Bethlehem

 Bethlehem was such a treasure to visit. It is located in a rural setting where church steeples are visible from a distance and it adds to the city's charm and reminds you of the many religious events that happened in and around Bethlehem.
However its such a shame that people do not respect the beauty they have and allow it to be so dirty and littered. It really was quite shocking and took away some of the enjoyment of this special place.

The photo above is of the exterior of the Church of the Nativity. Unfortunately the interior was under restoration so getting complete photos was impossible,  although the lower level where the Grotto was, was lovely.

 The tiny entrance into the Church of the Nativity. ( Looking back out on to the street.)

 The inside was all under heavy scaffolding and protection but this old pillar had been left on show as well as the ancient mosaic flooring below which will eventually be displayed under a thick glass floor. The refurbishment of the church is due to be finished and opened in December before Christmas.

 The alter in the upper part was beautiful. You just couldn't help but be impressed.

 Communion was being held for pilgrims in the Holy Manger of the Grotto of the Nativity next to the spot where Jesus was said to have been born. It only held five or six people and there were crowds waiting to get in.

The circular recess containing a large silver star which designates the spot where, as tradition has it, Jesus was born. The star has fourteen points and is inscribed with a latin inscription which translates to "Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. Next to this was an Altar devoted to the Three Wise men who saw the star in the east and came to worship the baby Jesus.

Well I hope this explains a little of what we saw during our two days in the Holy Land. I will never be an authority on Religious beliefs but I do wish I was able to remember all that we were told by our guide. He was very knowledgable but aways finished off his talks with   " but you must believe what you want. I can only tell you the history as I have learnt it.)

Jerusalem continued

 Orthodox Jewish schoolboys filling their water bottles after school from the portable water truck. It had many different taps with many different labels which I never found out what they were. There is another photo below where the adults joined in too.

 Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives. This the most ancient and most important cemetery in Jerusalem. It started 3,000 years ago and still continues today. It contains about 70,000 tombs from various periods. It was a most spectacular sight especially with the sun shining.

 This Jewish man shook Richards hand and removed his hat. Covered his head with his hand, and touched his eye. Then put his hat back on his head and asked for Money. Was not pleased at all when Richard refused to pay him!!

 The Coenaculum is said to be the building where Jesus is said to have celebrated the Last Supper on Passover night before being captured at Gethsenane and trialed to death by crucifixion.

 Dome of the Rock is a muslim shrine located on the Temple Mount in the old part of Jerusalem city.
Its is a shrine for Pilgrims but was built as a mosque in AD61. It can be seen from all over Jerusalem.

 And then Jesus and his donkey come to town!!!  This man has been arriving at the Mount of Olives Lookout for over forty years to fleece the unsuspecting tourists.

 His donkey got amorous with Richard and then 'Jesus' got a bit the same with me. Hilarious! But of course it all comes at a cost if you take photos. He spoke perfect English and had a great sense of humour  but thats about all he had going for him. He smelt heavily of BO plus his teeth were in a serious state of decay and his white tunic was very dirty.

 Jewish school boys just out of school for the day.

 Dormiton Abbey. A Catholic church which marks the spot where the Virgin Mary fell in to her 'Eternal Sleep'.

The Israeli West Bank barrier wall. Israel considers it a security barrier while the Palestinians call it a racial segregation or aparthied wall.

River Jordan, Dead Sea and Jerusalem

 Arriving at the River Jordan Baptismal site was quite surreal but exciting. The site is south of the rivers outlet from the Sea of Galilee near a kibbutz which manages the site. Its a very pretty and tranquil area.

 The Jordan is a very narrow river which only widens to 100 metres in places. We are not sure whether what we witnessed below was a genuine baptism or whether this group wanted to be dunked in the holy water however they were dressed in the official baptism attire

 And of course you always get one to burst your bubble!!!! Baptism by selfie!!!
He put his head under the water while holding his Mobile photo in one hand above the water and clicked.  I just don't get it????

 The dead sea with Jordan in the background.  The water is very concentrated saline and said to be a cure for a number of health conditions. It is 10 times more salty than the ocean.Nothing lives in the water. It is landlocked and in the lowest valley on earth

 We didn't find it very appealing looking at it from the top of the cliff so didn't bother to go in. It was a long walk back up to the top from the beach in scorching hot conditions. Big turn off.

 The city of Jerusalem above and below.

 The Wailing Wall is an ancient limestone wall in the old city of Jerusalem and is one of the holiest of Jewish sites. It is a small segment of a far longer city wall. The Jewish people gather at the Wailing wall to remember the Temple where sacrifices had been made.
Orthodox Jews can be seen standing at the wall chanting and swaying and reciting the Book of Psalms.
There was one side set aside for women only and one side for men. Visitors from all religions are welcome to approach the wall to pray silently beside it. I did not have my shoulders completely covered as I had left my wrap in the car so a very kind jewish lady kindly lent me a shawl.

 Back at the dead sea. Not quite sure why these odd photos want to pop up out of sequence!!

Nazareth Israel

 We had three extremely busy days touring the many biblical sites of the Holy Land. Its a unique and beautiful place with so much history but its impossible to take it all in in such a short time. Most areas were extremely difficult to photograph because there were so many tourists all in close proximity and many spaces inside churches etc were tiny.
Although neither of us are particularly religious it was a special thrill to walk in the footsteps of these Bible characters and we felt really privileged that we had the opportunity to do so.

We arrived in Haifa (above ) at 8am in the morning and by 9.15  we were on our way with another couple ( Australian ) from the ship in a private car with a driver/guide.  Nazareth was our first stop. It lies in a lovely setting in the middle of the Galilee Ranges. Nazareth was where Joseph and Mary were engaged and where Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that she would bear a son and whom she would name Jesus. Nazareth was where Jesus learnt his trade as a carpenter.

 The Basilica of the church of the Annunciation is said to be built over the place where Gabriel appeared to Mary that she would be the Saviours mother.

 The altar in the Holy Grotto which is on the lower level of the church.

 The artwork in the church all honouring the Virgin Mary have been donated by various christian communities throughout the world.

 The entrance to the church of St Gabriel which is Greek Orthodox.

Below are photos of the interior of the Greek Orthodox church. Of course every painting and everything inside the churches all told a very complex story, many of which I have now forgotten because I don't do information overload very well and I was so in awe of what I was seeing and how spectacularly beautiful everything was that I just didn't take it all in so you Im sure you will understand and hopefully just enjoy the photos.

Symi Greece to Rhodes

 I am so behind on this blog now that its hard to think back to Symi in Greece. Unfortunately the photo of the beautiful harbour has not loaded so maybe I can include it next time. These top two photos are taken at the Panormitis Monastery on the south western tip of the island. Again there are other photos which did not upload but the Monastery itself is a beautiful Venetian style building and the flooring in the out door courtyard was an amazing black and white mosaic from small stones in a wave pattern which made it look 3D.

 A cave in the folklore museum showing vessels which were used for holding olives and olive oil.

 Entrance to the 14 century Grand Masters Palace which is enclosed by a wall around the medieval town on the island of Rhodes.

 Steps up to the upper level of the castle.

 Inside the town the old mixes with the new.

 Outdoor seafood family restaurant where we enjoyed a beautiful meal with friends.

 The same restaurant just after sunset.

 As we walked home the moon appeared just under the street decoration lighting.

Another restaurant building looking splendid at dusk.