Anne and Maddy - Our Travel Adventures: October 2016

Tuesday 18 October 2016

Final Photos from Jordan

Entrance into Petra, Jordan

Huge canyons with narrow passages to get to the Treasury

Maddy and Anne in front of the Treasury (no we didn't see Indiana Jones)

Anne braved it with three other of our fellow travelers to hike up to the Monestary

Anne made it to the Monestary at the top of Petra

Anne's record of her hike to the Treasury and the Monestary - not bad for a 65 year old broad!

Little Petra (not as much hiking as the Treasury and Monestary but amazing!

Notice the steps in Little Petra

Neolithic settlement from 6700 BC in Jordan

Jerusalem and Greetings from Jordan

Our Middle East trip has almost ended. It’s bee a great tour, thank you Spiekerman Travel. It was a warm day but now at 7 p.m. it is 75 degrees and so pleasant. I’m sitting on a veranda listening to the call to prayer and watching some fireworks. Anne is recovering from a real tough walk,, but more about that a little later.

Sunday 10/9: We saw more of Jerusalem. The cemeteries are outside the city walls. The Arab cemetery was next to the wall. On the other side of the valley was the Mount of Olives, the Jewish cemetery. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is Gethsemane. We walked to a site commonly believed to be the site of the Last Supper outside the city gate. We said farewell to our guide Ettie as we drove to Bethlehem where we met our city guide George, an Arab Christian. He told us that 100 years ago, there were more Christian than Muslim Arabs in Bethlehem but the population has changed. We visited the supposed site of Jesus' birth. No one knows with certainty where these events took place. We visited the church built above the site, which is where Midnight Mass is televised around the world each Christmas Eve. It was decorated with flowers everywhere for a wedding a little later in the day. Inside a group of Koreans were saying the rosary (I'm assuming because of the cadence). It's amazing to see so many Christian Asians and Indians here. Then we said goodbye to George and returned to our nice hotel in Jerusalem. Anne and I both saw those 3 limos again with the heavy police escorts. I hadn't noticed in the morning, but at least out of the last police car, there were some kind of rifles sticking out of all the windows. There are incidents often; they all don't make the American news reports.

Monday 10/10: Hello again to Anneke. Her toe healed a bit, and she took us past the Knisset, the parliament building. We went on to Yad Vashem, the heart-breaking Holocaust Museum. We also walked through the Children's Memorial, which is hauntingly stunning. We said our final goodbye to Anneke.

Tuesday 10/11: Today is the start of Yom Kippur, the most reverent time in the Jewish year. Another beautiful morning. We took an early drive to the Allenby Bridge for our tour in Jordan. It's not unusual to see Beduoin with his herds, and we see a number of them this morning. There was a long wait to cross the bridge, and it was important to get across it because they were closing it ‪at 9 a.m. because of the holiday. Farewell to our driver Achmed. We enjoyed his smile and his easy-going way. We made our convoluted way through immigration and customs and met our driver Ziad and guide Hassan. Here we are in Jordan with another alphabet, unable to read the language. But the Arabic is more familiar to us than the Hebrew was, thanks to Dearborn and our Middle Eastern restaurants. Hassan thanks us several times for coming to Jordan. Tourism is very important to this country, and tourism is down even though it's a stable kingdom. The early afternoon is hot. We traveled to a site where St. John baptized Jesus. Yes, we saw the baptismal sites in Israel, who is to say which it was. Pope John Paul I I visited this site, so... And Hassan says THIS is THE place. Throughout Israel we saw Christian and Orthodox churches, and we are still seeing them in Jordan, predominately Greek Orthodox. I meant to mention that even young construction workers welcome us to Jordan. Come Visit! But be sure to visit while you're young and in good shape. We drive on to Jerash , an ancient Roman city. Google it, hopefully there are some great pics. What a place! Built between the mid 1st thru 2nd centuries, it is so impressive. Hadrian's arch, a hippodrome, temples, a huge open square, tall columns, just awesome. Around 300 C.E., the area was damaged by an earthquake. Our hotel was located in Amman (a.k.a. Philadelphia). Nice hotel, very nice salmon dinner. No, salmon is not a local fish -- but it was on the menu. We had a very small balcony off our room. The call to prayer is heard throughout the day.

Wednesday 10/12: The CRNA'S visited a large hospital in Amman, and we went along for the ride. Then we went to Madaba to see the ancient mosaic floor in the Greek Orthodox church. The art of mosaic is still practiced and taught here. Off we went to Mount Nebo where Moses died. But Hassan believes Moses was on an adjacent mountain range due to its strategic location. We see many Beduoin herds men. Our night is spent at the Petra Guest House. We've seen this often in our travels: there is always an arrow pointing toward Mecca in our hotel room. Sometimes it's on the ceiling, on a tabletop, or in a drawer. Our hotel has a lively village around it.

