Days 10 and 11: Nazareth

Upon leaving Jerusalem, we headed towards Nazareth. After a few stops, including a tel at Megiddo and a 1st century Nazarene village, we checked into our hotel. And by hotel, I mean convent. For the next two nights, we had the opportunity to stay in the Sisters of Nazareth Convent.



They are a French group of sisters started in the 19th century sometime. They did not plan on coming to Nazareth when they chose the name, but eventually they did for some reason they told us but I can't remember. They built a convent and school, and they a few decades later realized they had built over an ancient house and the ruins were excavated. The first night we were there one of the sisters gave us a tour underneath the building. It was cool, and Amir loved the ancient stairs. Besides the ancient ruins though, the actual rooms of the convent were SPOTLESS. It was the cleanest bathroom I have ever set foot in. I actually felt ok letting Amir play in the toilet. It was THAT clean. The rooms were really simple, but beautiful. It was probably my favorite place we've stayed. The meals were simple and European, not the extravagent buffets of the more tourist-y places we've been. Bread, soup, veggies, meat, and fruit. Prepared simply, but carefully.

After we checked in to the convent for our stay, Tim and Amir crashed for a while and I went out to see the churches around the area. Right next to the convent was the Church of the Annunciation. Sadly we did not take any pictures of the Church, but it was the grandest we've seen (I took Tim and Amir there later after they woke up... it was that cool, it deserved another visit). The Church itself had mosaics depicting the annunciation/the virgin Mary from different countries. I liked the Japanese virgin the best.

Here's us as the holy family, pretty close resemblance, no?




The second morning in Nazareth was spent at ancient mosaics. Amir mostly examined the rocks and dirt. Maybe he has a future as a soil scientist? We can only hope.







The mosaic above is of an Amazon woman. Did you know Amazon literally means "without breasts"? Apparently it's because the warrior women of whenever used to cut off their right breasts so they could use a bow and arrow more effectively? Hm.

After the mosaics, we headed to a natural spring swimming hole type deal. There were some impressive waterfalls. There was one inside of a little cave, it was a coveted spot so there was a small line to get in but no one was behind us as we ventured in. Behind the waterfall there was a small space just big enough for two. Tim and I both made it through the waterfall, which was so powerful it felt like you would die when you stuck your head under. No joke, I've never felt so close to drowning in my life, it was bizarre! Tim is nervous about water and drowning, so I'm surprised he made it through so effortlessly. Tim exited the waterfall first, then I followed him but I kept losing my footing in the intense rushing water so I kept backing into the space behind. Finally I just pushed through and grabbed what I thought was his arm and dragged myself out. My swimsuit had completely fallen down and my breasts were exposed - I kind of knew this but wanted to get out alive and then worry about adjusting. Since I thought it was just my husband I was grasping and no one else was in the little cave, I figured I was fine. But actually, Tim had already exited since there was another man waiting and I actually was grasping his arm and flashing him my milkjugs. Lovely, eh? Good thing I'm used to nursing in public, and he was probably European, so it didn't matter too much. We laughed awkwardly and I ran after Tim. Amir had a great time in the swimming hole, and then a great time in the grass. Some Israelis picnicking behind us gave us some of their food and Coke. It was a nice gesture, but mostly they liked our baby and probably felt bad we were feeding him old PB sandwiches and yogurt that had been sitting in a hot bus overnight (who knew hot yogurt tasted so yummy?)

Days 7, 8, 9: Church, Bethlehem, West Jerusalem

The past few days have been uneventful at best, boring at worst. We had Church at the Jerusalem Center on Saturday; I was anticipating a sappy, EFY-esque testimony meeting since it was the JC students' last Sabbath, but it actually was not that at all (of course I missed a majority of it chasing the babe around). Tim and I attended the Spanish Sabbath School class, even though he is morally opposed to speaking another language even if you know it because it makes you look pretentious (I disagree, to some extent... but if I was fluent in another language I would be speaking it all the time... I'd be one of THOSE returned missionaries).

