Thanks to a fellow pilgrim we now have a photo of the St Peter's Fish that many people in the group had on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.You can read more about it in the main blog.
Tuesday 6 November 2007
St Peter's Fish!
Thanks to a fellow pilgrim we now have a photo of the St Peter's Fish that many people in the group had on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.You can read more about it in the main blog.
Sunday 28 October 2007
The final couple of days (4th entry)
Thursday 25 October
Our hotel in Tiberias was in the high part of town but we were lucky enough to have a view of the Sea of Galilee from the bedroom window.
Today started in a very special way - a trip in an authentic replica of a Galilean boat. It was a beautiful morning - though a little hazy. As our voyage progressed, the sun burned away the mist and the surrounding hills gradually emerged. It was a wonderful experience - especially when the taped music and engines stopped and we had a short time listenng the silence of the Lake (through the voice of an enthusiastic preacher in another boat!) We listened to one of the stories of the Lake as it appears in the Gospel - of the miraculous catch soon after Jesus' Resurrection - and watched as one of the owners of the boat cast a net into the waters in just the way that Peter and the other fisher disciples would have done 2000 years ago... we didn't catch anything. The silence didn't last long and many people were soon joining in some of the songs playing through the system - a sort of sing-along-a-Galilee!!
Our next stop was the Church of the Loaves and Fishes. The mosaic set into the floor in front of the altar is very famous and easily found on souvenir plates and tiles in Christian shops. Akthough the picture is based on the story of the five loaves and two fish, there are only four in the basket. This is because the fifth is on the altar in Mass. This mosaic is just one of many in the church, most of which depict wild flowers, birds and animals of the early Christian period.
The main sunset was indeed passed but the colours in the western sky were still stunning as the world slipped into nighttime. To add to the mystical atmosphere - the full moon began to rise in the east over the Lake - and a muezzin began the sunset call to prayer - and Jews across the country prepared for the Sabbath. It was utterly peaceful and exoked a deep sense of stillness as night fell. Before they left for the trek down the hillside, a group of women joined together to sing "The Day thou gavest, Lord, is ended..." It was hard to read the words - but was a real goose-bump moment.
Our hotel in Tiberias was in the high part of town but we were lucky enough to have a view of the Sea of Galilee from the bedroom window. Thursday was going to be a busy day exploring the beautiful Galilean countryside and visiting various sites associated with Jesus' life.
Our first stop was at the River Jordan - close to where it emerges from the s
outh of Lake Galilee. This is a very tranquil spot - with trees and shrubs along the banks. It is also a favourite place for people to come to be baptised as this is where it is said that Jesus himself was baptised by John the Baptist. After listening to the account in the Gospel, everyone was invited to renew their baptismal vows and then to go into the waters - though not to immerse ourselves fully! There was a lot of laughter as little fish nibbled our feet - but also a sense that this was a special moment as we walked in the River that Jesus himself knew and was baptised in. We were a little astonished as we left to find that a camera had been recording our visit - and a few people invested in a very precious souvenir of the pilgrimage.
outh of Lake Galilee. This is a very tranquil spot - with trees and shrubs along the banks. It is also a favourite place for people to come to be baptised as this is where it is said that Jesus himself was baptised by John the Baptist. After listening to the account in the Gospel, everyone was invited to renew their baptismal vows and then to go into the waters - though not to immerse ourselves fully! There was a lot of laughter as little fish nibbled our feet - but also a sense that this was a special moment as we walked in the River that Jesus himself knew and was baptised in. We were a little astonished as we left to find that a camera had been recording our visit - and a few people invested in a very precious souvenir of the pilgrimage.We then travelled to Mount Tabor - where the Tranfiguration took place. It is certainly a magnificent setting - a high mountain rising out of the valley. It now has a monastery at the top which you can see from miles around. The coach can only take you so far and you then take taxis run by the Bedouin villagers up the very windy road to the top - apparently there are 16 hairpin bends on the way! The church is beautiful - with images of angels with four of the transformations of Jesus - his birth - the transfiguration - the Eucharist - the Resurrection. There were two chapels close by one for Elijah and another for Moses... so what Peter suggested about creating three "tents" for Jesus, Elijah and Moses on the mountainside came true in the end! There were many trees which blocked the view in many places but when it was visible, you could see miles of fertile countryside below - such a contrast from the barren desert of the day before.
After lunch, we headed for Nazareth. This is no longer the quiet village depicted on Christmas cards or paintings of the Annunciation but a large and busy city - with mainly Arab inhabitants. We headed up the hill to the Church of the Annunciation which is a modern building set over what is said to be Mary's house. Our Mass was said in the Chapel of St Joseph which is thought to be in the same place as Joseph's carpentry workshop. Around the Church of the Annunciation are images from all around the world - all on the theme of Mary and the Child Jesus. Someone in the group took a photo of each of them so, hopefully, we will be able to give a link to them. Somehow, seeing all the different representations of Mary and Jesus gives a real sense of the worldwide nature of Christianity.
We did not have long to linger in the shop at Nazareth but the brief stay provided a highlight of the day for Catherine and Kathryn! Inside the shop - owned by an Christian Arab - they saw the latest CD from the Taizé Community which they had bought just a few weeks before... K thought she had seen someone wearing the distinctive Taizé dove and sure enough he happened to be close enough to hear and to show it again! It turned out that he and his brother had been to Taizé three weeks before! They knew Br Paolo (the brother who looks after the English speakers) and we had a happy few minutes sharing news about one of our favourite places on the planet! It made us a tad late for the bus but what an amazing coincidence... in a shop in Nazareth, we meet two people who not only knew Taizé but had been not so very long before!
On then to Cana - where Jesus had changed water into wine. The church was down some side streets - and seemed already to have a Christmas star on the front (in fact, we saw early Christmas decorations in the streets of Nazareth too!). Here, Fr John invited married couples in the group to renew their marriage promises which was quite a moving moment for them in a church which remembered Jesus' presence at a wedding. Everyone laughed though when, just as the service ended, a recording of the Wedding March sounded out in celebration!
Back then to the hotel for a welcome "early night" in!
(More photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
Friday 26 October
Today started in a very special way - a trip in an authentic replica of a Galilean boat. It was a beautiful morning - though a little hazy. As our voyage progressed, the sun burned away the mist and the surrounding hills gradually emerged. It was a wonderful experience - especially when the taped music and engines stopped and we had a short time listenng the silence of the Lake (through the voice of an enthusiastic preacher in another boat!) We listened to one of the stories of the Lake as it appears in the Gospel - of the miraculous catch soon after Jesus' Resurrection - and watched as one of the owners of the boat cast a net into the waters in just the way that Peter and the other fisher disciples would have done 2000 years ago... we didn't catch anything. The silence didn't last long and many people were soon joining in some of the songs playing through the system - a sort of sing-along-a-Galilee!!At the place where we docked, there was a special museum housing a 2000 year old boat. This had been found during a drought some years ago when walkers along the beach had felt something hard. Rescuing the boat was a very tricky job as the timbers had been preserved in the water and mud and exposure to the air was going to risk it drying out and turning to dust. The whole boat was covered in polyeurethane foam and taken to the shore where it was injected with preservatives until the wood was stable and the boat could be displayed. Experts in tree-dating have said that the trees used for the boat was probably cut in about 20BC and would have lasted about 60 years - so it is likely that this boat was sailing the lake at around the time Jesus, Peter, Andrew and the others were!
Our next stop was to the church that commemorates St Peter as the leader of the apostles. This is a small church right on the edge of the Lake and our Mass was celebrated outside with the Sea as a backdrop - quite idyllic. We then headed down to the seashore and spent time paddling in the water, collecting rocks and thinking about the special place this water has in the history of Christianity.
We moved on to another key place in the Gospels - Capernaum. Although it is in ruins, there are clear signs of the life of a busy town on the lakeside - quite a prosperous town too as they were able to import marble for the synagogue at the heart of the town. The ruins of the very splendid synagogue (which possibly had two storeys) date from the 4th century but are believed to stand on the previous one - which is likely to have been the one Jesus used to go to. Close by is a modern church which looks suspended over some ruins. Looking closer you can see the ruins of an octagonal church which surround the remains of an old house. There are inscriptions referring to Simon (Peter) and Jesus - and it seems likely that this really is the house of Simon Peter where Jesus came to heal his mother-in-law. We cannot be sure, of course, but the fact that the church was built so early on does suggest that people had passed on the information about the house belonging to Peter down a few generations and so the early Christians had known where to build a church in his honour.
Ran had organised a special lunch - at a restaurant serving "St Peter's Fish" caught (we think) in the Lake. Annoyingly, we forgot to take a photo of the meal - but the fish was huge - and spiny - but most people really enjoyed it... It was certainly part of the Galilee experience even if it wasn't barbecued by Our Lord on the beach!
Outside the restaurant, we found a sandy beach and walked down for yet another paddle in crystal-clear water as warm as a bath! There were seashells here too and we collected a few to bring home. It was hard to drag ourselves away from the sun, sand and sea - but the next stage beckoned.
We moved on the Church of the Beatitudes which is a pretty church set on a hillside above the Sea of Galilee. It has an octagon tower - one wall for each of the Beatitudes. After a time in the church we went into the beautiful gardens overlooking the Sea and listened to the words of the Beatitudes then in silence strolled back to the coach.
Our next stop was the Church of the Loaves and Fishes. The mosaic set into the floor in front of the altar is very famous and easily found on souvenir plates and tiles in Christian shops. Akthough the picture is based on the story of the five loaves and two fish, there are only four in the basket. This is because the fifth is on the altar in Mass. This mosaic is just one of many in the church, most of which depict wild flowers, birds and animals of the early Christian period.We had thought that this was to be the end of our day but Ran, the driver (Shai?) and Fr John had decided to have a go at getting to Mt Arbel in time for the sunset. As the sun was already low, we all realised this would be difficult - but we made it to the bottom of the hill and set off to yomp to the top. As an ending to our pilgrimage it would have been hard to beat.
The main sunset was indeed passed but the colours in the western sky were still stunning as the world slipped into nighttime. To add to the mystical atmosphere - the full moon began to rise in the east over the Lake - and a muezzin began the sunset call to prayer - and Jews across the country prepared for the Sabbath. It was utterly peaceful and exoked a deep sense of stillness as night fell. Before they left for the trek down the hillside, a group of women joined together to sing "The Day thou gavest, Lord, is ended..." It was hard to read the words - but was a real goose-bump moment.Back to the hotel and our last Evening Prayer and meal before heading up to think about packing and getting ready to travel back to the UK. The journey back to Tel Aviv didn't take too long though the queues to get through security made Heathrow look positively speedy! Our plans to catch up on shopping we hadn't got round to doing - and do a bit more of the blog came to nothing as all we wanted (and had time for!) was a cup of coffee and snack ... though others had more stamina and managed some shopping as well! While we were waiting we got a text from one of the group on pilgrimage to Rome saying that they were enjoying some time in Nice! At first we thought it was a joke - but it turned out that their plane had made a diversion due to technical problems and the group had ended up in a hotel in Nice - and posh restaurant for lunch! Having planned to be back on Friday, Fr Michael (the parish priest) did not arrive in time for 5pm Mass (though managed to get to the 6.30) - and other members of the group arrived just ahead of us!