Thursday 10/13: We have learned this is the year 1438 in the Arabic calendar. Hassan is very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. He knows so much about life in the USA. His brother lives in North Carolina. But he would like to return again to Paris, a city he loves. He does speak it fluently. Today we walked through Petra. What an incredible experience. Remember ‪Raiders of the Lost Ark? But Petra is so much more, it's awesome. The Nabateyans carved this sandstone for 13 centuries. Water, wind erosion and earthquakes have left their mark, but seeing it still leaves you with your mouth hanging open or with a huge smile on your face. You walk for hours into the canyon, going downhill (just remember that whatever goes down has to be walked back uphill). Your eyes go wild trying get to see all the carved spots. Most are just huge, some more decorated than others; some vibrant natural colors and patterns show. But you have to always watch your step due to uneven surfaces and donkey/horse/camel poop. There are lots of trinket sellers and offers for donkey-, horse- and camel rides. We walked for 3 hours with Hassan telling us about many of the buildings, passing the Treasury, the Theatre, the Great Temple and along the Colonnade Street. We had a lunch break, and then Anne and 3 other younger people decided to walk another 600-800 steps up to the Monastery. The rest of started to trek back through The Siq to the hotel except now we were doing it in hot sun. There were plenty of rides for sale, but most of us toughed it out. Several hours later our hero returned to the room, now with charlie horses in her thigh and blisters on her toes. One of the gals tracked the total steps/elevation, but I didn't write it down. My walk was tough enough; Anne's strong, we all know. It's now ‪9 p.m. We've had dinner, and I'm sitting on a patio outside enjoying the cool breeze and the sounds from a village festival, watching some fireworks. Anne is probably sound asleep in the room.

Tomorrow we go to Little Petra and then head back to Amman. Sadly the tour is ending, we will all head to the airport ‪Friday around midnight for our early ‪Saturday morning flights home. Anne will visit her cousins in Poland, and I had better be heading to a snowless Osturna to spend more time with Thom and Perun. The tour of Israel and Jordan has been an experience we won't forget. (Pictures from Jordan in next blog post)

View of the walled city of Jerusalem

Area where the Last Supper was held

Church where Christmas evening mass is televised (prepped for a wedding)

Area where Baby Jesus was born

Wall separating Palestine from Jerusalem, we cross it to reach Bethlehem

Leaving Bethlehem on the Palestine border to return to a Jerusalem

Entrance to ruins of Jarash, Jordan

Saturday 8 October 2016

Shalom from Jerusalem!

Hi all. Hope you are all well.

Thursday 10/6: We met our new guide Ettie. We began a couple busy days with her. Achmed drove us to the Mount of Beatitudes where we were reminded of the 7 works of mercy: feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; shelter the homeless; care for the sick; visit the imprisoned; bury the dead. We visited the area where Jesus fed the mass of 5,000 with fish and bread; there's a church built over the rock where this was to have taken place. We traveled on to Capernaum and saw ruins of a synagogue and homes in the central area of Jesus' ministry. Enroute to Jerusalem, we drove along the eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee which is along the foot of the Golan Heights, where we saw hills and mountains. Then we were on a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. Ettie told us it is actually a lake, 8 miles wide, 600' below sea level. Imagine our surprise when our national anthem began to play as we left port. We hadn't noticed that the USA flag had been hoisted next to the Israeli flag. A couple of the sailors showed us how the fishing nets were used; the nets were similar but built from nylon and plastic. No fish was harmed in the demonstration, which just means no fish were caught. This is part of the Great Rift which extends from Syria to Ethiopia. The trees we see are date palms, olives, pomegranates, oranges and banana trees grown under large shaded structures. It's really pretty amazing considering the lack of rain. They use conservative irrigation everywhere in this country. We entered into Samaria which is in the West Bank of Palestine, with plenty of police presence. It is 2/3 Arab population. Driving past the Dead Sea, we drove on to Jerusalem.

Friday 10/7: Another packed day. The most memorable visit was to the Western Wall from 20 BC. Very emotional for Jews and Christians alike. Men and women are split on different sides. There was excitement when we heard music and singing coming toward us. A 13-year old boy was celebrating his Bar Mitzvah. The clarinet and drums were joyous. Everyone was dancing. The young man at the center of attention looked a bit overwhelmed. There were so many sites: Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque, the supposed birthplace of May, the spot where Jesus healed the lame man, the pool of Bethesda, stations of the cross, the tomb. So much to see here. Sunset is the start of Shabbat, the roads are getting quiet, families are walking, not driving. Most everything is closed. In our restaurant Jewish families (and some Christians)) stand for prayers before their Sabbath meal. Even one elevator in our hotel is automatically stopping at each floor so no one will have to push a button during Shabat.