After Church, we had a few hours before lunch since it was Fast Saturday. We hung out a lot, Amir slept, and actually I can't really remember what else happened. It's all running together now.

Sunday we went to Bethlehem. We crossed into the West Bank without even being checked, though we did have to drive a roundabout way since they would not let us in at the Bethlehem checkpoint. I don't see the point of spending $100-million on a wall that tears apart the community but fail to check a huge bus at checkpoints. First on teh agenda in Bethlehem was a lecture by a human rights activist and a Palestinian member of the Church (who is the Relief Society president in the Jerusalem Branch). It was interesting, especially to hear about Sahar's adventures in trying to attend Church. Now she is employed with the UN, so she can get across, but before she would often sneak across the border and was sometimes shot at and was caught one time and almost arrested. Even though it should be only a 10-minute drive, it can be impossible to travel. There are a few LDS families in the Palestine, but they can't attend Church due to political reasons. It's really unfortunate.

We went to the Church near where Jesus was supposedly born. I was expecting a quaint little manger, but was greeted by another gaudy, dark Orthodox Church. Bleh.

After our little tourist site, we went to Sahar's sister's house, where a fire had broken out a few days before and destroyed everything (and this was apparently a month or so after her husband died). She had a toddler who evidently had stuck something in the gas canister, which later exploded. They aren't sure if that is exactly what happened, just speculation. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the place was a mess. The BYU students spent a few hours cleaning up the mess, and made a huge difference. Amir and I stayed on the bus and napped... I did not want him exposed to the chemicals they were using to clean. We wouldn't have been much help anyways. But Tim came back very dirty, so he must have worked hard for both of us.

The next day (today) was a free day. We went to the Rockefeller Museum which was cool and worth a free visit. We also walked to West Jerusalem to two fancy hotels, the American Colony Hotel and the Olive Tree Hotel. The former was really an American Colony, a commune of sorts built by religious wealthy families in 1900s, maybe? The latter was built around an olive tree where David was said to have played the harp in its shade. Both were fancy shmancy and neat to walk around in. We also explored some ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in West Jerusalem. I wish we could have stayed longer, met people. I'm so fascinated by ultra-orthodox Jews.

Tomorrow we leave Jerusalem early in the morning and head north...

Jerusalem

If Egypt was what I was expecting, Jerusalem is the exact opposite. Unlike Egypt, where I tried to go in with an open mind, I went into Israel with pretty strong preconceived notions of what it would be like, but there were two sets of notions: one was a peaceful city of religious pilgrimage based on my religious upbringing and the other was a city torn up by racial and religious strife based on my political upbringing. The second belief turned out to be mostly true, mostly because it was vague. I have been continuously intellectually stimulated in my time here in Jerusalem and fascinated by the multiple social, religious and political currents running through the area and how the effect the daily lives of residents of the area.

When it comes to my spiritual expectations for the Holy Land, however, I have to admit that I have been mostly disappointed. That mainly has to do with my political expectations being fulfilled. My overall impression of Jerusalem has been that of a rotted tree of religious piety. Instead of peace I have found endless bickering over land and bricks, bickering escalating to murder and marauding in several cases. All the major religions here in Jerusalem, Christians, Jews and Muslims claim to be religions of peace, but none of them are able to do anything realistic to bring peace to this area that they revere as sacred. Instead they fight over the drippings of spirituality that trickle from this overused fountain.

Three places I have been impressed by:
The temple mount, including the wailing wall. I felt that some sincere devotion and reverent admiration prevailed in this area.
The garden tomb. Even though I understand that this probably wasn't where Christ was buried, it is still a beautiful, tranquil place where I witnessed true worship, as opposed to the gaudy, gloomy and often petty Tomb of the Holy Sepulchral.
The Jerusalem Center. Most of all. This center is a beautiful place and lived up to all my expectations. Everyone here is kind and sincere. It also has a beautiful view looking down upon the city, where in contemplation of its lost potential I have felt most akin to Christ than in any other moment.

