Take your pick

Saturday in Israel mean it’s the Sabbath - and that includes us. However, it didn’t seem much like a day of rest. We kept the same breakneck speed. I can’t say that I would do it any other way. There is just too much to see in too short a time.

We did spend a bit of time on our feet today, which makes me feel a little better about eating all that ice cream. A little. See if you can keep up:

First stop, the Church of all Nations, which is situated on the Mount of Olives just ‘a stones cast’ from what has been identified (by some) as the Garden of Gethsemane. 24 years ago it was possible to wander among the ancient olive trees but not today! Stay on the path - the trees are still impressive though with some up to 2,000 years old. (They wouldn’t survive with my green thumb.)

Then to a little slope/park that is quiet and beautiful called the Orson Hyde Memorial Park. It’s not far from the Church of all Nations but many of us in the LDS faith feel more comfortable with this being the setting for the Atonement. It was really special to slowly snake our way up the path of the park to an amazing view of the Golden City.

It absolutely blew my mind when I saw the BYU Jerusalem Center for the first time today. UN BEE LEE VA BLE. Manicured grounds, stone hallways, offices, auditorium and the view! I’m going out of a limb here and declaring that my experience living with kosher Jews in a kibbutz, while not as comfortable was better in every way. Except for the soft serve ice cream.

We took a photo with Clark Anderson who was also a student in 1986. He was a fresh, 18 year old, high school graduate then. Today he is a knowledgeable and perfect tour guide to the city he loves.

After our church services at the Jerusalem Center we checked out two different locations in Jerusalem that both claim to be the spot that Jesus was crucified. First, the gaudy, crowded and dark Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Run by three different religious groups they profess to have the rock where Jesus was crucified as well as laid when taken from the cross.

The second location and the one that I am more comfortable with for several reasons is the simple, open and quiet Garden Tomb. The Anglican Church manages this location and volunteers are happy to give you a tour. They point out ‘Golgotha’ or ‘place of the skull’ as well as a hushed ancient tomb. Here is a preview of our Christmas card!

Things Change

My boys keep saying, “Mom, don’t blog everyday!” but I find that if I don’t - I forget what we did! The pace has been fast and furious and there is so much to see that it’s overwhelming. So here is Friday’s run-down:

The day started with a visit to an area of Jerusalem that would have been near what we know as the ‘upper room’ where Jesus and his disciples met for the last supper. No one knows where it was for sure, but the room we visit has some beautiful architecture so I like to hope it was there!

(There is also a cool little area outside of the Israel Museum that houses a 'model city'. It's a 1/50th, to scale model of what the city would have looked like around 100 AD. We oriented ourselves and then popped in for a look at the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Israel wouldn’t be Israel without a memorial to the holocaust. Yad Vashem is a sobering and reverent museum dedicated to just that. It houses items that belonged to holocaust victims and survivors; piles of shoes, suitcases, prayer shawls, toys, furniture, etc. One building dedicated to just the children is dark with mirrored walls and little lights that look like endless stars. As you walk through it a woman’s voice reads name after name of those who were killed. The museum also displays a copy of ‘Schindler’s List’ - the names of Jews that Oscar Schindler was instrumental in saving.

We were close to Ben Yahuda at lunchtime so we forced ourselves to have another falafel. (Which doesn’t bother me but I think some people in our group are ready for a different menu.) We strolled around and found a pizza joint that was all too familiar from when we were students. Its amazing that its still there!

There is one thing that is new… There is a horrible, ugly, massive scar that cuts the hills outside of Jerusalem. There is now a 25-foot wall that is a physical symbol of the inability to share this land. The debate whether it belongs to Palestinian or Jew just cannot be rectified. We saw it as we drove south to Bethlehem along with Ramat Rachel (our student quarters) and I gasped. The rolling hills between Jerusalem and Bethlehem are no longer open either - a Jewish settlement has strategically sprung up which caused a massive flare-up in Bethlehem some years ago. It’s like they are playing a giant game of ‘RISK’.

Just for those of you reading this blog that were also BYU Jerusalem students, here is a photo of the new and improved Ramat Rachel. Our group in 1986 was the last group to stay in the kibbutz. After us, all students stayed at the new center on the top of the Mount of Olives. Ramat Rachel was not even recognizable.