Saturday 10/8: On to Masada. We take a cable car up to the top. If we had been here much earlier in the day, Anne could have walked up it. If you don't know the story, Google it. It was another warm day up there. Occasionally we saw Beduoin and their herds. We went to Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were found between 1947-1956. On to a swim at the Dead Sea. So, no one told us that walking into the sea could be hazardous. The water is the color of mud so you can't see that there are holes that you are about to fall into. I got a picture of Anne as she was hitting the water while unknowingly walking into a hole. I followed some people who knew where a solid path existed; I took my tumble on the way out. It's true! You just float. Even if you just want to crouch down into the water, your legs get forced up, pushing you onto your back. The mud really has to be rubbed off. What an experience. Jerusalem is 2400' feet above sea level, the Dead Sea is 1300' below sea level. Shabbat ended at sunset but everything remains quiet. The RNA are touring a hospital Sunday morning, so we have a bit of a late start tomorrow.

Sunday 10/9: I'm sitting on a lovely covered open deck at our hotel. Big commotion while the traffic was stopped, the intersection blocked. Three black Mercedes with heavy police escorts just came through. Not sure who it was, but I was waving. Take care, everyone. A & M

People waiting to be baptized in the River Jordan

Maddy and Anne's baptism in the River Jordan

Sea of Galilee where Jesus fed the masses with fish and bread

Ruins in Capernaum

Our cruise on the Sea of Galilee began with the playing of our National Anthem

Sailing on the Sea of Galilee

Men at the Western (Wailing) Wall

Route Jesus carried the cross

Seventh station of the cross

View of Masada where the Jews were stormed by the Romans. They killed themselves rather than submit to slavery. Very interesting story! Read the Dove Keepers

View of the Dead Sea from Masada

Ruins of King Herod's Bath house on Masada

Caves in Qumran National Park near Masada where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

Anne falling in a sink hole in the Dead Sea

Floating in the Dead Sea

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Shalom from the Sea of Galilee

Monday 10/3: The New Year observation continues for 48 hours; most stores and restaurants are closed. Buses aren't running. It's a time of reflection of your life during the past year. It's not a big party time like we think of. We met our tour guide Anneke and our driver Achmed. She is Dutch Jewish; he is Jerusalem Arab. They speak Hebrew together, but Anneke also speaks Arabic. We again visited the ancient port of Jaffa and saw the same sites as the previous day. Following a pleasant boat ride in the Med, we had lunch at The Old Man & The Sea restaurant. The table was piled with salads and appetizers before our meals arrived. We highly recommend this establishment. We drove to the site of Itzhak Rabin's murder and his memorial. Anneke spoke of relationships in Israel and stressed they all want peace. We saw some Egyptian ruins. Surprisingly if you buy a piece of property to build a home and find ruins during the excavation, you must pay for all the excavation of the ruins before you can continue building. We are traveling with 5 nurse anesthesiologists and 2 others. The nurses will visit two hospitals as part of their continuing education.

Tuesday 10/4: We drove along a coastal road to ancient Caesarea and saw a huge complex of Roman ruins from King Herod's time. It is a beautiful site on the Med. On to the port city of Haifa where we also viewed the Bahai temple and gardens on Mount Carmel . In Akko ( Acre) in western Galilee we toured huge buildings of the Hospitalarians (?) and the Templars. We lunched at a home in a Druze village. A young woman told us about life as a Druze, and other women served a great lunch piled high with various dishes on a huge tray. We tasted a date drink and tea made with sage. We all enjoyed a great meal. We drove to our hotel in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. Enroute we all enjoyed Elvis Presley's rendition of 'Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water' provided by Anneke. Anne and I walked down to the seacoast, sat on a bench in front of a McDonald's, listened to Detroit techno music blaring from a boat tied up at dock and made a few phone calls home.

Wednesday 10/5: Another hot day, again in the 90's. We drove to Cana where Mary told Jesus there was no more wine at the wedding. Wine is still being made the usual way here. We all had a taste, and it was available for purchase. On we went to Nazareth where we saw the Catholic Church of the Annunciation and location where Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel, Joseph's home and work site and the Orthodox church of the Annunciation and location where Angel Gabriel visited Mary. Our excellent driver Achmed maneuvered the bus up Mount Tabor with many hairpin turns to the Transfiguration church. We saw the mountains of the Golan Heights and the first kibbutz enroute to the River Jordan. Three of us donned white robes and got all into the water. Rest of us were satisfied walking in up to our knees. Lots of pilgrims of all nationalities were at the water. We said goodbye to Anneke for a couple days. She was going home to let her wounded toe heal. For the next couple days, Ettie will show us the sites.

Just heard there is snow in Slovakia. Here after 9 p.m. it is 83 degrees. Take care, everyone. A &

Leaving the port of Jaffa for a short cruise on the Mediterranean Sea