11 Months

At 11 months, Amir (he-hem, Atticus) likes:

- The Wailing Wall
- Hanging out in the mei tai on mom's back
- Breastfeeding in the shower
- Climbing any and all stairs he can find
- Dirt, rocks, sand
- Jerusalem Center food
- Toothbrushes
- Fountains
- Roaming in the grass at the Jerusalem Center
- Falling asleep on the bus
- Crawling on glass floors
- Attention!
- Our tour guide, Maher

and he dislikes:

- The BUS - I can see him in 40 years sitting in a therapist's office recalling early childhood memories of a bus and how they have scarred him for life
- Being taken away from previously mentioned dirt/rocks/sand
- Diaper changes
- The dividing wall between Israel and the West Bank
- Certain ultra-right settlers that took us on a tour

Day 6: Mount of Olives

Today was long. There was Gethsemane, the Garden Tomb, and a dungeon. There was walking around the Old City and haggling for pants. There was much walking down and uphill. There was much, much too much exhaustion.

There was even a Palestinian-person-traffic-jam we were involved in just at the moment the two of us thought we would collapse from the exhaustion. We should have realized that millions of people would want to leave the city at the exact same time at the exact gate that leads to our apartment. Friday prayers.... psht.

There was a jaunt at the dividing wall. The $100-million wall that cuts off families, farmland, and prevents sons from visiting their elderly mothers.





There was a protest by Israeli Jews, fighting against the demolition of Arab homes to build more Jewish settlements.

There was also the Wailing Wall. Wow. The Wailing Wall at sundown on the Shabbat. I've never had more fun people watching or joining in on religious rituals. I stuck my own little prayer into the wall. I'm not sure the protocol on Wailing Wall prayers... is it like a birthday wish that won't come true if you tell? I'm not telling for now. Maybe one day.

All in all, I would consider it a full day.

Can't wait for my own Shabbat tomorrow. I think I will never appreciate the concept of "day of rest" more.



Church of Pater Noster - they had the Lord's Prayer in hundreds of languages all over the walls.


Gethsemane, huge olive tree.


Jaffa Gate, complete with bullet-holes from the 1967 war.

Day 5: Western Wall, Jericho, Hezekiah's Tunnel

A few stories:

We went to Jericho, to the "tell", which is simply a pile of rubble and dirt but also is the site of the oldest tower in the history of the world. Also, the rubble there is 10,000 years old according to carbon-14 dating (which, Tim reminded me, is of the devil since it refutes creationism). Anywho, it was really hot up on the tell so a group of Palestinians (including our guide) offered to hold the baby while we went up. I relented, but then when I was halfway up I got worried and went back because Amir kind of usually freaks out when we aren't around. When I got to the bottom I could not find them anywhere, and I would have gotten worried but our guide is awesome and I totally trust him. I finally found them sitting in a little cafe, Amir in a high chair, eating contently with the guide. I was amazed at how calm and at ease he was, and it was really funny to see him there all natural-like eating some hummus and pita. So, now we know who gets Amir if we die: our Palestinian friend who has now become on of his favorite people.




Second story: Hezekiah's Tunnel is a narrow, water-filled tunnel that extends from the City of David. It was carved by human hands in order to keep water diverted to the city in a way in which it could not be cut off by enemy groups. It's mentioned in the Bible in several places:

"And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" 2 Kings 20:20
"And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?" 2 Chronicles 32:2-4
"This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works." 2 Chronicles 32:30

It was excavated in the 19th century and you can walk through the whole thing. It was tight, cramped, the water was freezing, but it was SO NEAT. Amir slept in the mei tai through the whole experience until the end, which was nice because then he wouldn't freak out in the dark (it's completely pitch-black) but also sad because he loves touching walls and he would have been in heaven with the cramped space we were walking through and all the textured walls. We emerged triumphant at the end, because the Israeli tourism guard person recommended we not take a baby down there. He obviously has never met OUR baby.