It was late when we arrived back in Southampton - to much cooler and damper weather - but warmed by our happy memories of a very special journey.
(More photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
Qumran - Masada - and the Dead Sea (3rd entry)
Wednesday 24 October
Today was moving on day – from Jerusalem to Tiberias where we were to spend the rest of the time in Israel. After checking out, our journey took us along the famous Jerusalem to Jericho road. We saw Israeli settlements and Bedouin villages – but were amazed that anyone could live in such a bleak and hostile desert landscape.
Our first stop was to be Qumran. It was here that, in 1947, the Dead Sea scrolls were found. These amazingly preserved documents date from around the time of Christ and contain some of the Hebrew scriptures – information about worship in the Temple at the time – and details of how the community of Essenes who kept the records lived. They were a very strict and secretive Jewish sect who observed rigid laws concerning purity. They created a complex water-system which was vital in an area with such low rainfall - about 400ml a year (about the same amount as a small can of drink). They dug out cisterns that collected water from flash floods caused by rainfall much further west which percolated through the rocks and emerged in the hills around Qumran which are below sea level. The water was channelled through aqueducts into baths which were used for ritual baths at least twice a day. The Essenes seem also to have been very learned. It appears that, once they heard about the devastation of the Jewish Temple and the deportation of Jews, they realised that they needed to protect their precious writings and sealed them in jars and hid them in a cave.
Here they lay, forgotten, until 2000 years later, a Bedouin shepherd boy happened to throw a stone and was intrigued by the unusual sound it made... His stone had hit a jar containing writing he and his family did not understand but which were to become among the most valuable antiquities in the world and would help people to understand life at the time of Jesus. The whole area speaks of a community living in isolation in the wilderness but able to make and preserve beautiful things that speak to us across the centuries.
Our next stop was Masada, the hilltop palace and fortress built by Herod the Great. In his time, it was a lavish palace complete with Roman-style bath-house, frescoes and mosaics. It overlooks the Dead Sea and is not only impressive but would have been pretty impregnable – until the Romans came along that is... The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth (420m below sea level). Herod’s fortress is on a mountaintop over 800m above sea level. Today, you can access it as we did by cable car but some people still take the ancient Snake Path which does just what it says – snakes up the mountainside towards the entrance gate. We looked down and saw people walking up – and admired their stamina as it was already very hot and it is a very long way. It gave us a very good idea of what faced any attacker – by the time you got to the top you would be too exhausted to fight. The ruins sh0w the size and luxury of Masada – with Roman-style bathrooms and frescos - and large storerooms. Archaeologists even found a sealed container of wine that came from Italy... after 2000 years it was undrinkable - but showed how wealthy Herod was to import huge containers of wine from so far aftield.
Masada is also the location of a famous Story from ancient times. After the second uprising, the Jews in Jerusalem and the wider area were being killed or deported. Some seem to have passed the Essene Community and told them of what was happening and about 900 Jews made their way to the stronghold at Masada. Although they hated Herod's liking for all things Roman, they found his architecture and the strength of the defences of his palace very useful in what was to become a kind of last stand.
The Story goes that the Jews held out against the seige the Romans laid around the walls of the citadel. No Jew could get in or out - but there were the vast stores and cisterns Herod had had built years before... but they couldn't last forever. The Romans also had another trick up their sleeves. As well as building camps and walls around the mountain they also built a ramp - on the western side which wasn't as high as the side facing the Dead Sea. You can see the remains of some of the camps in this picture.
When this was completed, they broke through the gate and then - as the day was drawing to a close - decided that they would finish the attach the next day. The leaders of the Jewish "rebels" discussed what to do. The reputation of the Romans was well-known and they would be shown no mercy - they would probably be killed anyway and the families too - or be sold into slavery which would have been a living death for many of them. The solution that passed into tradition was that the men would kill their families and then draw lots to see who would kill nine of the ten leaders before killing himself. It is a horrible thing to feel that the only solution is to kill the people you love most in the world - but for Jewish people, to commit suicide is a terrible sin and the person would have been buried outside the community. Some shards of pot were found with names on and these are believed to have been the lots that were used. Recent archaeological work is showing that the Story is more complicated... as it often does! It seems that some skeletons thought to have been some of the Jews have been DNA tested and are of some of the attackers. In another room, there were found the skeletons of a man in armour, a woman and a child; the door into the room was covered in Roman arrows... which suggests that they were still alive when the Romans finally launched their attack. We may never know the full truth - but the site of Masada, high above the surrounding desert, is a magnificent testimony to architecture and building in the time around Jesus' walking the earth - and the courage of people fighting to maintain their way of life... even at the cost of their own lives.
Back to the cable cars for the journey down - and we realised again just how high we had gone! After a visit to the shop, we travelled to a cafe for lunch and then to the Dead Sea. This is a very salty and mineral filled lake... it tastes disgusting (if you happen to get some in your mouth) - smells awful - makes your eyes really sore if you get any water in them - and the water and mud are very good for you! You can sometimes see beauty products with "Dead Sea" mud in the ingredients and it has been shown to help in cases of skin complaints. The biggest claim to fame of the Dead Sea is the fact that you float in it. It is impossible to sink - totally impossible! Catherine had long wanted to test this out and so we - well, actually, Bilbo stayed in the safety of the coach (not fancying being dropped in!) - went down to the Sea. And it was true! It was the weirdest feeling - just getting into the water and sitting back on it - and floating... It was so easy to float that it was hard to get your feet to back to the bottom until you learned the technique. People had a great time - especially, resting on the water and reading a newspaper! (We wished we'd taken a copy of Portsmouth People to make a fun picture!) Some people even covered themselves in the black mud... it wasn't very flattering but probably did their skin a lot of good. It certainly seemed to fill the floaters full of energy and sense of fun!
Sadly, the sun was setting and it was time to move on to Tiberias where we were to spend three nights We watched the sun setting - and the almost full moon rising - and caught glimpses of the Sea of Galilee as we neared our hotel. Here, we had supper - and K cleared the final proofs of Portsmouth People so it could go to the printers on Thursday (we had WiFi which made life a lot easier). A little work on the blog and backing up photos - and then a night's sleep ready for our next day - a day exploring the countryside of Galilee and more of the places that Jesus walked during his earthly life.
(Note - we are now back safely - so watch this space for more on the visit and photos of the many places we were fortunate enough to get to).
(Photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
Today was moving on day – from Jerusalem to Tiberias where we were to spend the rest of the time in Israel. After checking out, our journey took us along the famous Jerusalem to Jericho road. We saw Israeli settlements and Bedouin villages – but were amazed that anyone could live in such a bleak and hostile desert landscape.
Our first stop was to be Qumran. It was here that, in 1947, the Dead Sea scrolls were found. These amazingly preserved documents date from around the time of Christ and contain some of the Hebrew scriptures – information about worship in the Temple at the time – and details of how the community of Essenes who kept the records lived. They were a very strict and secretive Jewish sect who observed rigid laws concerning purity. They created a complex water-system which was vital in an area with such low rainfall - about 400ml a year (about the same amount as a small can of drink). They dug out cisterns that collected water from flash floods caused by rainfall much further west which percolated through the rocks and emerged in the hills around Qumran which are below sea level. The water was channelled through aqueducts into baths which were used for ritual baths at least twice a day. The Essenes seem also to have been very learned. It appears that, once they heard about the devastation of the Jewish Temple and the deportation of Jews, they realised that they needed to protect their precious writings and sealed them in jars and hid them in a cave.
Here they lay, forgotten, until 2000 years later, a Bedouin shepherd boy happened to throw a stone and was intrigued by the unusual sound it made... His stone had hit a jar containing writing he and his family did not understand but which were to become among the most valuable antiquities in the world and would help people to understand life at the time of Jesus. The whole area speaks of a community living in isolation in the wilderness but able to make and preserve beautiful things that speak to us across the centuries.Our next stop was Masada, the hilltop palace and fortress built by Herod the Great. In his time, it was a lavish palace complete with Roman-style bath-house, frescoes and mosaics. It overlooks the Dead Sea and is not only impressive but would have been pretty impregnable – until the Romans came along that is... The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth (420m below sea level). Herod’s fortress is on a mountaintop over 800m above sea level. Today, you can access it as we did by cable car but some people still take the ancient Snake Path which does just what it says – snakes up the mountainside towards the entrance gate. We looked down and saw people walking up – and admired their stamina as it was already very hot and it is a very long way. It gave us a very good idea of what faced any attacker – by the time you got to the top you would be too exhausted to fight. The ruins sh0w the size and luxury of Masada – with Roman-style bathrooms and frescos - and large storerooms. Archaeologists even found a sealed container of wine that came from Italy... after 2000 years it was undrinkable - but showed how wealthy Herod was to import huge containers of wine from so far aftield.
Masada is also the location of a famous Story from ancient times. After the second uprising, the Jews in Jerusalem and the wider area were being killed or deported. Some seem to have passed the Essene Community and told them of what was happening and about 900 Jews made their way to the stronghold at Masada. Although they hated Herod's liking for all things Roman, they found his architecture and the strength of the defences of his palace very useful in what was to become a kind of last stand.
The Story goes that the Jews held out against the seige the Romans laid around the walls of the citadel. No Jew could get in or out - but there were the vast stores and cisterns Herod had had built years before... but they couldn't last forever. The Romans also had another trick up their sleeves. As well as building camps and walls around the mountain they also built a ramp - on the western side which wasn't as high as the side facing the Dead Sea. You can see the remains of some of the camps in this picture.When this was completed, they broke through the gate and then - as the day was drawing to a close - decided that they would finish the attach the next day. The leaders of the Jewish "rebels" discussed what to do. The reputation of the Romans was well-known and they would be shown no mercy - they would probably be killed anyway and the families too - or be sold into slavery which would have been a living death for many of them. The solution that passed into tradition was that the men would kill their families and then draw lots to see who would kill nine of the ten leaders before killing himself. It is a horrible thing to feel that the only solution is to kill the people you love most in the world - but for Jewish people, to commit suicide is a terrible sin and the person would have been buried outside the community. Some shards of pot were found with names on and these are believed to have been the lots that were used. Recent archaeological work is showing that the Story is more complicated... as it often does! It seems that some skeletons thought to have been some of the Jews have been DNA tested and are of some of the attackers. In another room, there were found the skeletons of a man in armour, a woman and a child; the door into the room was covered in Roman arrows... which suggests that they were still alive when the Romans finally launched their attack. We may never know the full truth - but the site of Masada, high above the surrounding desert, is a magnificent testimony to architecture and building in the time around Jesus' walking the earth - and the courage of people fighting to maintain their way of life... even at the cost of their own lives.
Back to the cable cars for the journey down - and we realised again just how high we had gone! After a visit to the shop, we travelled to a cafe for lunch and then to the Dead Sea. This is a very salty and mineral filled lake... it tastes disgusting (if you happen to get some in your mouth) - smells awful - makes your eyes really sore if you get any water in them - and the water and mud are very good for you! You can sometimes see beauty products with "Dead Sea" mud in the ingredients and it has been shown to help in cases of skin complaints. The biggest claim to fame of the Dead Sea is the fact that you float in it. It is impossible to sink - totally impossible! Catherine had long wanted to test this out and so we - well, actually, Bilbo stayed in the safety of the coach (not fancying being dropped in!) - went down to the Sea. And it was true! It was the weirdest feeling - just getting into the water and sitting back on it - and floating... It was so easy to float that it was hard to get your feet to back to the bottom until you learned the technique. People had a great time - especially, resting on the water and reading a newspaper! (We wished we'd taken a copy of Portsmouth People to make a fun picture!) Some people even covered themselves in the black mud... it wasn't very flattering but probably did their skin a lot of good. It certainly seemed to fill the floaters full of energy and sense of fun!