We stopped for a family photo op on the hills outside Jerusalem. We call them ‘The Shepherds Fields’ because it is likely that shepherds were watching their flocks by night under the stars when angels appeared with glad tidings. Kind of a Christmas in July.

Finally, there is nothing like a Friday night at the Western Wall as the sun goes down. Hundreds and hundreds of Jews rush to the temple wall to usher in the Sabbath. There is singing, dancing, praying and crying. I managed to snap a photo of the boys before I got into trouble. They are right in the center with their kippas in place; Clark Anderson (in the yellow) Scott, Daniel, Drew, Rhett Anderson (who's current status makes this a particularly special photo) and Nick.

What day is it?

The days are beginning to blurr together, but the 27^th and 28^th we were at Ein Gev, a kibbutz slash hotel where we stayed for about a week as students. Leaving, we drove south and passed another kibbutz by the name of Afakim. Oh, the memories I have of Afakim. As a young student we were used as slave labor to work the banana fields. Our program directors said it was for our experience but I wonder….

I guess you cannot visit Hebron any longer. In 1997 an overzealous Jew opened fire on a group of Muslim’s who were praying there near the burial sites of Abraham, Isaac and other biblical prophets, killing about 30. But never fear, they’ve brought some of the unique handmade glass from Hebron to Jericho where, of course, you can buy it at a ‘special price’. We didn’t get any glass, but Drew got some instruction on how to wear a kufeah.

There isn’t much left to see at Jericho (thanks to Joshua) so we took a quick peek and then made a B-line for the Dead Sea, which sits 1,300 feet BELOW sea level. You think the Great Salt Lake is salty? It’s got nothing on the Dead Sea. It was so much fun watching the boys float around and discover this incredible sensation. Scott and I even tried to recreate a 24-year-old scene.

Qumran is just a few minutes away (it was about 106 degrees) so we filled our bellies with shawarma and ice cream there. (The boys are quickly coming to like shawarma and falafel as much as I do.) It’s a pretty desolate place, so it’s hard to imagine why a shepherd would be tending sheep in that area long enough to stumble upon the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In the late afternoon we were in Bethany and visited the tomb of Lazarus. Dave emerged as I called him to 'come forth' and looked about dead himself. We jumped over to Hezekiah's tunnel and about ½ way through, I remembered as a student thinking ‘I will never do this again’. Good thing I forgot until after I started! We snaked through the cold water, hoping to make it out of this ancient water source alive. After exiting the other side, we were shown an ancient coin that would have amounted to 30 pieces of silver for those of you familiar with the significance that sobering amount.

Clark, our guide offered to take some of us to Ben Yahuda, an pedestrian mall that I had visited many times in 1987. It looks a little worse for the wear (I believe that a suicide bomber hit this target sometime in the 90’s) but still seems to be a hopping place!

I scream, you scream, we all scream...

You know what the best part about vacation is? Ice cream. And lots of it. Have a little breakfast and have a little ice cream. Have a little lunch, have a little ice cream. Have a little dinner, have a little ice cream. Then for a snack have a little ice cream. It’s not a problem when you are walking a lot, but when you are being chauffeured around on a tour bus… well, I only packed clothes that fit.

Wednesday started with a boat ride out into the middle of the Sea of Galilee where we had a nice little discussion and read from the scriptures about different events that occurred at that setting - what a way to begin a beautiful morning!

Our bus took us further north to Capernaum to view the remains of an ancient Jewish synagogue as well as visit the location they believe that Jesus taught the multitude the ‘Sermon on the Mount’, among other things. We had the opportunity to open our scriptures again and recount that timeless message.

The sites are all pretty packed with tourists; at least the Jewish ones. It’s the three-week break marking the day of the destruction of the ancient temple at Jerusalem and Rosh Hashanah - the one time of the year that all the Hasidic Jews take their holiday. We are good to go at the Christian sites but those that are significant to Jews are mob like.

Scott and I reminisced about our first visit to Tel Dan and how things were quite a bit different then. At that time swimming in the natural pool and under the waterfall was permissible and we were the only ones around. Now there is a boardwalk, signs, a caution and no way you can get in the water. But it’s still beautiful!

Just to petrify my mother I’ll let you know that we were at the border of Lebanon, then again at the border of Syria and passed through a Palestinian checkpoint. She won’t be concerned so much about me, but she’ll want to know that her grandchildren are safe.

