Around the Sea of Galilee and the Coast -- Israel 2

Good Morning!

Although I will post images and write about experiences that have nothing to do with Jesus, there will be one more in this series.

Our plans to hire a driver to take us to sights around the Sea of Galilee weren't needed.  Our guide, realizing that out of the 42 on our tour, about a dozen were Christian and another 4 or 5 were interested, scheduled an early two-hour tour from our spa hotel, about ten miles away--wonderful with a smaller group.  She also scheduled a long morning at Caesarea's Roman ruins--so fascinating!

At the Sea of Galilee, pictured above, I walked away from the group and imagined Jesus and the disciples walking there.  It was one of the most real experiences of connecting that I had.  While the churches were interesting, it is more likely that Jesus preached.outside in this area.

We first went to the Church of the Multiplication, built on remains of earlier shrines, reputed to be on the sight where Jesus multiplied the two fishes and five loaves of bread to feed 4 or 5,000, depending on your Gospel choice.  The floor filled with  fifth century mosaics, has the loaves and fishes before the altar. The photo here is the best one I have, taken in one of the front aisles.

The Church of the Primacy, a short walk from the Multiplication church is a modest chapel incorporating 4th century ruins, commemorates the reinstatement of Peter after his denial of Jesus with Jesus saying "feed my sheep" as recorded in John 21. This led to the Catholic church's believe that Peter was to found the church.  A large rock in the church is supposed to be where Jesus cooked breakfast by the Sea of Galilee that morning.  

 

This photo was taken from the shore of the Sea of Galilee as this
was the place where we walked to the shore to dip in our hands (or feet as some laughingly did).






Our next stop was Capernaum National Park where Jesus
established his base for three years and recruited some of his disciples.  It's also a place of interest for Jews as synagogue ruins dominate the site.  An ultra-modern church, which looks somewhat like a flying ship, has been built over the ruins of a house (Peter's) where Jesus was believed to have lived.
Again, there are wonderful views of the sea.  Below the glass wheel in front of the photo, one can look down and see ruins believed to be that house.

And the synagogue ruins--

At the end of the day, after lunching at a Druze kibbutz and a wine tasting at the Golan Heights Winery, we returned (and drove through Nazareth twice but on the wrong side for the Christian sights), we returned to the area of Jesus' ministry and drove up the Mount of the Beatitudes, the only Christian place actually on our tour schedule.  And it is beautiful!!!  Everything there is pristine with wonderful views of the sea and area surrounding it.  A jarring fact--the domed Catholic Church run by Franciscan sisters was commissioned by Benito Mussolini when he was dictator of Italy!              

All of the beatitudes are on stones such as this one, which seemed the most appropriate in this difficult part of the world.

I'm including the fascinating ruins at Caesarea, about an hour's drive from Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Sea, in this post or I would be tempted to bore you with an entire post of this amazing site.  We were lucky that it didn't fit in the day where an attempt was made to get two days of stops in so those who wanted to spend time shopping or relaxing in Tel Aviv could.  Consequently, only twelve of us met at 8:30 by our bus to travel to Caesarea, a favorite place for Deena, our guide, who was a fount of knowledge about this port built by Herod.  It was also a Byzantine capital, later a Crusader stronghold and is one of Israel's major archaeological sites.  Excavation there continues today.  Notice the different construction of the layers. There had been a Phoenician settlement on the shoreline as early as 586 BC during the Persia rule.  

For Christians, Caesarea is most identified with Paul and other apostles' ministry.  The Centurion who was the first recorded Gentile to convert to follow Jesus' teachings was said to have done that here.  Paul was also recorded as being imprisoned by Herod in Caesarea.  Others believe that Peter and Paul named their faith Christianity here although I don't know that source.  
                      Our guide, Deena, in front of an amphitheatre where chariots raced and animals fought.

Other photos below:

The next photo is an amusing one.  Herod had an idea of toilets so people were to sit with one hip of each stone and use the area between as a toilet.  One of our folks wanted to climb up and try it out, but Deena said no way.