Sadly, the sun was setting and it was time to move on to Tiberias where we were to spend three nights We watched the sun setting - and the almost full moon rising - and caught glimpses of the Sea of Galilee as we neared our hotel. Here, we had supper - and K cleared the final proofs of Portsmouth People so it could go to the printers on Thursday (we had WiFi which made life a lot easier). A little work on the blog and backing up photos - and then a night's sleep ready for our next day - a day exploring the countryside of Galilee and more of the places that Jesus walked during his earthly life.
(Note - we are now back safely - so watch this space for more on the visit and photos of the many places we were fortunate enough to get to).
(Photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
Jerusalem continued (2nd entry)
Tuesday 23 October
Tuesday began with a comparatively gentle start – about 8.30 depart.
We were dropped close to the Old City and entered through the Zion Gate. It was rather sad as there was still evidence of artillery fire from conflicts. We were heading for the building in which it was said that the Last Supper was held. This is a very special place as it is in a Jewish compound and in the ground floor there is King David’s tomb. Like a lot of places in the Holy Land, it is unlikely that this is the actual place (Ran said that current archaeological research is close to finding what they believe to be the real tomb in the ancient City of David). But, as is often the case, it is the faith and prayer invested by the people that is the important thing... In the Tomb, the men and women went into different areas. There were a few women praying in the women’s section (where Catherine and Kathryn went) and we used one of the psalms of David.
The Upper Room is just that – and it is above King David’s tomb. This is interesting in itself but the style of the room suggests it is of a much later period than the first century. It also showed signs of having been used as a Moslem place of worship with windows facing south (towards Mecca) and the building still has a Moslem place of prayer at the top: in one building the three monotheistic (belief in one God) faiths are represented. We read Paul’s account of how Jesus had created the Eucharist in an upper room in Jerusalem just before his death – which was even more poignant having been to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
We walked on to the Abbey of the Dormition – the place where Catholics commemorate the belief that Mary was raised to new life – body and soul – immediately after death. It is part of a Benedictine monastery and quite modern. Catherine and Kathryn had agreed to prepare the liturgy and had thought it might be a good idea if people gathered around the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer and especially for the Sign of Peace. The thought for the Mass had come from the experiences of the week so far – and the need to pray for peace between the three faiths who live alongside each other in Jerusalem. They had started with the Magnificat – a highly appropriate Gospel for Mass in that church and thought about the lines about the promises made to Abraham and his descendents forever. Another name for the momotheistic faiths is the Abrahamic faiths – because they all see Abraham as their father. This led to looking back to God’s covenant with Abraham in which God promises that Abraham will be the father of many nations. Then there is the promise in Revelation that – in the days of the Kingdom – there will be a tree in the heart of the Holy City whose leaves will be for the healing of the nations. So much depended on the layout of the church building and so they were amazed to find that Mass was to be celebrated on the sanctuary – with chairs in a semi-circle around the walls... it couldn’t have been better! It went well – and it was good to be able to pray for all the people who work so hard to bring people of faith together rather than use religion as an excuse for hatred and violence.
Downstairs, in the crypt, was an image of Mary sleeping – and many more pictures on the walls around. One in particular attracted us – Our Lady Queen of Apostles. One of the churches in the Three Rivers Pastoral Area to which Holy Cross belongs is Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Bishops Waltham so it was good to have an opportunity to remember the people there – we wrote their name in the prayer intentions book.
There was a bit of confusion about what was to happen next but we were pleased to hear that we could go up to Temple Mount and see the El Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. We passed the ruins of an old Roman road that would have crossed old Jerusalem and which had been rediscovered because of a mosaic map found in an old church. Then on to the Mosque and the Dome which had been built by the Moslems on top of the platform on which the Temple used to stand. Non-Moslems are not allowed to enter the El Aqsa Mosque but we were able to go to the Dome of the Rock which is a stunningly beautiful building with a golden roof – Ran said with 80 kilos of gold! We listened to a summary of how the early Christians had been content to leave the desolation of the Temple as it was (as it tied in with Jesus’ weeping for the future of Jerusalem) but the Moslems had desired to build their own place of worship in a recognised holy place. We crossed the platform and began to make our way to the Western Wall – the only surviving part of the Second Temple (the one that Jesus would have gone to). We passed the ruins of a wall from the First Temple era – about 1000BC! – which no one is allowed to build over as it is such a rare archaeological site. At the Western Wall, the men and women again went to their own sections (C & K noticed that there seemed to be a lot more women – and a smaller space!). Here they joined Jewish men and women in praying for things closest to their hearts as they have done for century after century.
After a late lunch there was a bit of a debate as to what to do next. The hoped-for visit to Bethlehem had not happened and so it had been suggested that we went to Ein Kerem. This is reputed to be the birth place of John the Baptist and is home to the Church of the Visitation. It was getting late but many people wanted to go there still and so, after 20 minutes or so, arrived in the small town. The church of John the Baptist is very grand and the walls surrounding it have the words of the Benedictus in many different languages. John's father had predicted that John was to go ahead of the Lord and prepare people to hear his message which was to go to all corners of the world. Inside, there was a Mass – we think for people from the Philippines – but we were able to go quietly to the crypt which houses a stone saying that this was the spot on which John was born. Again, we can’t be 100% sure – but faith means that touching that spot somehow connects you to the real one wherever that actually is. We walked on towards the Church of the Visitation but we were a bit too late and realised it was going to be closed. Kathryn was a bit disappointed as her daughter is, of course, Elizabeth and it would have been nice to have said a prayer especially for her in the place commemorating the Elizabeth of the Visitation! We made our way to a space in a car park – having watched a bit of the wedding celebrations in a nearby building. Here we listened to the story of the Visitation and then had a moving solo of a Magnificat sung by Anne – a member of the group from Holy Family parish in Southampton. As the sun was setting – and the tower of the church rested between the trees – it was a very beautiful, spiritual moment – like listening to Mary sing her own Magnificat so many years before.
An early start beckoned – but first, the first proofs of Portsmouth People had to be looked at! The hotel had a pay-as-you-go internet connection – but it seemed to take ages to get all the pages in and printed – indeed the centrespread wouldn’t print at all (too big a file we think!) and two of the pages decided to go via the scenic route round the internet and didn’t arrive until the next day – which was a little scary – but to avoid unnecessary stress at this point, be assured they did arrive in time!
(Photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
Tuesday began with a comparatively gentle start – about 8.30 depart.
We were dropped close to the Old City and entered through the Zion Gate. It was rather sad as there was still evidence of artillery fire from conflicts. We were heading for the building in which it was said that the Last Supper was held. This is a very special place as it is in a Jewish compound and in the ground floor there is King David’s tomb. Like a lot of places in the Holy Land, it is unlikely that this is the actual place (Ran said that current archaeological research is close to finding what they believe to be the real tomb in the ancient City of David). But, as is often the case, it is the faith and prayer invested by the people that is the important thing... In the Tomb, the men and women went into different areas. There were a few women praying in the women’s section (where Catherine and Kathryn went) and we used one of the psalms of David.
The Upper Room is just that – and it is above King David’s tomb. This is interesting in itself but the style of the room suggests it is of a much later period than the first century. It also showed signs of having been used as a Moslem place of worship with windows facing south (towards Mecca) and the building still has a Moslem place of prayer at the top: in one building the three monotheistic (belief in one God) faiths are represented. We read Paul’s account of how Jesus had created the Eucharist in an upper room in Jerusalem just before his death – which was even more poignant having been to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
We walked on to the Abbey of the Dormition – the place where Catholics commemorate the belief that Mary was raised to new life – body and soul – immediately after death. It is part of a Benedictine monastery and quite modern. Catherine and Kathryn had agreed to prepare the liturgy and had thought it might be a good idea if people gathered around the altar for the Eucharistic Prayer and especially for the Sign of Peace. The thought for the Mass had come from the experiences of the week so far – and the need to pray for peace between the three faiths who live alongside each other in Jerusalem. They had started with the Magnificat – a highly appropriate Gospel for Mass in that church and thought about the lines about the promises made to Abraham and his descendents forever. Another name for the momotheistic faiths is the Abrahamic faiths – because they all see Abraham as their father. This led to looking back to God’s covenant with Abraham in which God promises that Abraham will be the father of many nations. Then there is the promise in Revelation that – in the days of the Kingdom – there will be a tree in the heart of the Holy City whose leaves will be for the healing of the nations. So much depended on the layout of the church building and so they were amazed to find that Mass was to be celebrated on the sanctuary – with chairs in a semi-circle around the walls... it couldn’t have been better! It went well – and it was good to be able to pray for all the people who work so hard to bring people of faith together rather than use religion as an excuse for hatred and violence.
Downstairs, in the crypt, was an image of Mary sleeping – and many more pictures on the walls around. One in particular attracted us – Our Lady Queen of Apostles. One of the churches in the Three Rivers Pastoral Area to which Holy Cross belongs is Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Bishops Waltham so it was good to have an opportunity to remember the people there – we wrote their name in the prayer intentions book.
There was a bit of confusion about what was to happen next but we were pleased to hear that we could go up to Temple Mount and see the El Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. We passed the ruins of an old Roman road that would have crossed old Jerusalem and which had been rediscovered because of a mosaic map found in an old church. Then on to the Mosque and the Dome which had been built by the Moslems on top of the platform on which the Temple used to stand. Non-Moslems are not allowed to enter the El Aqsa Mosque but we were able to go to the Dome of the Rock which is a stunningly beautiful building with a golden roof – Ran said with 80 kilos of gold! We listened to a summary of how the early Christians had been content to leave the desolation of the Temple as it was (as it tied in with Jesus’ weeping for the future of Jerusalem) but the Moslems had desired to build their own place of worship in a recognised holy place. We crossed the platform and began to make our way to the Western Wall – the only surviving part of the Second Temple (the one that Jesus would have gone to). We passed the ruins of a wall from the First Temple era – about 1000BC! – which no one is allowed to build over as it is such a rare archaeological site. At the Western Wall, the men and women again went to their own sections (C & K noticed that there seemed to be a lot more women – and a smaller space!). Here they joined Jewish men and women in praying for things closest to their hearts as they have done for century after century.
