Dublin to Holy Land Oct 2-10 2018

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Day One - Tuesday Oct 10th - 
Airports ups and downs
I began this trip  by Taxi from Tallaght to Dublin Airport at 0800 on Tuesday October 2 2018. I wanted to be sure to be in time for my check-in at 0955. Actually, I was mad early but it was just as well as my first 'adventure' was about to begin.
(Back in 2002, when setting out for our world tour, our son warned us that things we didn't plan for, and didn't like, would happen, but he said "these are the adventures you will talk about when you get home". Wise words that I'm glad I remembered.)
For some reason, it took me a long time to organize myself to take pictures, so I will include some shots taken later. Here is the luggage I set off with:

two bags and two poles with a 'bum-bag'

As you can see, there is my small black case to go in the hold - this only weighed a little over 7kg, so I was well within the 20kg allowance; then there was my green back-pack with the little seat attached. I planned to use this as a day-bag, and to use the seat if we had to stand a long time anywhere. There was my 'bum bag' which I would wear at the front, for fear of pickpockets, and finally my two trusty sticks (walking poles) to deal with my balance difficulties in open spaces.

Anyway, I arrived at the airport after a pleasant chatty ride with a taxi-man (I promised to pray for him, and promptly forgot his name) - It was a short name, could have been 'Al'. Anyway I'm sure the Lord applied the prayers to the right man.

I was mad early, but decided to check in anyway. I think I wasn't very coherent when I asked the girl about my sticks. What I should have said was something clear like "It's OK to keep these isn't it as I need them for walking?"  What I actually said was something like: "I suppose these have to go as baggage" So the girl at check-in said they should go as "out-size baggage". I was somewhat taken aback at the thoughts of being without them for the entire journey. But (not for the first or last time) I was an "obedient little girl" and struggled down to the out-size baggage area. The man there was very surprised that I had to check them in, but he took them anyway.

Airline labels

Without them, I was intensely aware of my unsteadiness, and then I remembered that I had never asked the girl about getting assistance, so back I went to check-in desk. No, assistance wasn't on my ticket, but no problem, the girl would add it there and then, right through to Tel Aviv. I was very grateful to her.

From then on things went smoothly. I met Adrian, the chap from Marian Pilgrimages who were organizing the trip on behalf of the Adult Faith Group of Ossory Diocese. I was wearing my name-tag as per instructions, and it was great to speak to someone who knew of my existence.
I love travel, and especially I love airports, but that morning I was stressing myself over the temporary loss of the sticks, and I felt Adrian was someone I could turn to if anything else went astray.

Name Tag

Dublin Airport has a special waiting area for people who need assistance, and I chatted to the lady beside me as I waited. She was just going to the UK, and said she would love to be joining me in the Holy Land. Talking to her restored my equilibrium, and soon I was being whizzed towards the departure lounge, skipping queue's for passport control and security checks. Suddenly, there it was, the departure gate for our flight to Tel Aviv, via Istanbul. I was nearly the first of our group to be there, but I didn't mind the wait - I really was on my way.

As the days pass since my return, I am aware, as I guessed I would be, that the vivid memories of the trip would fade, and the details that remain would be those that made a particular impression.
Already, the details of who I talked to at the airports, and during the flights are somewhat blurred and a little confused. What remains is a vivid impression of enjoying the journey, of having interesting conversations with interesting people, of things going according to plan, and time passing more rapidly than I expected.

• I know I watched part of the early life of Andrea Bocelli, and looked forward hopefully to finishing it on our return journey (which I did).
• I remember that the transfer at Istanbul was difficult as the promised assistance wasn't available to me, and of course, I was without my two sticks - but I also remember the kindness of those who walked slowly with me, rather than leaving me behind to struggle alone on the long walk between terminals.
• I remember the bus-journey through the warm night, and not being able to look out into the darkness at the passing scenery.
• I remember being glad that my seat in the bus  - which we were asked to sit in for the rest of the time for the sake of easy checking if anyone was missing - I remember that I was glad that this seat was near the front of the bus and already I liked the person I was beside, even though we were both too tired for much chatting.
• And my final memories of that night was feeling exhausted and that we were expected to get up at some unearthly hour so that we could be in time for our Mass at 0900 the next day. 

As I drifted off to sleep, I was aware of my nice new room-mate, and I half thought of the quote from my calendar that I had brought with me:

Quote from Divine Word Calendar September 2017

Day Two Wednesday Oct 31. Mass at Mount of Beatitudes 0900

I was lucky that the room I was allocated in Hotel Restal in Tiberias was only one floor above the dining room, so I often came down the stairs. That first morning, I was a bit dazzled by the selection of food available to us in the buffet. But there wasn't much time for dallying - soon we were back on our bus, travelling towards the Mount of the Beatitudes for our first Mass together. It was at a little altar under a canopy in the garden of a convent. The weather was now hot, so the shade of the canopy was very welcome. I was delighted to be asked to do one of the readings.