This sign was fascinating, and one photo is representative.  

It was hard to get close enough to any of these as they were in an area where traffic wasn't allowed.

Finally, the beachfront Roman Aqueduct closed our visit.  Workers cut a channel about 4 miles long through solid rock before water was piped from a spring about 8 miles away in the foothills of Mt. Carmel into the aqueduct.

While it would have been easy to spend a day here, we spent three hours, more than at any archaeological site that we visited, included Petra. Those who went on this trip were very interested and able to walk around in the areas that had steps or rocky paths.  At other spots we were hampered by several who had a difficult time getting around.  While small in number, one was the conference director's wife!  

Addendum to the Israel One Post

Here are some photos that I just uploaded (after finding a way to do it that was easier!).  They are: the sign outside the Church of the Nativity, the exterior where we entered and Banksy painting on and near the Palestinian side of the wall, and two other art pieces on the wall.

                                                        Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

             These two are by the graffiti artist, Banksy--the top one on the wall, and the dove nearby.

                                                    Two other paintings on the wall that divides.

After these viewings, the driver and my companions were anxious to get away from the wall.  I promised a friend here that I would go there or might not have insisted.

Israel -- April 2015 -- Hebron and Bethlehem

                                                      Jerusalem from Mt. of Olives overlook

There was so much to see, and often a very short time in each spot on our Creativity and Madness Conference tour of Israel, my participation, a gift from friends.  While we walked through the Christian section of the old city and drove through towns mentioned in the New Testament, the only actual Christian place on our itinerary was the Mount of the Beatitudes.

I begin with our off-the-grid trip to the West Bank to visit Hebron and the tombs of the Patriarchs and Bethlehem and Jesus' place of birth.  My roommate and I were introduced to our driver by the young man at the King David Hotel's desk where our "conference" group stayed while in Jerusalem.  He first took us to the Christian sights in Jerusalem, which I'll describe in a later post. We trusted him enough to make a reservation on Friday afternoon, April 17th, to take us and our friend, Peter, to Hebron and Bethlehem. We drove the highway that all can drive, though most vehicles we saw had Israeli license tags.

Doron, our driver, pointed out both Palestinian towns and Israeli towns and settlements, noting that the Arabs on the West Bank and those in the Gaza strip mistrusted each other.  He pointed to a settlement that was inhabited by conservative Orthodox Jews. We passed one Palestinian refuge community as well.  

                                     Me, Peter, Simone (roommate from Ft. Collins) and Doron
In Hebron, we visited the Machpelah, built by Herod the Great over the cave where the patriarchs are buried. It has changed hands, depending on the invaders, and currently houses a Muslim mosque. Cenotaphs of Abraham and Sarah (tombs with tapestries over them, but without bodies) can be seen through bars that keep visitors from touching or entering the rooms.  These cenotaphs were added to this complex in the 8th century AD, while Jacob and Leah's were placed in their present form in the 14th century. These are in the part of the building governed by the Jews.  A few Jews were praying in front of these "tombs". We were directed by our driver, who couldn't go with us, to the Muslim side of the building but weren't allowed in to see the tombs of Isaac and Rebecca as they were preparing for a service. They said "come back tomorrow." I understand that the Muslims have a viewing of the Israeli tombs from their side of the building, and that Israelis can visit Isaac and Rebecca's tombs on only ten days each year. The actual tombs are in the cave underneath, closed to visitors.  Rachel's tomb is near Bethlehem, and we didn't have time to stop there.

Today on-line news reported that a Palestinian youth tried to stab an Israeli solider at a check point near Hebron Saturday morning though no one was hurt.  Other recent such incidents have resulted in the attackers being killed. Hebron is a Palestinian city.  Doron drove us through a mostly deserted area where a few Jewish flags were hanging outside houses.  He said when the Israelis moved in, the Israel police moved the Arabs out of the area. It seemed harsh, but less so after reading more about Hebron as a stronghold for Hamas.  Today's Timesofisrael.com's reporter's notebook has a fascinating interview of Palestinian youth by an Israeli reporter.