After a late lunch there was a bit of a debate as to what to do next. The hoped-for visit to Bethlehem had not happened and so it had been suggested that we went to Ein Kerem. This is reputed to be the birth place of John the Baptist and is home to the Church of the Visitation. It was getting late but many people wanted to go there still and so, after 20 minutes or so, arrived in the small town. The church of John the Baptist is very grand and the walls surrounding it have the words of the Benedictus in many different languages. John's father had predicted that John was to go ahead of the Lord and prepare people to hear his message which was to go to all corners of the world. Inside, there was a Mass – we think for people from the Philippines – but we were able to go quietly to the crypt which houses a stone saying that this was the spot on which John was born. Again, we can’t be 100% sure – but faith means that touching that spot somehow connects you to the real one wherever that actually is. We walked on towards the Church of the Visitation but we were a bit too late and realised it was going to be closed. Kathryn was a bit disappointed as her daughter is, of course, Elizabeth and it would have been nice to have said a prayer especially for her in the place commemorating the Elizabeth of the Visitation! We made our way to a space in a car park – having watched a bit of the wedding celebrations in a nearby building. Here we listened to the story of the Visitation and then had a moving solo of a Magnificat sung by Anne – a member of the group from Holy Family parish in Southampton. As the sun was setting – and the tower of the church rested between the trees – it was a very beautiful, spiritual moment – like listening to Mary sing her own Magnificat so many years before.
An early start beckoned – but first, the first proofs of Portsmouth People had to be looked at! The hotel had a pay-as-you-go internet connection – but it seemed to take ages to get all the pages in and printed – indeed the centrespread wouldn’t print at all (too big a file we think!) and two of the pages decided to go via the scenic route round the internet and didn’t arrive until the next day – which was a little scary – but to avoid unnecessary stress at this point, be assured they did arrive in time!
(Photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
Wednesday 24 October 2007
The Holy Land - Jerusalem (1st entry)
Saturday 20 October 2007
Well, here we are in Jerusalem! We can access the internet but, as there is a minimum charge, decided it was better to “save up “ the entries and upload a few at a time... so apologies if you have been eagerly waiting!
Our journey started at about 3.30a.m! There was a big decision – to go to bed or not! Catherine – who is recovering from throat & chest infections got a few hours kip but Kathryn (the night owl!) decided that there were jobs that just had to be done (well, as they were to do with getting things in for a November issue of the diocesan newspaper, she may have been right!). Keith was kind enough to get up at 3a.m. and we picked Catherine up at 3.30 to be at St Edmund’s church in Southampton for 4a.m. It was dark and cold but there was a sense of excitement as people put their bags on board and were extraordinarily cheerful for people who had had very little sleep – or none.
We arrived at Heathrow at about 5.15 and had the long queue to check in and go through security – but the time after that passed easily enough with tea and browsing books. Sadly, we were split up on the plane – something to do with the airline having allocated seats as we were such a big group but it was only a 4 hour flight and we were with good company – and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the film of choice (“for those who had working head-set"– Catherine)– so all was not lost.
We landed in a sunny and warm (29C) Tel Aviv (though it has been too warm for too long for many people who live here). The airport is beautifully designed and very tranquil-feeling after Heathrow with several closed-system water features (they recycle the water and don’t use it up) and a sense of space. The outside is being landscaped with bougainvillea trees (at least, that’s what they looked like). The journey to Jerusalem took about 45 minutes and Ran, our guide, pointed out Christian and Muslim villages – the olive groves and cotton fields – tree plantations dating from the British protectorate (a planting which continues to this day). We were surprised by how much it looked like we expected it to look – though seemed more barren in places with lots of bare rock. As we approached Jerusalem, one of the first sights was the cemetery. This is in keeping with the tradition going back to Jesus’ time – and Roman times – that people were buried outside the city walls. Ran also explained that anyone building in Jerusalem has to use a certain kind of stone so that the city maintains the look it has had for centuries – other places can use concrete and so on. We have only seen the west side so far. This is modern with busy roads (once Shabbat ended after sunset) and hotels.
Our hotel (Park Plaza) is comfortable and has everything we need for our stay (except free internet!)– though we brought kettle and tea-bags from home! Many in the group decided to go to local bar to watch the rugby match tonight – the World Cup Final in which England are playing South Africa. Catherine and Kathryn decided to see if they could pick it up on the TV in the room – which Catherine did on a French channel! At the time of writing this, we are in the first half so don’t know who won!
We’ll end the day with the first of the prayer sheets prepared for our pilgrimage. Tomorrow is an early start – though not quite as bad as last night! We leave at 8a.m. to go to the Old City and to look around there – and will have Mass in the Garden of Gethsemane! Wow... It promises to be a busy but powerful day – so more tomorrow!
Well, here we are in Jerusalem! We can access the internet but, as there is a minimum charge, decided it was better to “save up “ the entries and upload a few at a time... so apologies if you have been eagerly waiting!
Our journey started at about 3.30a.m! There was a big decision – to go to bed or not! Catherine – who is recovering from throat & chest infections got a few hours kip but Kathryn (the night owl!) decided that there were jobs that just had to be done (well, as they were to do with getting things in for a November issue of the diocesan newspaper, she may have been right!). Keith was kind enough to get up at 3a.m. and we picked Catherine up at 3.30 to be at St Edmund’s church in Southampton for 4a.m. It was dark and cold but there was a sense of excitement as people put their bags on board and were extraordinarily cheerful for people who had had very little sleep – or none.
We arrived at Heathrow at about 5.15 and had the long queue to check in and go through security – but the time after that passed easily enough with tea and browsing books. Sadly, we were split up on the plane – something to do with the airline having allocated seats as we were such a big group but it was only a 4 hour flight and we were with good company – and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the film of choice (“for those who had working head-set"– Catherine)– so all was not lost.
We landed in a sunny and warm (29C) Tel Aviv (though it has been too warm for too long for many people who live here). The airport is beautifully designed and very tranquil-feeling after Heathrow with several closed-system water features (they recycle the water and don’t use it up) and a sense of space. The outside is being landscaped with bougainvillea trees (at least, that’s what they looked like). The journey to Jerusalem took about 45 minutes and Ran, our guide, pointed out Christian and Muslim villages – the olive groves and cotton fields – tree plantations dating from the British protectorate (a planting which continues to this day). We were surprised by how much it looked like we expected it to look – though seemed more barren in places with lots of bare rock. As we approached Jerusalem, one of the first sights was the cemetery. This is in keeping with the tradition going back to Jesus’ time – and Roman times – that people were buried outside the city walls. Ran also explained that anyone building in Jerusalem has to use a certain kind of stone so that the city maintains the look it has had for centuries – other places can use concrete and so on. We have only seen the west side so far. This is modern with busy roads (once Shabbat ended after sunset) and hotels.
Our hotel (Park Plaza) is comfortable and has everything we need for our stay (except free internet!)– though we brought kettle and tea-bags from home! Many in the group decided to go to local bar to watch the rugby match tonight – the World Cup Final in which England are playing South Africa. Catherine and Kathryn decided to see if they could pick it up on the TV in the room – which Catherine did on a French channel! At the time of writing this, we are in the first half so don’t know who won!
We’ll end the day with the first of the prayer sheets prepared for our pilgrimage. Tomorrow is an early start – though not quite as bad as last night! We leave at 8a.m. to go to the Old City and to look around there – and will have Mass in the Garden of Gethsemane! Wow... It promises to be a busy but powerful day – so more tomorrow!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday 21st October
What a day! So many new things to see – and experiences to savour... The best way is just to start at the beginning – with the alarm clock again! After a good breakfast we were ready to leave at about 8a.m. to head into Old Jerusalem.
Our journey took us first to the Church of the Ascension – one of the places from which Jesus is said to have ascended to heaven. It is at the top of a high hill overlooking Jerusalem and we were surprised by how many trees there were. Somehow, we’d imagined the hill would be open and green! It just shows why it is so good to come and see the real thing.
The coach then took us to the Mount of Olives to a spot with a panoramic view of Jerusalem – the Golden Dome – the El Aqsa Mosque – and the Dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre... and on the horizon, shrouded in heat haze, the Judean hills.
Then began our walking!
It was interesting as we walked down the hill to visit part of the Jewish cemetery. Ran told us that many people want to be buried there because, for Jewish people, when the Messiah comes, the righteous people there will be the first to rise from the dead and walk along a newly-created bridge to the restored Temple. For Muslims, the Kidron Valley was seen as a place leading to hell. As he said, it is interesting to see how religions and cultures draw on similar places and ideas – and sometimes come up with the complete opposite... but still sharing something important.
We walked through more olive groves to the church called Dominus Flevit – the church commemorating the moments when Jesus looked over to the city of Jerusalem and wept because so many people did not understand what God wanted for them – and that one day, the beautiful Temple and many other buildings would be totally destroyed.
A little further down the hill – and we came to the Garden of Gethsemane – a name which comes from the Hebrew words for “press for olives”.
The olives are now fenced off which is sad – but probably they had a little too 
much unwanted pruning from the visitors! It still had a feeling of quiet and prayer – even with busy roads nearby. We had thought we would have Mass in the church but were directed across the road to another part of the Garden where we found an altar and steps in a curve around it. To one side was the hill – to the other the City. We used the gospel from Matthew where he tells us of the agony Jesus went through begging God to “take this cup away” – the cup of his death – but coming to the point of accepting God’s will. As Fr Mark said – and we could see – with all the trees Jesus could so easily have hidden and avoided capture... But he chose to stay...
As we had waited for Mass to begin, we had heard the bells ringing for the Christian Sunday services in the City – and, as Fr Mark spoke, the muezzins began their calls to prayer... It was very special to hear them calling people to praising and thanking God as we prayed the Jewish prayers of blessing over the bread and wine... a very precious moment.
After Mass, we went down the – very steep! – hill, and visited the Church of Mary’s tomb. This is a very dark church almost underground where you can see a tomb. It has many lamps in the Orthodox style and is run by Greek Orthodox... it is a haunting place.
Then a very long walk uphill across the Jericho Road up to the Lion Gate which led us into the Old City. Here we met many Muslim families coming home from the midday prayers – and had to squeeze in to the walls to avoid the cars coming along the very narrow roads.
We turned into St Anne’s gate and went to the church cared for by the White Fathers. The acoustics are amazing and we sang “Tell out my soul!” in honour of the mother of Mary – remembering St Anne’s (the school near St Edmund’s Southampton). Outside, we saw ruins of the old city – from around Byzantine times. You could just see a muddy pool right at the bottom – the remains of what people believed to be the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the man who had been sick for 38 years.
Then on to the Via Dolorosa – the Sorrowful Way. After Jesus was captured in the Garden, he was brought across the Valley and up into the City to the palace where Pilate questioned him. There is a church here commemorating his interrogation with stained glass windows and a mosaic of the crown of thorns set into the roof over the altar.
We didn’t follow the whole Way – many of the group were getting tired – but we certainly got a clearer idea of what it meant for Jesus as most of it was uphill. Nowadays, it has hard surfacing but was still very hard going – and you had to watch your step as it was easy to lose your footing... how much harder for Jesus carrying a heavy wooden cross?
Part of our journey took us through a bazaar – just as Jesus’ would have taken him through stalls of people selling things for Passover celebrations. This was fascinating with many sumptuous fabrics and wonderful smells and interesting artefacts – but not really time (or energy!) to stop until we’d had lunch!
Suitably strengthened we continued the journey to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was odd seeing such an important church for the first time – because, although it is huge, you only see a very small part of it at any one time. Ran reminded us that this is a unique place – the place where we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus in a very particular way. As you go in, there is a mosaic depicting the last Stations of the Cross. Turning right, we went up very steep steps to the Catholic chapel of Jesus being nailed to the cross. This has stunning mosaics including one commissioned by the Medicis.