Outside the canopy I could see the mountain falling away below us, and I imagined those people who listened to Jesus words,  people not that unlike us, as we too listened to the same words in the same place. The harshness of the terrain, and the heat of the sun must have been much the same in Jesus time. I would have liked to stay gazing for a while more, but I was learning a hard lesson - Pilgrims have to hurry to the 'next treasure' if they are to get value for all the money they've paid! Still, no complaining - as the Pilgrim's Prayer says: "Lord help me to remember that I am a pilgrim, not a tourist"
As we walked back through that convent garden to our bus, carved stones marked our path, each one inscribed with a different Beatitude. Somehow, my eye caught the one about mercy: Blessed are the MERCIFUL, for they shall obtain mercy. That's what I'd like to be ... merciful.

2. Capernaum - Where Peter lived, Jesus also lived and preached here

Before we got to Capernaum, we stopped at a little church, and I took a photo. Alas, my mind is a total blank about where this was, but I'm making a guess that it is the little church where the lovely mosaics were,

Capernaum

Mosaic at Peter's house (church

There were several Jesus memories at Capernaum - it was at Peter's home that he cured Peter's mother-in-law, and this may also have been where Jesus stayed when he left Nazareth when the people tried to kill him.

And it was at the Synagogue in Capernaum where Jesus promised to give us the Bread of Life.

3. Synagogue - Jesus promises the Eucharist

Artifact from ruins of synagogue

This was one of the places where I was too far away from the guide to hear the whole commentary. I think what he said was that the original synagogue was built over about three times, but that there are stones there from the different buildings. It didn't matter to me. I kept thinking of Jesus as a political refugee, having to leave his home town of Nazareth for his own safety.
I'm not clear what the artifact like a millstone was, again, I missed the explanation.
4. Primacy by the Sea-shore - Peter, do you love me more than these?

My feet and my walking poles in the Sea of Galilee

Going right down to the Sea of Galilee was special for me. Lots of people took off their shoes, but I didn't find a place to sit, and the sticks were essential to keep me upright, so I made a split-second decision: I would walk in, shoes and all (in fact one of the shoes was pinching a bit, and I knew that getting it wet would improve matters.)
An additional benefit was that the wet socks helped to cool the feet.
The beach was very stony and I wondered who helped Jesus clear the stones for him to make the fire where he cooked the fish and shared it with the disciples when they came in from fishing. Maybe he used some of the stones to make a fire-place.
This is the occasion where he got Peter to express his love three times, as if to let Peter make up for the three times he had denied he even knew Jesus.

5. Tabgha - Loaves & Fishes

I'm not quite sure that this photo is actually Tabgha, but I wanted to record these trees. Tabgha is one of the places where I was particularly aware of how generations of churches and shrines obliterate the original place where an event with Jesus happened. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes happened because they were in a desert place and it was too far to the shops to get food. Sometimes when surrounded by buildings, I had to challenge my imagination to make a good mental picture of the event.
6. On Sea of Galilee

St Peter's Fish - no money in its mouth

We stopped at an out of the way eating place for lunch and we were made very welcome. The main part of the meal was St Peter's Fish. You can see its open mouth where Peter found the coin to pay the Roman taxes. I have to say I was very dubious about sampling this strange creature, but in fact it was more than just edible, its sweet white flesh was actually very tasty.

After the meal, we went to a harbour on the Sea of Galilee, and took a boat ride. The day was calm and warm, with no sign of the sudden storms that are common in that area. The people on the boat had an Irish flag and made a big fuss of us. At one point, they encouraged us to get into a big circle and dance Hava Nygila with them - of course it made me think of the people I set-dance with each Friday night in Clondalkin.

Day Three - Thursday Oct 4 Cana and Nazareth
1. Cana - Jesus first miracle

Cana

I found the Cana visit very poignant when the couples present renewed their marriage vows. I really missed Tony being there in the flesh, even though I was very aware that he was there in spirit. But Fr Jackie said a prayer for widows and separated people. That helped a bit, but what I wanted to hear confirmed was that LOVE never dies - that we can call back past loves and relive them at any moment, any time, no matter what current situations we may be in. Anyway, I said it to myself, "LOVE never does die" which helped a lot.

On the way to Nazareth, we made an unscheduled stop at a place the guide called The Precipice. This was a well-designed park with a meandering path that made it easy even for someone like myself to get to the top. 

The Precipice

WOW the view that met us! - Far below us the whole middle of Israel was stretched out, and various groups of mountains lined the horizon. One area we could see was the Golan Heights, where Tony and I planted two trees to mark our 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1987. No chance of re-visiting them this time! A tiny breeze fanned us as we stood there in the sunshine. Very lovely.