From Hebron we drove to the outskirts of Bethlehem, where Doron had us get into a car driven by a young Arab, since he couldn't go into Bethlehem.  On the way to the Church of the Nativity, we picked up our guide, a very knowledgeable Arab, Doron's contact for our tour of the sites there.  

                                 These young men wanted us to take their picture for them and for us, also wanted to
                                 sell us trinkets in Hebron

We entered the Church of the Nativity by a low narrow door (that's Peter) built in the 16th century to protect worshippers from hostile Muslims.  The earlier entries are closed.  Also much work is being done on the structure.  We were shown striking mosaic tiles uncovered from the original church, built in the 4th century, and told history of the church. The main sanctuary area is that of the Greek Orthodox where work is being done.

I looked longingly at the long line of people waiting to walk down into the grotto to see the shrine of where Jesus may have been born.  It didn't look as if we could possibly have time to wait.  Then we were led to a door on the other side of the church, where we could see the Armenian transept (below). Our guide told us to wait there, and we would be allowed to enter and walk into the grotto without waiting in line!

A group of young men, identified by our guide as officials of the PLO, were allowed ahead of us.  Then we walked across and down into the grotto where women and men were kneeling and kissing the star in the floor that marked the official birth spot (!).  My photo isn't good, but it's below with one of the projected wise men coming to the manger.

Afterward, we were led through the Armenian area to a side door where we entered St. Catherine's, the Catholic Church there.  The monks have access to the Grotto at particular times of day when visitors aren't allowed. A service was being held for a group of visitors and we quietly went down steps into the grottos there.

The final rooms included an altar for the holy innocents, babies who were killed by Herod's orders, and the room where St. Jerome supposedly translated the Bible into Latin.

Then we met our young driver at a gift shop, where it seemed imperative that we purchase souvenirs.  We did, though simple ones.  Our driver, on my request, took us to the wall where I took photographs (not yet uploaded). He must have known exactly where the graffiti artist, Banksy, had painted for we saw two of his creations along with a couple of others before raising back to our Israeli driver to get back to Jerusalem in time to dress for our Shabbat dinner at a local family's home.

(I can see that I must compress descriptions in the posts to come!)

Transitions -- The In Between Time

I have likely written an "in between" blog about this time of year several times since I began this practice. The nature piece is similar to other years. Higher hiking isn't so good. The trails are sometimes the only places with snow! My hike to Cub Lake in RMNP would in some parts, have been enhanced by traction devices. In other spots, they would have made prints in the bare earth. As I hiked higher and into the woods, more snow was on the trail and across the landscape, but not nearly covering all the ground. Perhaps around the lake, snowshoes would have been useful. So, the trails are uneven, mixed with slush, snow, ice and bare ground--a bit like life. Fall lasted longer than usual with warm, almost summer-like weather, perhaps making up for last year's dramatic interruption by the floods.

I've written about endings in my last blogs, and I'm doing reasonably well with letting go. But nothing else has come to fruition. My schedule for the first quarter of the year, cold winter, is void of teaching and workshop opportunities. I have felt that this is my call. Am I missing something? Not open to unexpected ways this might materialize? Need to do more inner healing work? Am I wrong about the work I'm here to do? I don't yet have an appointment calendar for 2015. The calendar of 2015 months in my 2014 calendar is enough. My Pilates classes remain at the same times. The two monthly meetings I'll have after this month are on successive Thursdays, not difficult to remember. I have a choice of centering prayer groups. I may stay on a CASA committee, but only as a resource. It feels bare, like the aspen and willows devoid of their leaves. I've been through dark nights of the soul a few times already. Is this another such time?

