these dumplings filled with cheese or nuts and coated with a honey syrup

A stop at the Carmel winery. Not bad. All the wine produced in Israel is kosher

Two Israeli towns that have a rich 1,000 year history

Roman aqueduct that stretches the length of an old town of Caesarea. Below shows how the Mediterranean Sea has encroached on the land. Look closely at all of the Roman columns lined up where they once stood on the ground.