We ended the day with a BYU/Jerusalem/Galilee tradition - one that my sisters will remember… St. Peter’s fish! And it’s still yucky! The kibbutz serves them as an entire fish. Heads. Tails. Skin. Needless to say, Drew will just fill up on ice cream.

Déjà-Vu

6:30 AM in Jerusalem translates to 9:30 PM in Utah so our wake-up call just seemed rude. I think I could have rolled over and slept for two days. As it was I missed breakfast and was almost late for our bus. Scott was kind enough to grab some toast for me so I didn’t starve!

Today (Tuesday) we drove to Caesarea, an Israeli coastal town north of Tel Aviv. Pontius Pilate lived here and the ruins of his palace are clearly visible. The government has reconstructed the amphitheater, with improvements of course, and they were actually setting up for a concert while we visited. We couldn’t resist dipping our toes in the Mediterranean Sea, which was quite warm - it made sense. It felt a little like a moist oven standing outside. Our tour bus is air-conditioned so it kind of becomes a refuge.

We continued north and stopped at Mt. Tabor, the Jordan River and are staying the night at Galilee’ all locations with significant biblical histories.

It feels so sweet to revisit the places that were part of our semester abroad 24 years ago. Scott and I are remembering and reminding each other of things that we did, and eating kosher again. It’s a ‘walk down memory lane’ but boy how things have changed! They are actually putting a light rail system in Jerusalem and the little trailers that we staying in last time at Galilee are comfortable hotel rooms. It’s been especially amazing to share it with the kids. They are having a blast as our tour group mostly consists of young single adults and they’ve made some fast friends.

Kind of an interesting development today; a mother and her son joined our group and will be with us for 4 days or so. She and her husband just picked up their son from his LDS mission in Sierra Leone. Turns out that they lived in our Pleasant View neighborhood and the missionary, Rhett? Well, he played lacrosse for my team!

Blast from the past

24 years ago, at the age of 20, I woke up one morning on a foam pad in a small room of a kibbutz in Jerusalem and cried because I was homesick. I had registered for a semester abroad, left the country for the first time and after three days in a strange place wanted nothing more than to go home.

Four months later when our semester was ending, the tears came again. I cried because I didn’t want to go home. I cried because I didn’t know if I would ever come back to the land that now was part of my heart.

Coming back and bringing our three children is more than I could have ever hoped for! (My husband Scott and I met on our semester abroad.) Sharing our love of Israel with them will be easy and since we arrived they’ve had eyes wide as saucers.

After our flight from London our guide allowed us a quick shower and breakfast before he stuffed our brains with information and wore down the soles of our shoes. We visited all the old haunts; the Western Wall, St. Catherine’s, St. Peter of Gallicantu, Dome of the Rock, the old city. For lunch, something I’ve missed for 24 years… a falafel!

Our first night was in a, well, lets just say ‘less than 5 star’ hotel. But we had a bed, clean sheets and a shower so no one complained. In the morning we’ll hit the road north and hopefully catch a nap on the bus!

Just a fun little fact: 24 years ago Clark Anderson was one of the students that was studying abroad that semester with us here in Israel. The next two weeks, he is our guide. This is his 16^th time back. Guess he loves it as much as we do. (In the 1986 photo on the left, he's the blonde in the middle. I'm in the striped shirt.)

Boom, done.

TO-DO:

See Stonehenge in the daytime, minus the rain. Check.

Due to 6 tube stations being closed and the inability for STEINER’S to get out of the door on time, we were about 45 minutes late meeting Scott at Heathrow. However, even if we had left the flat when we planned there still wouldn’t have been a train to take us to the airport. We had to do a little rerouting and finagling but we are London Underground pros at this point.

We zipped over to Hertz where we were upgraded to an automatic. I was very grateful as driving on the opposite side of the road from the opposite side of the car with 4 ‘backseat drivers’ is only more intense when trying to shift with the opposite hand. Drew navigated and … well, if not the fastest route, we took a very scenic one.

Did I mention it was a beautiful day?

Druids, blue stones, post and lentil, blah, blah, blah… All I know is that Stonehenge is impressive. We took tons of photos and walked around slowly even stopping to nap on the grass. I think Scott would have slept for hours if we had let him.