A writer friend reminded me that setting aside retreat-like time for writing was the way to get a larger piece completed. I must admit that I am immensely tired of my memoir. Whew! There. I said it. Yes, I still feel that tug to complete another round of editing and cutting. I know that an epilogue is needed. Am I looking for other work to do, avoiding this piece of writing. It seems so. With other writing I want to do, completing the editing work and sending out another round of query letters is the task for the winter quarter of 2015. Perhaps I can get a start on it this Friday and Saturday, find a way to look at it newly. Author Kent Haruf's words, recorded ten years ago after success with his books (Plainsong, Benediction) and replayed on NPR in Tuesday's announcement of his death over last weekend, focused on the work needed to write well. He said there was plenty of talent around, but much less willingness to do the work. I heard him speak at the Boulder Library several years ago and remember his quiet self-effacing demeanor. He did the work. It seems that is my winter task. (And cleaning up my writing room so it is more inviting, a must do job!.) Blessings on this early December day.

Next to a sofa writing spot!

Driving by the White Lines

This title has been on my mind since I wrote the last blog. Snow has been covering the white lines this week, and the temps are still hovering in the teens. I'll add a photo of white lines later. As we drove back from the Denver Botanic Gardens, my friend who was driving, said at one point, "you can always drive by the white lines." I needed that reminder as I drove the thirty minutes home from our meeting place with my contacts unable to give me the vision I wanted, making driving by the white lines on the side of the roads important. For my life, this is an apt metaphor as I can't see much beyond each day. I have scheduled the last healing prayer ministry team meeting of my tenure, and written my recommendations to the Leadership Committee of the CASA agency and turned over the chairmanship. I have scheduled my eye doctor appointments and those for annual and bi-annual tests that my health plan requires. I have completed the bulk of my Christmas shopping due to almost giveaway prices at a recent Macy's sale. There are a few holiday gatherings on my calendar, and I'm cooking some sort of poultry for Thanksgiving for the first time in many years though the gathering will be small. So what remains high on my to-do list-- the MEMOIR. I've put off a major cutting as long as I can, and I realized yesterday that it needs a snappier beginning few pages. This, however, is a white line exercise. I don't know whether I will be able to attract an agent who will then find a publisher for the memoir. I still, however, feel that tug and pull to get it published. Self publish, you say. There are many self publishers these days, but the good ones--ones where the book will look and feel like it came from a traditional publishing house and get standard circulation--are beyond my budget. So I will try again to attract an agent. But first, the revision. Perhaps the need to work on the memoir revision is why I have no more workshops scheduled at this point. Maybe cleaning up the memoir and getting more agents letters ready to go the first of the year will clear the way for workshop scheduling. I'll try using that as motivation!! Meanwhile, I'll see the white lines curving and climbing in the distance, and try not to wonder where they will lead. Peace to all.

Glitter and small things

All week I have intended to write about the small lovely things in the natural world that I enjoy as the seasons change and before winter sets in here in the Rockies. Then on Wednesday evening friends took me with them to the Denver Botanic Gardens to walk in the lighted Chihuly glass exhibit. Another friend and I saw it in June when the garden's flowers were in profuse bloom, beautiful then, but stunning in a different way, glass gleaming in the darkness. So I'm blending my thoughts between what man makes and what nature provides. The way photos are viewed on my draft has changed so I won't be able to tell what they look like until I preview the post. No telling as I get the script in code rather than the photo!! Here, I hope, is a photo of a small thing that brought unexpected joy as it stood out along the first part of the trail to Finch Lake. I hiked alone--didn't see another person for the entire 7 or so miles, as I'll explain.

