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It was especially interesting, as Christians, to see this Biblical land. Yet it has to be said, you are sometimes better off with your imagination. When you have held onto imaginings for so many years, it can be a bit of a shock to find that reality is rather different. Yet there were pluses and minuses in this respect. I had imagined far more desert and scrubland and was pleasantly surprised by how green it was in some areas. Bethlehem
The gift shops in Bethlehem majors in wooden goods: an entirely appropriate commodity for Jesus, the carpenter. Here you can get just about anything you can think of from the bible realized in wood: from camels to cribs. We departed in rain hoping that, at Jerusalem, it would at least be fine. Surely it wouldn't rain there? Jerusalem
We were extensively warned about pick-pockets in Jerusalem and, I believe, it made us just a bit too wary. But here was a memorable place, even without getting our pockets picked! (A tip here. Put enough money to tide you over in your pocket so that when you pay for something you just have to bring out a few notes, not a bank-roll. Needless to say, the latter is like a magnet for pick-pockets.)
We tramped through the street bazaar, a place with awesome character when you take into account that little has changed here since the time that Jesus trod these streets. We visited Golgotha, following the approximate route taken by Jesus as he carried his terrible cross. Now that hill is virtually impossible to visualize with the more modern building and the church over the spot where the three crosses were located. Inside is a booth which is right over the spot where they crucified Jesus. What an emotional place!
Jerusalem is a place where you definitely need a lot of time to wander and appreciate everything. Especially if you are a Christian, Armenian, Jew or Muslim; each of these religions has their own quarter of Jerusalem. I certainly need to go back! When we arrived in our tour coach, we were dropped at the higher end of the old city so that we could walk through and return to the coach near the Wailing Wall at the lower end of the city. Among the passengers was a little old lady who, although travelling alone, was adamant that she would be all right. If she had staid with the party she would have been all right but, as such folk do - isn't there always an old lady like this one? - she insisted on sitting down for a rest half-way through. You can guess what happened! Knowing that we had to get back to our fabulous cruise liner in time for its sailing, the courier flew off in a panic to try to track her down. Eventually she was found cackling with the police - very much enjoying their manly company - not all all worried about the fact that she had no money, passport or means of getting back to the ship if the courier hadn't found her, and only a little miffed that the party hadn't waited for her. (If we had, we would not have seen Jerusalem at all.) Then we made our return to Haifa, passing the not-as-high-as-I-would-have-liked Mount of Olives, ready to queue again for our photos and dinner. ![]()
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