What We've Been Up To

Grandmothering

Crystal Daving

Overtalking

Chilli-ing

Mom-ing. Mom photos forthcoming. Here is a quote from Mom after attending Kabbalah class: "I thought I was going to die." All I can say is there was chanting involved, the rest is a mystery :)

Scenes from a Visit

A ceiling full of lanterns in the burial tomb where Jesus is believed to have been buried and resurrected, inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Dome of the Rock, viewed from a school in the Old City.

Good friends.

A mountain of spices, or za'atar, in the Old City.

It was giant!

A possible Golgotha, the Garden Tomb, East Jerusalem. See the skull in the rock??

Inside the tomb.

A very peaceful place.

                                                      
The East Jerusalem Y.

Impressive memorial.

                                                                
Amen.

About to walk through Jerusalem's ultra Orthodox neighbohood, Mea Shearim. We did not acutally wear the scarves there, but practiced the religous woman look at home for fun.

Fizzy lemonade with a background of meat. At the Mahane Yehuda Market.

                                                                                            
 Friendlies.

Found objects: lemon from Tzfat and tangerine from the Old City.

Visitors!

For the past two weeks we have been basking in visitors. So many wonderful people all here at the same time! Zac arrived, then Brian and Lesely, then Crystal and Dave, then Lewis and Lisa--all making our time here in Jerusalem better and brighter. They are not all staying with us, but many have slept over in a fun and communal type of fashion. 


But before they got here, we had Christmas. Josh and I contemplated going to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve but changed course at the last minute and stayed home. But I did capture the sunset on Christmas Day:

Also, Brian and Lesley and Josh and I just got back from a trip to Yaffo and Tzfat where we met nice people (Lesley's former students), had massages (Lesley and I), dipped in the Holy Ari's Mikvah (Brian and Josh), and ate at a lovely restaurant named Dalia's (all four of us).  Lesley and I agree that Israel is a vegetarian's paradise, with a majority of restaurants serving amazing veggie foods. There are also amazing meat places, but one does not miss meat when they can eat a stuffed date and Dalia's. 


Happy new year, btw! We spent our new year's eve at Jessica and Derek's place, eating, making human pyramids, and counting down to 2010 all the way from 60. Huzzah!