This piece of a fallen tree was bright on a dark trail, reminding me that there are always patches of light and inspiration in the darkness. I'm bouncing between relief and a feeling of loss as I toss files from the board I'm leaving and pack up materials for the next leader in the group where I'm relinquishing that role. With the workshop behind me and nothing yet scheduled for the future, with shortened days and the task of dramatically cutting the memoir looming, I'm trying to allow time to both rejoice at what has been accomplished in both groups and turn loose of a need to do more in some way--to let go. The CASA agency, which has been so important in my life for the past six years, is thriving with new work, a new staff and mostly new board members. There has been little acknowledgement of the work that was done prior to the new executive director's arrival fourteen months ago, hard at times. However, I have chaired our Leadership Committee, one of the few our new ED has wanted to have an active role and served as counsel to this year's board president. I was delighted when the retired program manager called yesterday to ask that I have lunch with her and the other former staff member who is in the area. As the board president, I worked closely with them during the transitions of two ED's leaving, and it feels good that they want to reconnect. It was my choice to let go of the leadership role in St. John's healing prayer ministry. I'm best at getting things started, moving the team through the discernment and development stages, and have thrived as the lead trainer for our four new members to be installed in December. I'm hosting a celebration both of our first year praying at our main Sunday service and the installation of our four new team members trained this year. The woman taking the leadership on in January wants to broaden the ministry's scope and has been participating in intense training programs. I'm not sure I'm called to those extended ministries but am glad for her vision for the ministry. Still, it will be different to be one of those around the table at our meetings, not to be concerned about who attends and who is supposed to be at the prayer station each week. For the past two years, I've planned (with help) and chaired meetings two and then three times a month. I'm freeing up a lot of time, it seems! I will have plenty to keep me busy, but the big missing for me will be working with people for a common goal on a recurring basis. I realized while planning the workshop that "my people" needed an expanded definition--one that encompasses all I come in contact with, all that show up at my workshops, all people. That still doesn't give me a team with whom to work on shared goals. Ideally, this could mean forming a team for my workshops--scheduling, publicity and production, but I'm not there yet. However, if anyone wants to volunteer, I'm open!

As I hiked through the woods and up the Finch Lake trail for the first mile, the moss and lichen-covered rocks provided color along the path. Lichen was a curiosity for me as a child. I wanted to know why and how they formed on rocks and boulders at Dad's farm where limestone outcroppings gave me a place to perch in the middle of them. Little did I imagine the years they take to form. It seemed that they took on a light of their own last week as I walked both up and down that trail. I planned a loop hike, taking the Finch Lake trail to its junction with the trail down to the Cascades in Wild Basin. I knew the trail down to the Cascades was flood damaged; however, the sign only said that pack animals and horses could not go down that way. There was a light dusting of snow the last half mile or so as I approached the junction, and it continued in the shady places along the trail downward. Then I took a curve and reached the spot where water flowed or trickled down from the hillside above and found a big washout. I started down into it, looking for a way to reach the trail on the other side. The trickle of water was frozen in the middle of the wash out, and it was a steep climb out on the other side with no clear landing spot on the trail. I plotted my likely path. I knew I could do it. But what if it took a lot of time slipping and sliding up that hillside? I had a guest coming at 5:15 in Boulder and had intended this as a noon - 3 o'clock -- 3:30 at the latest hike. The voice in my head reminded that I hadn't seen another person for the three and one-half plus miles I'd come. There were tracks in the snow, so someone else had been along the trail, but wouldn't be likely to return that way. Maybe, just maybe I shouldn't tackle that washout. But it would be farther to go back, and I wouldn't have the easy walkout that the Cascades trail provided. I turned around and started back, changed my mind and went back to the edge of the washout. No, I really shouldn't. Turning, this time I moved along back up the trail, down the steep trail stairs, through the gently sloping path through the trees back to the top of the first hill and down through the lichen and moss on the steep trail to the parking area. I reached it at 3:35, changed from my boots and headed back to Boulder, a little proud that I had made a safer decision and more proud that I had met my timeline, though next time I would prefer not to rush down that trail. (The photo is down the wash rather than across.)

Maybe this is a time when the longer trail is the best one, and I could let go and not try to rush whatever is next. There are trail companions with whom I can notice the little things but they are few. Last week, without them, it was good to hike alone. And the light shines through the windows and from lamps on the lovely glass I've collected over the years. While it is not Chihuly, it is beautiful. The lakes and mountains remain majestical though the light has lessen and more darkness comes. Snow tops the distant mountains, heralding winter's arrival. The view from the junction of the Finch Lake and Cascades trails is below.