Passing through that, we were caught up in even more crowds and were drawn to the Icons marking the death of Jesus. Here, people crawl under an altar to venerate the cross – and then go on to light candles. We lit them for the many people we love and pray for. Downstairs, we went into the “Adam chapel”. This is directly underneath the Crucifixion station and stems from an idea that the Crucifixion happened directly above the burial place of Adam – in some of the paintings, we saw a skull and bones pictured under the ground where Adam lay waiting for the one who was to come to redeem the sin that brought death to humanity. We went back to the “Anointing stone”. This is traditionally where the women anointed Jesus’ body for burial – which followed the custom of anointing bodies and then laying them in the tomb. Here they would rest for a year until the flesh had gone and then the bones gathered and buried. Ran helped us to see what a huge gift Joseph of Arimathea was giving when he gave Jesus his tomb that no-one had yet lain in... this was a very precious thing for a family to have – and to give it to an executed criminal was an incredible thing to do.
We saw the shrine of the sepulchre – but are returning tomorrow for Mass – likely to be another powerful occasion. It means another early start – but will be a good place to start tomorrow’s blog (with a few extra bits from the rest of today).
much unwanted pruning from the visitors! It still had a feeling of quiet and prayer – even with busy roads nearby. We had thought we would have Mass in the church but were directed across the road to another part of the Garden where we found an altar and steps in a curve around it. To one side was the hill – to the other the City. We used the gospel from Matthew where he tells us of the agony Jesus went through begging God to “take this cup away” – the cup of his death – but coming to the point of accepting God’s will. As Fr Mark said – and we could see – with all the trees Jesus could so easily have hidden and avoided capture... But he chose to stay...As we had waited for Mass to begin, we had heard the bells ringing for the Christian Sunday services in the City – and, as Fr Mark spoke, the muezzins began their calls to prayer... It was very special to hear them calling people to praising and thanking God as we prayed the Jewish prayers of blessing over the bread and wine... a very precious moment.
After Mass, we went down the – very steep! – hill, and visited the Church of Mary’s tomb. This is a very dark church almost underground where you can see a tomb. It has many lamps in the Orthodox style and is run by Greek Orthodox... it is a haunting place.
Then a very long walk uphill across the Jericho Road up to the Lion Gate which led us into the Old City. Here we met many Muslim families coming home from the midday prayers – and had to squeeze in to the walls to avoid the cars coming along the very narrow roads.
We turned into St Anne’s gate and went to the church cared for by the White Fathers. The acoustics are amazing and we sang “Tell out my soul!” in honour of the mother of Mary – remembering St Anne’s (the school near St Edmund’s Southampton). Outside, we saw ruins of the old city – from around Byzantine times. You could just see a muddy pool right at the bottom – the remains of what people believed to be the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the man who had been sick for 38 years.
Then on to the Via Dolorosa – the Sorrowful Way. After Jesus was captured in the Garden, he was brought across the Valley and up into the City to the palace where Pilate questioned him. There is a church here commemorating his interrogation with stained glass windows and a mosaic of the crown of thorns set into the roof over the altar.
We didn’t follow the whole Way – many of the group were getting tired – but we certainly got a clearer idea of what it meant for Jesus as most of it was uphill. Nowadays, it has hard surfacing but was still very hard going – and you had to watch your step as it was easy to lose your footing... how much harder for Jesus carrying a heavy wooden cross?
Part of our journey took us through a bazaar – just as Jesus’ would have taken him through stalls of people selling things for Passover celebrations. This was fascinating with many sumptuous fabrics and wonderful smells and interesting artefacts – but not really time (or energy!) to stop until we’d had lunch!
Suitably strengthened we continued the journey to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was odd seeing such an important church for the first time – because, although it is huge, you only see a very small part of it at any one time. Ran reminded us that this is a unique place – the place where we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus in a very particular way. As you go in, there is a mosaic depicting the last Stations of the Cross. Turning right, we went up very steep steps to the Catholic chapel of Jesus being nailed to the cross. This has stunning mosaics including one commissioned by the Medicis.
Passing through that, we were caught up in even more crowds and were drawn to the Icons marking the death of Jesus. Here, people crawl under an altar to venerate the cross – and then go on to light candles. We lit them for the many people we love and pray for. Downstairs, we went into the “Adam chapel”. This is directly underneath the Crucifixion station and stems from an idea that the Crucifixion happened directly above the burial place of Adam – in some of the paintings, we saw a skull and bones pictured under the ground where Adam lay waiting for the one who was to come to redeem the sin that brought death to humanity. We went back to the “Anointing stone”. This is traditionally where the women anointed Jesus’ body for burial – which followed the custom of anointing bodies and then laying them in the tomb. Here they would rest for a year until the flesh had gone and then the bones gathered and buried. Ran helped us to see what a huge gift Joseph of Arimathea was giving when he gave Jesus his tomb that no-one had yet lain in... this was a very precious thing for a family to have – and to give it to an executed criminal was an incredible thing to do.
We saw the shrine of the sepulchre – but are returning tomorrow for Mass – likely to be another powerful occasion. It means another early start – but will be a good place to start tomorrow’s blog (with a few extra bits from the rest of today).
(More photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monday 22 October
And our third day... The queue for the shrine was very long, yesterday, so we decided to visit it on our return for Mass. On the way back, we travelled through the Knesset area and saw the government buildings. In the evening, Catherine and Kathryn led the Evening Prayer – allowing people to gather up the events of the day and then joining in the great cycle of daily prayer of the Church – praying the psalms in Jerusalem was a very special experience.
And our third day... The queue for the shrine was very long, yesterday, so we decided to visit it on our return for Mass. On the way back, we travelled through the Knesset area and saw the government buildings. In the evening, Catherine and Kathryn led the Evening Prayer – allowing people to gather up the events of the day and then joining in the great cycle of daily prayer of the Church – praying the psalms in Jerusalem was a very special experience.
Our scheduled Mass was at 8a.m. which meant an early start for everyone! We all made it to the coach, however, and drove to a stop near the Jaffa Gate where we climbed up many steps to go through the Gate and back into the Old City. We were early enough to see children and young people on their way to school and very few of the street stalls were open.
The church itself was much quieter – though there was still a queue for the shrine.
We found the chapel set aside for our Mass – it had a couple of beautiful sculptures of the Resurrection and the Mass was a Mass of Easter. It was very powerful to think that very close to the spot where we prayed the Mass, Jesus had died – his friends had seen him die and thought all hope was lost as they buried him in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea – and then, returned three days later to find an empty tomb as the Lord had risen! The whole Mass – but again the Eucharistic Prayer took on even more special qualities as we remembered all that had happened in that place. At the end, Fr John and Fr Mark began to sing the Doxology and people began quietly to join in gradually getting louder as we sang: “Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever AMEN!” The “AMEN” really did resound through the chapel. After Mass, we were able to go to the shrine of the Sepulchre. It is made of wood and has gigantic candles in front of it.. They looked very impressive, though the effect was lost a little by the fact that they had a light bulb at the top rather than a wick. It made sense of course, but just looked a bit odd. Inside was a small ante-chamber and then you duck down under a door decorated with images of the women bringing oils and an angel sitting on the other side – Jesus is depicted rising at the top of the door. The stone where tradition has it that Jesus was laid was very simple – though there were icons above - again reminding us of the Resurrection.
We walked back to where the coach was waiting – taking a quick photo of the St Helena’s Road sign. Catherine and Kathryn’s home church is Holy Cross – and St Helena is supposed to have found the true cross from which it takes its name.
We walked back to where the coach was waiting – taking a quick photo of the St Helena’s Road sign. Catherine and Kathryn’s home church is Holy Cross – and St Helena is supposed to have found the true cross from which it takes its name.
On then to Yad Vashem – a place created to remember the 6,000,000 Jewish men, women and children who died in the concentration camps under the Nazi regime. The name is taken from Isaiah 56: 5 and means “A Memorial and a Name”. On the slopes of the hill are the beginnings of a great forest which will have 6,000,000 trees – one for each of those who died: around the buildings themselves are trees honouring individuals who tried to save the lives of Jewish people – there are 12,324 of them of people known to have tried – perhaps there were more, but it is not a large number for the whole of Europe at the time... As Ran explained in his introduction, the purpose of Yad Vashem is several-fold but three in particular are: remembering the victims; remembering the perpetrators – and reflecting on the role of the bystanders... The main building is very large and made up of several galleries, each exploring a different aspect of what led to the Holocaust – or “shoah” as Ran said Jews preferred to call it (shoah means more total extinction which was the aim of what many call the holocaust and which those behind it called the Final Solution). We spent almost two hours looking through the galleries – and ended up rushing the last few to catch up with the group. This was a real shame as these were very powerful and poignant ones and, even though we were in a hurry by now, we could not help stopping and reflecting on some of the images and quotations we saw. Particularly special is the large space with files on them... like something from the British Library. Each file contains the names of people who died. At the moment, there are 3,000,000 – more names are coming in as people send in details of their loved ones – and some names will never be known as whole families and communities were wiped out. It was very sombre – but also thought-provoking - how could we as individuals work to ensure something like that didn’t happen again. Of course, genocides still happen – why? People still harbour hatred – or indifference to the sufferings of others? What is the difference between someone who will help and someone who turns away? One who doesn’t help is not necessarily a bad person – but what is “missing”? And for the one who helps – how do they overcome their fear when they know that helping could mean death... and not just their own but those of their families?
The questions were raised again in a visit to the Children’s Memorial close by. It was dedicated to the memory of a child who was murdered in the Holocaust. It is a very simple but powerful idea –the inside is dark but very large and lit by just a few candles.. but the candle-light is reflected in hundreds of mirrors and gives the impression of countless thousands of lights shining far into the distance. As 1.5 million children were murdered, this is a poignant memorial – lights of their lives snuffed out but recalled here in a moving and beautiful way. We were struck by some words from the prophet Joel on the way out: Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your ancestors? Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.”
The story must not be lost – since it is a warning to all humanity.
The story must not be lost – since it is a warning to all humanity.
After lunch, we went to Mt Herzl to learn more about the people who had shaped Israel’s history. Herzl was one of the first people to suggest a homeland for the Jews long before the anti-Semitism in Europe became as horrific as it did and he is buried there. Also buried there are heads of state and other political leaders including Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin as well as military personnel killed in action.
On then to the Tomb Garden. This is the Protestant equivalent of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and has a different feel. It is very busy but the sounds are very different –the hundreds of birds joining forces with charismatic prayer and a mix of traditional and contemporary songs. The site reflects some of the biblical references to Jesus’ crucifixion – the Place of the Skull could refer to a feature in the rock which resembles a skull . There are also archaeological features dating back to Jesus’ time and even beyond – it is outside the current city wall and by a gate. The tombs itself has two chambers and ante-chamber and from that another with two resting places for bodies to lie. The garden was a beautiful setting – especially as the evening drew on and the sun set. It had, as we say, a different “feel” but in some way, complemented the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – reminding us that Jesus died in the open air – and rose again from a tomb in a garden.
