Israel and Palestine December 2006
Bet She'an
Bet She'an Amphitheatre with Oliver
Bet She'an ruins with Yazeed
Clergy united at Bet She'an
Distant botanist next to tree on the Tell at Bet She'an
Nazareth and Galilee
Some of Nazareth seen from St Margaret's hostel
The beautiful Sea of Galilee from near the place where the resurrected Christ is supposed to have entrusted his flock to Peter
The house of Peter at Capernaum; why did they build that church over it?
The village of Capernaum, and the 1990s church over Peter's house
The Sea of Galilee from the Mount of Beatitudes
Jerusalem
Roughly the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane as seen from Jerusalem just outside the Golden Gate, I think
Prayer lamps and pilgrims at the Holy Sepulchre by the rock of Calvary
Armenians start a procession at the Holy Sepulchre; listen. And this is what it sounds like when the Armenians run into the Franciscans. The Franciscans have an organ.
Citadel of David, apparently, Jerusalem
A mosque in Jerusalem with the crescent moon
Sharing a nargileh (apple-flavour) with Yazeed at the Ambassadors' Hotel, East Jerusalem
Snow on an olive tree in Jerusalem
Bethlehem
Walking between the separation wall and the wire fence by the checkpoint on the way into Bethlehem
The view from Beit Sahour, traditionally the site where the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds. Peace on Earth, etc. On the right you can see a huge settlement.
The main door into the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. It's about four foot high, so you have to bow to enter, but originally it was made like that so people couldn't ride in, and so it was easier to defend. There was a big siege here a few years ago, and the Franciscans' library caught fire.
Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
The Desert, the Wadi Qelt and St George Cotzibos
Desert with botanists
The Wadi Qelt from the top
The Wadi Qelt from lower down, with St George Cotzibos on the right. A rare Greek Orthodox that lets women visit because of a command from the Virgin about a thousand years ago
A hermitage attached to St George Cotzibos in the Wadi Qelt. You can see the ladder on the left, and a bit higher on the right you can just about see a small wall. Other hermitages in the cliff had buckets for hauling up supplies.
The view down the Wadi Qelt from the monastery
Yusuf and Sayeed the donkey assist Oliver back up the wadi. They could all of them look a bit happier about this.
30th December2006 —
Rebecca Rushforth