Maale Hachamisha Jerusalem

... to find a peaceful spot that wasn&#8217;t completely exposed to the sun, filled with noisy crowds and kitch, and where the boys wouldn&#8217;t be constantly asking for pop and candy. <br><br>(note from Aimee: We've heard from friends who live here that when they have gone to Mini Israel on less crowded days - ie not when the entire country is on holiday - it is much more pleasant.)<br><br>Which we found a minute down the road at the hilltop Latrun monastery. We laid out ...

... naartoe, en daarna naar de supermakt. Oren woont in een hele mooie wijk, maar zn huis is een dump, mede omdat hij as vrijdag zelf naar het Noorden verhuist. Ow, en omdat zn douche/wc 1 m2 groot is en op een soort van vlierinkje boven de keuken hangt. Het klikte wel heel erg goed, we hebben gezellig samen gekookt en de hele tijd in een deuk gelegen. CF rules!<br><br>Ik lees net het vorige stukje terug, en Jerusalem klinkt nog als een erg normale plek. Nou ...

... of the solar powered energy. After he finished his story, two bottles of wine &#8211; from their own grapes &#8211; was brought out to celebrate the big event. It was wonderful to be part of such a special development and we had a perfect evening to christen the new light. For the first time we were able to sit up in the light past 10oclock. The guitar came out and the solar was toasted with songs, wine and laughter.<br><br>The bus would come to pick the children up at 2, before lunch, so ...

... meeting took place, (I think) the very first parliament meeting. Just outside the hotel I saw where we will pick up our car at El Dan and found an ATM machine that I could actually use. The other ATM&#8217;s I had found I&#8217;m sure had an English option but you had to know Hebrew to know which button to press for English. I walked back to the Gloria for breakfast and quiet time. As I walked up the hill to Jaffa gate I passed two ...

... ist ueberall praesent. England-Sarah, die am Anfang mit mir im Fauzi gearbeitet hat, hat Jerusalem einmal als "a city full of fascists" (eine Stadt voller Faschisten) beziechnet, und sie hat wahrscheinlich recht. Seien es die Juden, die Jerusalem als die legitime Hauptstadt Israels ansehen und fleissig damit beschaeftigt sind, Haeuser von Muslimen im Ostteil zu planieren und israelische Siedlungen draufzubauen und sogar eine Kampagne mit dem Ziel verfolgen, Felsendom und Al ...

... a clue what I was doing, and yet I leave now with the sense that I actually lived here as a resident and not as a tourist<br>-ridiculous travels and experiences in (throughout the whole country) and out of Israel (Petra), while trying all sorts of new things (salsa class)<br>-the Gaza crisis, governmental elections, a Papal visit<br>-two-month basic army training course<br>-lifelong friends and memories<br><br>I think I could have ...

... guess). At last, we rounded a bend to catch sight of the ornate Greek monastery set dramatically on the hillside looking down on the wadi below. Then it was back up. We really should have taken the donkeys on the way back! What were we thinking? OK, now we're really not going to hike any more today...   We headed out, stopping almost immediately to pick up Aaron, a hitchhiking American who asked us for a ride back to the highway at the gate/dead-end but ...

... on the bus adjacent to a wonderful couple who have a nine-year-old and an older child living in France for a few months. Right off the bat we had a lot in common. I've enjoyed getting to know some of the other folks in the group as well. Overall, it's been pleasant. I have to confess, I haven't been working too hard at the relationships. It's just not what I've been here for. So I think I've gotten ...

... out after, perhaps to a negila bar, but it was pouring and most of us went back home.<br><br>Tomorrow's my last full day overseas. I'll be visiting Yad Vashem for a few hours, then staying with my Belgian-born relative Annick in Tel Aviv, before heading back home on Monday. A part of me wants to go home, as I'm missing friends and family (and trivia nights), and a part of me regrets that such a great trip is so close to finishing.

... then continued up the very steep hill. Memories of the hard trail into Namche Bazaar in Nepal! At the top we found the Dome of Ascension, this is where Jesus was to have ascended into heaven. It is a very small room with the small rock inside a border. The building was built in the 1100s and the dome put on years later. We then began our walk along the hill, overlooking the many cemeteries on this hill and on the hill ...