Back to the hotel and a discussion about the hoped-for trip to Bethlehem. This looks unlikely to happen – the company is still saying we can’t – and attempts to find ways round it have proven fruitless. We could possibly go under our own steam but if anything went wrong (even something as simple as the taxi breaking down) it would impact on the rest of the group which isn’t fair when they didn’t sign up to such a risk. There are a couple of options which we’ll tell you more about tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Catherine and Kathryn are preparing the Mass and have chosen a Mass for Peace – but geared to our experiences here. We have seen how the three faiths which trace their roots back to Abraham rub along reasonably well in Jerusalem – had our prayers join those of the muezzins and other Muslims and prayed with Jewish prayers and for the people we saw depicted at Yad Vashem. So – more on that tomorrow! The days are going very quickly and are so full of experiences – we are very blessed to be able to be here and to walk where Jesus walked and to learn more about others who share faith in the one God.
(More photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
(More photos: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday 23 October & Wednesday 24 October
Watch this space! I mean – surely you’ve had enough by now and need a break!!
Thursday 18 October 2007
Getting Ready for Israel!
Plans are well underway - even if the packing hasn't even been started - for our pilgrimage to Israel and - we hope - to Bethlehem. This promises to be a very special time - walking in Jesus' footsteps and seeing places that he would have known.
We leave with our pilgrimage group from Southampton on Saturday 20 October - soon after 4 a.m! This will be a challenge for everyone! We travel to Heathrow and then take a flight to Tel Aviv where we transfer to a hotel in Jerusalem.
It is a very full itinerary - but it gives us the chance to see many of the places mentioned in the Bible - for example, the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem (all being well!), the Old City of Jerusalem with the Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Later in our stay, we travel through the hills of Judaea to Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee from where we visit Nazareth, Cana, take a trip on a replica wooden boat to Capernaum and around the lake to the Mount of the Beatitudes and Bethsaida.
We hope to have internet access during our travels and, when we can, will add to the blog to tell you more about our pilgrimage to the place where Jesus lived during his earthly life!
We leave with our pilgrimage group from Southampton on Saturday 20 October - soon after 4 a.m! This will be a challenge for everyone! We travel to Heathrow and then take a flight to Tel Aviv where we transfer to a hotel in Jerusalem.
It is a very full itinerary - but it gives us the chance to see many of the places mentioned in the Bible - for example, the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem (all being well!), the Old City of Jerusalem with the Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Later in our stay, we travel through the hills of Judaea to Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee from where we visit Nazareth, Cana, take a trip on a replica wooden boat to Capernaum and around the lake to the Mount of the Beatitudes and Bethsaida.
We hope to have internet access during our travels and, when we can, will add to the blog to tell you more about our pilgrimage to the place where Jesus lived during his earthly life!
Monday 10 September 2007
Rounding up!
So here we are back in the UK to beautiful autumn weather! It has been good to have the blog and nearly 1000 photographs to remind us of the adventure and to reassure us that it wasn't a dream! You can see a selection of them here:http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436
To round up our adventure then...
On Thursday, we went with Anselme to Nairobi to do a few errands - despatching Elizabeth's samples and trying to pick up bits and pieces to bring back. We found it really hard to find things that would mean as much here as they looked in Kenya!
Anselme had investigated the timetable of a lecturer at Tangaza theological college in Nairobi - Fr Rinaldo Ronzani. He is writing a series of books about the sacraments/ pastoral liturgy so his work was of great interest to Kathryn who is working on Christian Initiation for an essay an hopes to explore it more deeply over coming months (years!) and is involved in pastoral liturgy at home. There was only time for a short conversation but it was nonetheless valuable - and he was kind enough to give her a book from the series.
Into Nairobi for the errands and resistance to going into the Catholic bookshop next to the Basilica crumbled. Space and weight were fortunately constraining factors!
We had a quiet afternoon - mainly concerned with getting everything back into the rucksacks to carry home! We didn't have that much more than we brought - but then had the bags full when we arrived... With a lot of huffing and puffing we got everything in before heading for prayer and supper and a video: "Animals are beautiful people" about animal behaviour in Southern Africa.
Friday dawned and the realisation that the end of our visit was in sight... Another quick trip to Nairobi to pick up flowers for the Sisters who had been so very hospitable and kind - interesting to note that it is probably easier to buy Kenyan flowers in the UK than in Kenya! We went for lunch to the Formation House before heading for the airport with Anselme.
The rest is just journey home - the flight to Dubai - the long night when we must have been the only two people to be unable to sleep there because we were too cold! Happily, the Emirates airline offers a meal to people with long stop-overs so at 6am we availed ourselves of croissants and rolls - though could have had noodles and stew had we been able to face it at that time of day!
Keith was at the airport to meet us and the journey to Eastleigh was uneventful... though tiredness kicked in pretty quickly after the washing and evening meal had been sorted out! Still, a bit of a rest and Bilbo will be ready to look forward to his next big journey - to the Holy Land on 20 October! Watch this space!
To round up our adventure then...
On Thursday, we went with Anselme to Nairobi to do a few errands - despatching Elizabeth's samples and trying to pick up bits and pieces to bring back. We found it really hard to find things that would mean as much here as they looked in Kenya!
Anselme had investigated the timetable of a lecturer at Tangaza theological college in Nairobi - Fr Rinaldo Ronzani. He is writing a series of books about the sacraments/ pastoral liturgy so his work was of great interest to Kathryn who is working on Christian Initiation for an essay an hopes to explore it more deeply over coming months (years!) and is involved in pastoral liturgy at home. There was only time for a short conversation but it was nonetheless valuable - and he was kind enough to give her a book from the series.
Into Nairobi for the errands and resistance to going into the Catholic bookshop next to the Basilica crumbled. Space and weight were fortunately constraining factors!
We had a quiet afternoon - mainly concerned with getting everything back into the rucksacks to carry home! We didn't have that much more than we brought - but then had the bags full when we arrived... With a lot of huffing and puffing we got everything in before heading for prayer and supper and a video: "Animals are beautiful people" about animal behaviour in Southern Africa.
Friday dawned and the realisation that the end of our visit was in sight... Another quick trip to Nairobi to pick up flowers for the Sisters who had been so very hospitable and kind - interesting to note that it is probably easier to buy Kenyan flowers in the UK than in Kenya! We went for lunch to the Formation House before heading for the airport with Anselme.
The rest is just journey home - the flight to Dubai - the long night when we must have been the only two people to be unable to sleep there because we were too cold! Happily, the Emirates airline offers a meal to people with long stop-overs so at 6am we availed ourselves of croissants and rolls - though could have had noodles and stew had we been able to face it at that time of day!
Keith was at the airport to meet us and the journey to Eastleigh was uneventful... though tiredness kicked in pretty quickly after the washing and evening meal had been sorted out! Still, a bit of a rest and Bilbo will be ready to look forward to his next big journey - to the Holy Land on 20 October! Watch this space!
Saturday 8 September 2007
We are back!
After a 24 hour journey, we are back in the UK!
This was written on Saturday but then washing and tea - and looking at the nearly 1000 photos we took overtook us! (Not to mention the small matter of sleep after over 36 hours constantly on the go!)
There will be another update and some work on the photos over the next few days - so do call back!
This was written on Saturday but then washing and tea - and looking at the nearly 1000 photos we took overtook us! (Not to mention the small matter of sleep after over 36 hours constantly on the go!)
There will be another update and some work on the photos over the next few days - so do call back!
Wednesday 5 September 2007
Nairobi and Naivasha
On Tuesday, we had a quieter day - which meant not going too far from "home".
In the morning, we went with Sr Marcelle to the very swish Yaya shopping centre... very European. It was interesting to see it and to see how quiet it was compared to other parts of Nairobi.
We went on to the Karen Blixen house. Karen Blixen was a Danish woman who fell in love with Africa in the early part of the 20th century. She wrote of her experiences and they were later made into a film "Out of Africa" -which we watched later in the evening and enjoyed seeing the places we had visited (including Maasai Mara) that day.
We also visited Swedo House and found the whole area a little like parts of Hampshire! (Large houses hidden behind high walls and hedges....though the plants were African, of course!)
One very interesting place was Kazuri - which means little beautiful thing. It is a place where women from the slums come and make beads which are made into beautiful jewellry and pottery. We also spent half-an-hour in the stillness of Mwangaza Jesuit Spirituality Centre which overlooks the Ngong Hills. This is a stunning place - absolute silence is insisted upon when there are retreats and the whole place acts as a haven of peace and tranquility where you can find the presence of God in the quiet in order to serve him in the hustle and bustle of life outside. We have some photos - but for some reason they - and others from the day - came out dark so will have to wait until we are home.
Our last visit of the day was to the Giraffe Centre where giraffes come to feed. It is part of a conservation programme but is a huge attraction as the giraffes will eat from people's hands... and in one instance took a piece of food from a woman's mouth. This didn't appeal to us but Lizzie was brave and fed one - a picture of that did take well and is on the photo website.
After tea, we watched "Out of Africa".... really lovely now we have seen the places!
In the morning, we went with Sr Marcelle to the very swish Yaya shopping centre... very European. It was interesting to see it and to see how quiet it was compared to other parts of Nairobi.
We went on to the Karen Blixen house. Karen Blixen was a Danish woman who fell in love with Africa in the early part of the 20th century. She wrote of her experiences and they were later made into a film "Out of Africa" -which we watched later in the evening and enjoyed seeing the places we had visited (including Maasai Mara) that day.
We also visited Swedo House and found the whole area a little like parts of Hampshire! (Large houses hidden behind high walls and hedges....though the plants were African, of course!)
One very interesting place was Kazuri - which means little beautiful thing. It is a place where women from the slums come and make beads which are made into beautiful jewellry and pottery. We also spent half-an-hour in the stillness of Mwangaza Jesuit Spirituality Centre which overlooks the Ngong Hills. This is a stunning place - absolute silence is insisted upon when there are retreats and the whole place acts as a haven of peace and tranquility where you can find the presence of God in the quiet in order to serve him in the hustle and bustle of life outside. We have some photos - but for some reason they - and others from the day - came out dark so will have to wait until we are home.
Our last visit of the day was to the Giraffe Centre where giraffes come to feed. It is part of a conservation programme but is a huge attraction as the giraffes will eat from people's hands... and in one instance took a piece of food from a woman's mouth. This didn't appeal to us but Lizzie was brave and fed one - a picture of that did take well and is on the photo website.After tea, we watched "Out of Africa".... really lovely now we have seen the places!
Today, we had thought of going to Nakuru followed by Lake Naivasha tomorrow. As Lake Nakuru is mainly a game drive and not really a lake visit, we decided to miss the flamingoes and other great things there and go to Naivasha only. This was interesting as we had to go on matatus! The one from Nairobi to Naivasha was like the shuttle to Nanyuki last week. However, at Naivasha we were swamped with offers of help to find taxis - peanuts - food - drink - hot sausages - pretty much ... you name it! We were the only white people there so did stick out but everyone else got hassled too. We just said no! The matatu from Naivasha to our chosen destination "Fisherman's Camp" was ... well, interesting! Very loud music - very full - and we shared part of the journey with a tyre and bit of car!
After a light lunch at the Fish Eagle hotel, we set off for a walk along the lake shore...