On the way back to the airport we detoured to Windsor and took a peek at the beautiful castle there. It’s an idyllic setting on the Thames surrounded by an ancient and historical town. When I’ve gone to London my Dad has usually suggested I eat at the Wagamama Noodle Bar and there happens to be one in Windsor. I followed his advice and wasn’t sorry. (Side story: Last time David ate Kim chi was when he was 8 years old on a trip to Korea. He promptly threw up. Feeling he had a bone to pick with Kim chi, he took another shot. I am pleased to say at the moment it’s staying down.)

As I write this little update, we are on our British Air flight sitting on the tarmac, waiting for the green light to take off. Apparently the Greek flight controllers are on strike and as our path takes us over Greece we may be here for a while. Watch the news; we might be one of those horror stories you hear about. At least they’ve opened the bathrooms!

That's Art?

There are about 11 tube lines in London that crisscross the city and sometimes overlap. This weekend 6 of the 11 lines are undergoing "necessary improvements" from Saturday morning until Monday morning and are closed. This made travel around the city more complicated but we like a challenge! It's like solving a puzzle or making your way through a maze. (Thank goodness the Picadilly line to Heathrow is not on the list of closures!)

If you like leaving an art exhibit dumbfounded, I recommend the Tate Modern. Okay, maybe not all of it was crap. They did have 1 Matisse, 2 Picasso's, a Monet and 'The Kiss' by Rodin. "No offense," Daniel commented, "but this is the worst museum I've ever been in." None taken and I concur. Good thing it was free to visit, but we did waste 10 pounds on audio devices that were supposed to be descriptive guides. Still didn't help. I guess we are art snobs?

Did I mention that the weather is beautiful?

As a family we've been to St. Paul's Cathedral before so today when we walked across the Millennium Bridge, we were satisfied to stroll around it and take a quick peek inside. It's still there and it's still the same. Seems like that's mostly what we've done in England - walked.

Tomorrow morning we have to say goodbye, leave the keys to our flat and meet Scott at Heathrow. We called it an early day and picked up a simple dinner from Sainsbury's. We spent 14 pounds (about $21) and had a smorgasbord of food. Baked chicken, egg salad, steak wrap, pasty, orange, grapefruit, juice, soda... kind of a weird menu but satisfying nonetheless.

"That's not yogurt"

At the end of the day, do you ever look back and can't quite remember how it started? We are day 5 into our 5 week 'odyssey' and our memories are failing us already! "What did we do again?" (That can't be a good sign.)

Have you seen the movie 'Notting Hill'? We took a stroll through the neighborhood featured in the film and wandered down the famous Portobello Road along with 'Our Germans'. What a collection; a shop with a gazillion old sewing machines, antique silver services, crepes, .... the list goes on. Dave stopped to look at the old cameras and Drew had his heart set on a crepe. Daniel just wants to hurry to

whatever store sells England's World Cup jerseys - enough already...

Lunch and the obligatory Big Ben photo. You know Big Ben is actually the name of the bell, not the name of the clock? A little trivia there. We went to the Churchill War Rooms; second time for me but just as interesting as when I went with my sister. When WWII ended, everyone working underground in the bunkers, straightened their desks, turned out the lights and went home. Everything (pretty much) is just as they left it in the War Cabinet Rooms. There's a WC with an 'ENGAGED' sign on the door. No one working there knew it was actually a room where Churchill had a direct line to President Roosevelt. He probably took a magazine with him when he went in.

We wound our way down to Harrod's which Qatar recently bought from the Al Fayed family. This explains why the Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed memorial was moved from the top floor to the basement. Her supposed engagement ring and glass they drank from the night they were killed is on display; kinda gross. If you've been to Harrod's you know that your eyes cannot take in or believe what you see. Dave did consider cricket, Daniel found something that interested him and Drew was... patient. We did buy and consequently eat some cupcakes that were a little dry. They were displayed next to a 5,000 GBP cake which didn't look that fresh either.

We ended the day at Covent Garden, the first planned green space in England. It's really charming and full of 'buskers'. I asked our waitress what a busker was and she told me it's a street performer. She ought to know, she's from Orange County, California. At her recommendation we ate a traditional cottage pie and it was A-LISIOUS!