Third story: Out of order, but still. Prior to Hezekiah's Tunnel, we were in a visitor's center looking at different models. There was a cut out in the floor that was completely glass, and our friend David set Amir on the glass and he crawled around and LOVED it. And if he loved it, the tourists and BYU people loved it even more, they were snapping pictures like he was going out of style. It really was hilarious to stand underneath and see him going crazy crawling around and putting his face to the glass and laughing at all the attention. We didn't have our camera, so we'll have to get a picture from a friend and post it. Maybe could have been one of my favorite moments of his.

Some random photos:

Hisham's Palace: there is apparently a really rad mosaic floor, the oldest and largest mosaic floor in history. They show it to you in this video at the visitor's center before you go in, and then you are all excited to see it until you find it's actually covered with 6 inches of dirt to preserve it, and you don't see anything. PRETTY LAME, if you ask me.


Elimination communication, Umayyad-style.






We ended the day with a lovely little jaunt in the JC fountain. He screamed when we took him away.

Day 4: Tour of Old City

The days are all starting to run together and I'm going to be leaving things out but there is little time to blog! We are so dead tired when we get back to our hotel room in the evening after full days of walking and seeing and wrestling (a baby in a bus). I really want to document it all though, and since I'm a terrible journal writer this is my only way.

Our first full day in Jerusalem involved touring the classic Jerusalem-y sites including the religious sites like Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was a long day and I don't remember terribly much about it, nothing really stands out too much. The Dome of the Rock is stunning, but you cannot enter unless you are Muslim (which we are not, though we have contemplated converting).

We went St. Anne's Church and sang hymns. That was pretty neat and the acoustics were great. We walked from there down the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus carried his cross to Golgotha. We visited a few churches on the way, each signifying a certain aspect of the passion of Christ. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (where Golgotha and the tomb most likely were) was dark, dank, and very un-spiritual. The guidebook said of it: "those come to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre empty and wish to be filled... they leave desolate." It just was not a very nice place, and it is full of contention. Different orthodox churches (Catholic, Russian, Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian) claim different areas, and it is taboo to encroach. And maybe taboo is a soft word, because they get downright violent. Something funny is that there is a ladder leading to the roof but no one will claim that territory so it has been there for like a 100 years or something. Also there is a stair that belongs to one church but the patio belongs to another so the patio gets swept but the stair doesn't. Since the churches couldn't agree on who gets to lock up the Church at night, a Muslim family has done it for like 10 generations.

Day 3: Israel

We left Dahab at the wee hours of the morn and headed across the Sinai towards the Israeli border town of Eliat (which, incidentally, had rockets launched at it the day before). We then began the arduous process of border crossing. First, we had to haul all of our luggage through the neutral zone, through the Egyptian security side and on to the Israeli side. We realized we have entirely too much stuff and we will be donating much of it before we leave Jerusalem. At the Israeli security side, some of our co-travelers were questioned, their bags searched, and their passports temporarily confiscated, but we were fortunate and made it through with no incident. We had one guy traveling with us who is Filipino, born and raised in Saudi Arabia, and looks slightly like an Arab. He had some trouble, but much less than we expected so the whole experience only took 2 hours as opposed to the 6 or so we could have expected.

The Israeli border patrol guards were mainly young women in skinny black jeans. They were all absolutely beautiful. A very different site from the middle-aged male Egyptian guards.

After we crossed the border, we loaded up on our Israeli bus, and let me tell you, all of us were stunned. It is spacious, clean, and all of our luggage actually fit underneath! Imagine!

We then went and saw one site, Masada, on the way to Jerusalem. We drove past the Dead Sea and through the lovely Israeli eastern wilderness. The roads were windy, and Israel is much more mountainous than I expected. Masada was pretty spectacular; it's a fortress/palace built by King Herod, but was used by religious Jewish zealots as a retreat when the Romans invaded. When the Romans finally were able to penetrate the fortress by building a MASSIVE man-made ramp out of the dirt and stones surrounding the cliffs, they found everyone dead inside as a result of a mass suicide plan.

Amir enjoyed playing on the model, which was just his size.





Next we went to Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a local Bedouin shepherd boy. It used to be a monastery of sorts for very religious Jews. Amir enjoyed some time off the bus and in the dirt.