Problem - we couldn't find it! We found odd bits but mainly we found papyrus! For a geographer wanting to look at the lake this was very frustrating. After a bit, we decided to bite the bullet and pay an extortionate amount for a boat trip. This was good as it gave Lizzie chance to see the lake and marvel at how the sampling was done - but also a chance for both of us to see some of the wildlife... fish eagles - cormorants - pelicans - hippos (a tad closer than we had expected!) - storks - ibis and others we didn't know the names of.
Coming back, our matatu was slowed down a bit by several packages! Very big packages that took up several seats and which got piled high on them! We hoped that the ones piled up behind the driver didn't fall over and knock him out! The fear of this didn't seem to stop him going very fast and braking hard! From Naivasha to Nairobi wasn't too bad - along the Rift Valley again - though there was an accident involving 3/4 lorries on the uphill bit that caused problems.
We were quite pleased to have coped with the matatus - many visitors don't use them as they don't have a good reputation but they were OK - and very cheap! However, it was really nice to see Anselme waiting for us at the terminus. The stop (or stage as it is called here) is in a part of Nairobi that is considered dangerous (and we did see a thief being caught as we walked along!). We survived - but it's a bit sad that it is very near a part of Nairobi called Eastleigh!
Tomorrow is our last day and we are accepting that we will not get done things we really wanted to :-( Lizzie won't see lake Nakuru - or Bogoria and others in the Rift Valley and Kathryn probably won't get to Kware... there might be an hour or so but it is probably too short notice now... Where did all that time go?!
A few more photos from today will be going online - and then it will be a pause while we travel back to the UK. We leave here on the 17.15 flight so will need to leave Msola (the House) at around 1.30/2pm. We arrive in Dubai at 23.15 and leave again at 09.50 on Saturday morning, arriving in Heathrow at 14.15... all being well! The flights for all of us coming out were fine so we should be OK... And then - watch this space for photo updates!
After a light lunch at the Fish Eagle hotel, we set off for a walk along the lake shore...
Problem - we couldn't find it! We found odd bits but mainly we found papyrus! For a geographer wanting to look at the lake this was very frustrating. After a bit, we decided to bite the bullet and pay an extortionate amount for a boat trip. This was good as it gave Lizzie chance to see the lake and marvel at how the sampling was done - but also a chance for both of us to see some of the wildlife... fish eagles - cormorants - pelicans - hippos (a tad closer than we had expected!) - storks - ibis and others we didn't know the names of.Coming back, our matatu was slowed down a bit by several packages! Very big packages that took up several seats and which got piled high on them! We hoped that the ones piled up behind the driver didn't fall over and knock him out! The fear of this didn't seem to stop him going very fast and braking hard! From Naivasha to Nairobi wasn't too bad - along the Rift Valley again - though there was an accident involving 3/4 lorries on the uphill bit that caused problems.
We were quite pleased to have coped with the matatus - many visitors don't use them as they don't have a good reputation but they were OK - and very cheap! However, it was really nice to see Anselme waiting for us at the terminus. The stop (or stage as it is called here) is in a part of Nairobi that is considered dangerous (and we did see a thief being caught as we walked along!). We survived - but it's a bit sad that it is very near a part of Nairobi called Eastleigh!
Tomorrow is our last day and we are accepting that we will not get done things we really wanted to :-( Lizzie won't see lake Nakuru - or Bogoria and others in the Rift Valley and Kathryn probably won't get to Kware... there might be an hour or so but it is probably too short notice now... Where did all that time go?!
A few more photos from today will be going online - and then it will be a pause while we travel back to the UK. We leave here on the 17.15 flight so will need to leave Msola (the House) at around 1.30/2pm. We arrive in Dubai at 23.15 and leave again at 09.50 on Saturday morning, arriving in Heathrow at 14.15... all being well! The flights for all of us coming out were fine so we should be OK... And then - watch this space for photo updates!
Monday 3 September 2007
Mount Kenya!
Today we got back from our trip to Mount Kenya!
This was very tiring but also very exciting as Kathryn and I trekked up to 4200m and Elizabeth got even higher - about 4800! The pictures are very big files so we will put more of them up when we get home and can reduce the size a bit. You can find a selection here: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436
We started in the car park at the Basilica in Nairobi where we had arranged to meet our guide Nicholas. He took us to the matatu stage where we were to find a shuttle for Nanyuki where our adventure was to start. We were very glad he was there to help as it was hectic with crowds of people and lots of drivers asking us if we wanted to go with them!
The one Nicholas chose took us safely to Nanyuki where we found a comfortable hotel (Ibis) in which to have supper and to spend the night.
The first day was a 9km hike to Old Moses Camp. This was where we noticed the higher altitude. Things that looked easy to walk seemed much more difficult! But the camp itself was comfortable - very simple but everything we needed.
The next morning, we set off at 7a.m. It was magical as the sun was just risen and the silence over the mountainside was awesome. The trek itself was 14km and was one of those walks that is a very different measurement on the map from what you walk in real life! There were some very steep climbs and drops and Nicholas (who was also carrying the big rucksack) was very patient and helped Kathryn learn how to deal with some of the steep bits...
This was very tiring but also very exciting as Kathryn and I trekked up to 4200m and Elizabeth got even higher - about 4800! The pictures are very big files so we will put more of them up when we get home and can reduce the size a bit. You can find a selection here: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436
We started in the car park at the Basilica in Nairobi where we had arranged to meet our guide Nicholas. He took us to the matatu stage where we were to find a shuttle for Nanyuki where our adventure was to start. We were very glad he was there to help as it was hectic with crowds of people and lots of drivers asking us if we wanted to go with them!
The one Nicholas chose took us safely to Nanyuki where we found a comfortable hotel (Ibis) in which to have supper and to spend the night.
To give us a bit of acclimatisation - and to satisfy Lizzie's geographer's interest - we popped just down the road to the Equator! There were people showing how water flows down a hole in opposite directions in the different hemispheres (20m either side of the Equator!) and straight down on the Equator itself.
The next morning, Nicholas met us and introduced us to Chris who was to be our cook. This all felt very strange as Kathryn and Lizzie are used to cooking for themselves! But we were very glad that he came along as he prepared some great meals even though we were too tired to finish them!
The next morning, Nicholas met us and introduced us to Chris who was to be our cook. This all felt very strange as Kathryn and Lizzie are used to cooking for themselves! But we were very glad that he came along as he prepared some great meals even though we were too tired to finish them!
The first day was a 9km hike to Old Moses Camp. This was where we noticed the higher altitude. Things that looked easy to walk seemed much more difficult! But the camp itself was comfortable - very simple but everything we needed.
The next morning, we set off at 7a.m. It was magical as the sun was just risen and the silence over the mountainside was awesome. The trek itself was 14km and was one of those walks that is a very different measurement on the map from what you walk in real life! There were some very steep climbs and drops and Nicholas (who was also carrying the big rucksack) was very patient and helped Kathryn learn how to deal with some of the steep bits...
To give you an idea it went down to one breath-one step!! But she got there! And "there" was Shipton's Camp - at 4200m (about 13,800ft). This was much colder and like most people, we all went to bed at about 8.30pm - partly to recover from the walk - and partly to get warm!
Unlike most other people, we did not get up at 2am! They were getting up at that time to go up to Point Lenana - one of the more accessible peaks of Mount Kenya - to see the sunrise. As the point of our expedition was not to do the peak but to photograph flowers and plants, we could stay in bed a little longer - though Elizabeth got up at 5am and went with Nicholas to look at some of the lakes and tarns she had read about. She has some stunning shots - on her camera! we'll put some up soon. (As I am writing this, she is busy preparing her Lake Challa samples for posting to the UK tomorrow... they have been drying at Msola - the convent where we are staying)
After another enormous breakfast - eaten under the majestic peak - we started to descend.
Unlike most other people, we did not get up at 2am! They were getting up at that time to go up to Point Lenana - one of the more accessible peaks of Mount Kenya - to see the sunrise. As the point of our expedition was not to do the peak but to photograph flowers and plants, we could stay in bed a little longer - though Elizabeth got up at 5am and went with Nicholas to look at some of the lakes and tarns she had read about. She has some stunning shots - on her camera! we'll put some up soon. (As I am writing this, she is busy preparing her Lake Challa samples for posting to the UK tomorrow... they have been drying at Msola - the convent where we are staying)After another enormous breakfast - eaten under the majestic peak - we started to descend.
This was nearly as hard as going up! At the top, things were slippery because of ice - but then got very slippery because of rain and mountain streams! We were soaked... well, OK the humans were soaked!
The bear was very sensible and stayed tucked inside a rucksack... though still got a wet head when...
it started to rain...
and rain...
and rain...
It was incredible. Being high on the mountain, we could see it coming - and knew that the rain had been bad this year as our hoped for descent route - Chogoria - had been closed because of rain. But seeing it coming was no help when we still had miles to go before getting back to Old Moses Camp. The first spell happened near the end of Mackinders Valley where Chris had set up a stove and prepared noodles and beans under an overhang. It was a bit surreal eating warm food as the rain clouds danced in slow circles before our eyes.
The second spell came when we were in wide-open ground. We were soon all soaked to the skin (well, trousers and feet wise) despite having good gear. And if we'd realised how essential a guide was on our ascent - we realised even more as the mist and cloud swirled around and any paths disappeared under water and mud. Happily, with Nicholas picking out paths and helping us to jump over rushing streams and some of the worst boggy bits, we arrived safely - if plastered with mud and cold and wet. Chris - who had gone on ahead - had a cup of tea ready for us which was most welcome - followed by steaming hot soup.
Our final day, saw us coming down the mountain - a 9km descent back to the Gate. This wasn't too bad - though still slippery from the rain. We saw fairly fresh tracks of elephant and buffalo (Elizabeth saw a leopard print on the way up!) - and a troop of baboons crossed the path at about the same time as we did - but were a bit camera-shy.
A quick stop in Nanyuki and then back to Nairobi where we made enquiries about going to Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha. This was bit more expensive than we can afford so we're thinking about options.
Tomorrow, we are going with Sr Marcelle to a women's cooperative where they make beads and pottery - to the Karen Blixen museum see the house made famous in Out of Africa and a giraffe centre - and possibly the Mwangaza Jesuit spirituality centre where we can find some peace and silence in the midst of it all!
Hopefully, we will get to the other lakes - and take up some of the offers of hospitality that we have received - and have a couple of conversations relating to Kathryn's studies ... and all before heading back on Friday!
Enjoy the selection of photos - here is a reminder of the link: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436
it started to rain...
and rain...
and rain...
It was incredible. Being high on the mountain, we could see it coming - and knew that the rain had been bad this year as our hoped for descent route - Chogoria - had been closed because of rain. But seeing it coming was no help when we still had miles to go before getting back to Old Moses Camp. The first spell happened near the end of Mackinders Valley where Chris had set up a stove and prepared noodles and beans under an overhang. It was a bit surreal eating warm food as the rain clouds danced in slow circles before our eyes.
The second spell came when we were in wide-open ground. We were soon all soaked to the skin (well, trousers and feet wise) despite having good gear. And if we'd realised how essential a guide was on our ascent - we realised even more as the mist and cloud swirled around and any paths disappeared under water and mud. Happily, with Nicholas picking out paths and helping us to jump over rushing streams and some of the worst boggy bits, we arrived safely - if plastered with mud and cold and wet. Chris - who had gone on ahead - had a cup of tea ready for us which was most welcome - followed by steaming hot soup.
Our final day, saw us coming down the mountain - a 9km descent back to the Gate. This wasn't too bad - though still slippery from the rain. We saw fairly fresh tracks of elephant and buffalo (Elizabeth saw a leopard print on the way up!) - and a troop of baboons crossed the path at about the same time as we did - but were a bit camera-shy.
A quick stop in Nanyuki and then back to Nairobi where we made enquiries about going to Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha. This was bit more expensive than we can afford so we're thinking about options.
Tomorrow, we are going with Sr Marcelle to a women's cooperative where they make beads and pottery - to the Karen Blixen museum see the house made famous in Out of Africa and a giraffe centre - and possibly the Mwangaza Jesuit spirituality centre where we can find some peace and silence in the midst of it all!
Hopefully, we will get to the other lakes - and take up some of the offers of hospitality that we have received - and have a couple of conversations relating to Kathryn's studies ... and all before heading back on Friday!
Enjoy the selection of photos - here is a reminder of the link: http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436
Wednesday 29 August 2007
Problem with Online photo link
A problem seems to be occurring with the online photo link - and I don't have time to change it! Well the connection is soooooo slow!
So here is a link that should get you to the photos!!
http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436
So here is a link that should get you to the photos!!
http://www.panoramio.com/user/793436
From Nairobi!
Well, I arrived safely after a long journey with a stopover in Dubai. This is a very grand airport - but many people have long waits and sleep until it is time for their next flight!
We were met at the airport by Noel. He is training to be a Missionary of Africa and comes from Burkina Faso. We came to the Formation House of the Missionaries and had a welcome cup of Kenya tea before going to Our Lady Queen of Peace, South-B, Nairobi for the ordination. We knew we would not see all of it - but arrived just as the new deacons shared the kiss of peace with their priests, brothers and godparents. Pam was Anselme's godmother and then went to take part in the Presentation of Gifts. The procession was very long as not only bread and wine were brought forward but also baskets of food. They were accompanied by girls dancing and very lively music. The songs and readings were in different languages as the deacons come from different countries - including Burkina Faso, India and Ethiopia. We didn't take photos in the service but others managed to take some so we hope to have some to share and some photos of the gathering after are on our panoramio pages (see "online photos" link)
We were invited to the party afterwards where there was wonderful food, music and dancing. There were 400 people there - a lot of cooking! Liz came on a bit later having travelled up from Taveta in a taxi and bus from Voi to Nairobi. We were invited to stay at Msola which is the convent of the White Sisters - part of the Missionaries of Africa family. Sr Marcelle has invited us to make the convent our base which is wonderful as we haven't had to carry everything with us. It is like a home from home and we have been made most welcome. In fact, we are being spoilt with all the hospitality and kindness that we have received!
After a night's sleep, we prepared for our first big adventure - the safari to the Maasai Mara. The photos are very big files so for now please see the ones on panoramio... see the link on the side.
The Maasai Mara was amazing! We had expected to see a few animals but saw thousands. We caught the migration of the wildebeest who come every year from Tanzania to Kenya - the migration lines stretched for miles! We saw zebra, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, different kinds of gazelle, lion, cheetah, monkeys, hippo and crocodiles as well as bird like vultures!
Our first night was spent in a camp near to a Maasai village. They showed us something of their culture - their homes - how they made fire - and how they tended their animals.
We were met at the airport by Noel. He is training to be a Missionary of Africa and comes from Burkina Faso. We came to the Formation House of the Missionaries and had a welcome cup of Kenya tea before going to Our Lady Queen of Peace, South-B, Nairobi for the ordination. We knew we would not see all of it - but arrived just as the new deacons shared the kiss of peace with their priests, brothers and godparents. Pam was Anselme's godmother and then went to take part in the Presentation of Gifts. The procession was very long as not only bread and wine were brought forward but also baskets of food. They were accompanied by girls dancing and very lively music. The songs and readings were in different languages as the deacons come from different countries - including Burkina Faso, India and Ethiopia. We didn't take photos in the service but others managed to take some so we hope to have some to share and some photos of the gathering after are on our panoramio pages (see "online photos" link)
We were invited to the party afterwards where there was wonderful food, music and dancing. There were 400 people there - a lot of cooking! Liz came on a bit later having travelled up from Taveta in a taxi and bus from Voi to Nairobi. We were invited to stay at Msola which is the convent of the White Sisters - part of the Missionaries of Africa family. Sr Marcelle has invited us to make the convent our base which is wonderful as we haven't had to carry everything with us. It is like a home from home and we have been made most welcome. In fact, we are being spoilt with all the hospitality and kindness that we have received!
After a night's sleep, we prepared for our first big adventure - the safari to the Maasai Mara. The photos are very big files so for now please see the ones on panoramio... see the link on the side.
The Maasai Mara was amazing! We had expected to see a few animals but saw thousands. We caught the migration of the wildebeest who come every year from Tanzania to Kenya - the migration lines stretched for miles! We saw zebra, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, different kinds of gazelle, lion, cheetah, monkeys, hippo and crocodiles as well as bird like vultures!Our first night was spent in a camp near to a Maasai village. They showed us something of their culture - their homes - how they made fire - and how they tended their animals.
The camp was very simple - but had proper beds and the "tent" had a thatched roof - again there's a picture on the photo site.
We had a full day game drive and our driver, Simon, was excellent at knowing where to find animals. It was amazing how unbothered the animals seemed to be - as if the many safari vans were just part of the landscape... the lions hardly bothered to notice them - though we suspect if we had been outside the van they might have done!
Our second night was at Keekorock - a lodge in the park. It was very luxurious. There was a hippo pool very close by and we were warned that the hippos came out in the night. This turned out to be true as Anselme was warned he needed a guard to go back to his lodge after supper! Just as well as when he got there, there was a hippo standing close by!
The next morning we had an early start to go for a game drive at 6.30a.m! We were fortunate enough to come across two lionesses stalking a wildebeest which had become separated from the herd. Fortunately, we did not see a kill - but the hunting was very impressive... the lionesses so calm and majestic as they stalked their prey.
We arrived back in Nairobi last night and went into the city today where we arranged a trek to Mt Kenya tomorrow. This will take about 4 days. We got to Nanyuki tomorrow - on the Equator. Then take the Sirimion route... stay at Old Moses camp Friday night (3300m) and at Shiptons Camp on Saturday - round the mountain (not going to Pt Lenana) as we want to look at lakes and vegetation for Liz's research and then back down the Chogoria route through rainforest. We've had a sudden worry about whether the guide Nicholas is Kenya Wildlife Service registered - but he seemed knowledgeable and to understand what we want... butif he isn't we will need to think again!
The connections are very slow here but hopefully, the photos and today's blog will give you an idea of our trip so far! We are back on Monday - but have busy days then... but, hopefully, a few lines now and then when we can!
We had a full day game drive and our driver, Simon, was excellent at knowing where to find animals. It was amazing how unbothered the animals seemed to be - as if the many safari vans were just part of the landscape... the lions hardly bothered to notice them - though we suspect if we had been outside the van they might have done!
Our second night was at Keekorock - a lodge in the park. It was very luxurious. There was a hippo pool very close by and we were warned that the hippos came out in the night. This turned out to be true as Anselme was warned he needed a guard to go back to his lodge after supper! Just as well as when he got there, there was a hippo standing close by!
The next morning we had an early start to go for a game drive at 6.30a.m! We were fortunate enough to come across two lionesses stalking a wildebeest which had become separated from the herd. Fortunately, we did not see a kill - but the hunting was very impressive... the lionesses so calm and majestic as they stalked their prey.
We arrived back in Nairobi last night and went into the city today where we arranged a trek to Mt Kenya tomorrow. This will take about 4 days. We got to Nanyuki tomorrow - on the Equator. Then take the Sirimion route... stay at Old Moses camp Friday night (3300m) and at Shiptons Camp on Saturday - round the mountain (not going to Pt Lenana) as we want to look at lakes and vegetation for Liz's research and then back down the Chogoria route through rainforest. We've had a sudden worry about whether the guide Nicholas is Kenya Wildlife Service registered - but he seemed knowledgeable and to understand what we want... butif he isn't we will need to think again!
The connections are very slow here but hopefully, the photos and today's blog will give you an idea of our trip so far! We are back on Monday - but have busy days then... but, hopefully, a few lines now and then when we can!
Friday 24 August 2007
On the way!
Well - here we are - packed and ready to go!
Let's hope the M3 - M25 and M4 are quiet!
See you from Kenya!!
Wednesday 22 August 2007
ELizabeth arrives at Challa
Received a text from Elizabeth (see below) to say that she has arrived safely at Lake Challa and can see Mount Kilimanjaro.
All the news for now - but in the right place so all sounds good!
All the news for now - but in the right place so all sounds good!
Monday 20 August 2007
Sorting out the online photos
We have set up an account on Panoramio - www.panoramio.com - which has links with Google Earth. So far we have only uploaded a test photo (of snow at the Grand Canyon). There is a link to our photos here: http://www.panoramio.com/map/?user=793436 and in our links section.
There are superb photos on the website - well worth a browse. You can even type in your own place name and see what photographs are there of your locality!
There are superb photos on the website - well worth a browse. You can even type in your own place name and see what photographs are there of your locality!
Sunday 19 August 2007
Getting Ready for Kenya
My first big journey is to Kenya!
Elizabeth (Liz as she is usually called) has gone out to Nairobi already. She is attending a summer school at the University and on Tuesday morning is giving a presentation on: "Isotopes in biogenic silica: methodology and applications". This is part of her PhD work where she is looking at a core from Lake Challa and seeing what it can tell us about how the lake and its environment has changed over thousands of years. On Wednesday, she travels to Lake Challa which is near Mount Kilimanjaro. She will collect samples which will help her work when she gets back to Lancaster.
We heard yesterday that she got there safely and today she met up with someone else attending the summer school and had a look round Nairobi.
Kathryn and I go out to Nairobi on Friday 24th. We will arrive on Saturday meet up with a new deacon Anselme and Pamela and Margaret who are also from England. On Sunday, we plan to go to the Maasai Mara to see the animals there! After that - we hope to get to Mount Kenya and to the coast...
When we can, we will upload photos here - and are investigating a site that puts them on a map so you can see where they were taken. More news on that if we get it to work!
Elizabeth (Liz as she is usually called) has gone out to Nairobi already. She is attending a summer school at the University and on Tuesday morning is giving a presentation on: "Isotopes in biogenic silica: methodology and applications". This is part of her PhD work where she is looking at a core from Lake Challa and seeing what it can tell us about how the lake and its environment has changed over thousands of years. On Wednesday, she travels to Lake Challa which is near Mount Kilimanjaro. She will collect samples which will help her work when she gets back to Lancaster.
We heard yesterday that she got there safely and today she met up with someone else attending the summer school and had a look round Nairobi.
Kathryn and I go out to Nairobi on Friday 24th. We will arrive on Saturday meet up with a new deacon Anselme and Pamela and Margaret who are also from England. On Sunday, we plan to go to the Maasai Mara to see the animals there! After that - we hope to get to Mount Kenya and to the coast...
When we can, we will upload photos here - and are investigating a site that puts them on a map so you can see where they were taken. More news on that if we get it to work!
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