We arrived at the Jerusalem Center in time for dinner. I could write an entire blog post about how awesome the food is. Really, I could. There were amazing vegetables, delectable salads, grilled chicken, fish, DESSERT. REAL DESSERT. Mmmmm. I didn't realize how deprived we have been all summer living off of lentils, rice, koshary, and the occasional ho-ho (and we ate fresh fruits and vegetables too but I never was able to cook anything THAT good since I didn't have spices and only one tiny pot). Wow. Luckily I forgot how good real food was this summer or I would have been miserable.

After dinner and a short film, we drove to our hotel close to the Jerusalem Center since babies are forbidden to stay there. The hotel is decent, though our A/C is broken and the beds are pretty uncomfortable. I was pretty upset the first night we were there, but I've since made peace with it and am enjoying the Jerusalem Center while we are there hanging out and eating dinner. It really is an incredible facility. Absolutely stunning view of the Old City from atop the Mt. of Olives. I can't believe the Church actually owns such an incredible spot.

Day 2: Dahab

We left St. Catherine's at six a.m. and headed straight to Dahab, a little resort-type town on the Red Sea. We arrived around 9:30, and quickly changed into our swimsuits for our snorkeling excursion. After traveling down a narrow road in Jeeps (ok, actually, everyone else was in Jeeps, a few of us were in a mini-bus, pretty interesting down the rocky road), we went to this great little cabana area where we were allowed to hang out and were fitted for our masks. It was comfy, but I didn't spend a lot of time there considering:

snorkeling (at one of the best spots in the world - The Blue Hole) has got to be one of the coolest things I've ever done. I love swimming, I love the ocean, I LOVE aquariums. It was like going to an aquarium, and jumping in the huge tank to swim with the fish. I was just going to type again that I loved it, but I think you probably have already gotten the picture. Speaking of pictures, we don't have any, but just trust me that I was in heaven almost 90% of the time after I got the hang of the mask and breathing tube thing. Tim went as well, which was awesome because he has a slight fear of swimming and especially of deep water. I wanted him to experience it though (and also it wasn't nearly as much fun being alone and besides there were 5 teenage boys following me and staring at me underwater), and he did, and I loved it and he probably only liked it a little but it was cool for him to do it with me. But also it was really nice that he didn't love it as much because then he could watch the babe while I snorkeled to my little heart's content. Shout-out to Sophie for watching him while Tim and I went together. Side note: Amir HATES waves. He freaked out and screamed every time we took him down to the water. Who would've thought?

After snorkeling, we hung out at the hotel pool (our hotel was called the "Tropitel Dahab Oasis", because obviously tropical+hotel=tropitel) and talked to some British people. We ate a delicious dinner at the hotel (I even ate some mushrooms because they looked yummy, and they didn't make me sick!) and settled down for the night early since we knew we'd be leaving at 4 am for the border.

More to come on the adventures at the border...

Day 1: Mt. Sinai

What a busy few days. We left Cairo Sunday morning at 5 am, and began the journey across the Sinai. The Sinai trip was long, but not too bad and Amir did great. He slept for most of it, and though we were incredibly cramped in the bus we survived and made it to St. Catherine's, the oldest functioning monastery in the world located at the base of Mt. Sinai.

We had a little time to rest before our ascent up Mt. Sinai, which we began at the hottest part of the day. The hike was much, much more strenuous than I had pictured, so we made it part of the way then fell back and gave up (I was hot and overheated, and so was the baby) with the pregnant couple and the older women. We still were able to experience some beautiful views of the valley where the Israelites supposedly waited for Moses while he ascended Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. At first I was thinking the Sinai would be a miserable place to wander for forty years, but it actually was pleasant. The night cooled down considerably, and it even rained a little after we returned from our hike - we were ecstatic at the sight of precipitation, having not seen a drop ALL summer. The rain made everything smell pleasant and fresh. I forgot how much I love rain.

We stayed in little hovels located near the monastery. They weren't the poshest accommodations (bugs, no A/C, etc.) but they were quaint. After the rain we went outside in the wonderful evening lighting for a family photo shoot.