2. Nazareth - Cave home of Holy Family

Stained Glass

Ceiling like a manger

This was a big church on two levels. We entered at the top level with the lovely stained glass windows. 

Over our heads, we were told the ceiling was in the shape of a manger. My imagination didn't stretch that far!.

In front of us, there was the lower level, way below us. 

Cave home in the background

It was at the lower level that we were shown what is thought to be the cave home of the Holy family. This time there was enough of the rocky wall of the cave to help us to visualize what the original might have been like. 

Ornamental iron-work

Outside this altar was some lovely iron-work that impressed me.

That day, I had falafel for lunch and it was delicious.
3. St Joseph's workshop

St Joseph

In the afternoon, we went to St Joseph's workshop. Our guide, Motassam told us of the local belief that St Joseph was an older man who had already been married, and had several children by his first wife. These were known as the brother's of Jesus. The idea of Jesus being the youngest of a big family intrigued me. My own grandmother married into a ready-made family after her first husband died.
The guide also said that the idea that Joseph was a carpenter arose from a misunderstanding of the Greek - that he really was a builder and so was Jesus.
I remember that St Joseph's Church was very nice, but I must have been walking in my sleep as no details remain in my memory. I know we had a few free minutes to wander around before going to Mass, so I took advantage of this to take a little snooze, sitting on some steps in the shade, where a gentle breeze cooled me off.

4. Mary's Well
I remember that the water flowed from a tap, and if I'd had a bottle, I could have taken some - but it wasn't drinkable, so I just blessed myself with it.

5. Mass in Basilica of Annunciation 1500

Annunciation

The thing I liked best about the Annunciation Chapel was this statue in the grounds. If you click to enlarge it, you can see her face, to my mind very much as it must have been - bewildered, I would say describes it. Even the angel looks a bit shattered at the news he has to give.
The sermon at the Mass impressed as Fr Dermot spoke about the chaos that erupted in the lives of Mary, her family, and Joseph - then the struggle they had to go through before things settled down afterwards - "After chaos comes peace" was how I summed up what he said and this idea still stays with me.

Sunset that evening was very beautiful

.



Day Four - Friday October 5
1 Mount Tabor - Transfiguration of Jesus -
The first place we headed early on Friday was Mount Tabor where we had Mass at 0900. According to Google this mountain is 575 meters (1886 feet), so many hills in Ireland are higher than this. Nevertheless, the bus couldn't climb the snake-ing road to the summit, so we traveled in taxi-vans instead. It was a bit hair-raising, especially if we met another taxi coming towards us, but again the views were spectacular.

Transfiguration

I must have been distracted during the Mass, as I don't seem to remember anything of it.
I kept thinking of what it was like for Jesus and his three friends, Peter, James, and John. First I was thinking of how little detail is in the gospel account. It just says:"He led them up a high mountain where they were alone." Jesus was used to climbing hills to be alone, so he probably knew this area, but looking at it today, it was a fairly stiff climb - 1886 feet, so probably about an hour and a half to climb (Croagh Patrick is 2510 feet and takes about 2 hours.) Did they climb in silence? What was Jesus thinking as they climbed? Did he know he was going to have that mystical experience of Transfiguration at the top? And what was going through the minds of the three friends as he led them higher and higher? I couldn't imagine what the actual Transfiguration was like, but when I think about Peter's idea of putting up tabernacles to honour the event, I am again reminded of Croagh Patrick where on Reek Sunday at the end of July, people climb with tables, kettles, cups, and stoves to make a few shillings selling cups of tea to pilgrims - and yes, they also bring tents if the weather looks bad.
We had a short wait for our return taxis, then back on our bus to go to the River Jordan.
2 Yardinet - River Jordan - Renew Baptismal vows

Jordan River at Yardinet

I think this could be my favourite place of the whole pilgrimage. Not just because of the exquisite beauty of the place, and the significance of the simple ceremony of us renewing the vows made on our behalf when we were tiny babies, but also because of the little 'blow-kiss' God gave me there. It happened like this:

I was just standing still near the water, when a small white butterfly fluttered past (I felt it was an angel giving us a little message from God.)

Then, as I stood there, relishing that 'gift moment' of the butterfly, something white came past my eyes, and when I looked closer, wasn't it a tiny white feather, which landed on the rock right beside where I was standing.

Little White Feather from God

I was astonished, even astounded, that a little white feather, like what might have come from a white dove, should have handed itself to me, as it were. This surely was a 'God-incident', rather than a coincidence that I should be given this little feather on the banks of the Jordan, just near where Jesus himself had been given a white dove as a sign that the Father was well pleased with him. Immediately, I realized that this wasn't just for me - this 'sign' was for all of us, that God is with us and wants to delight us with his presence, just as I was delighted with that little feather. 

 I found this little video about Yardinet that brought back memories. Click and enjoy

3. FREE TIME in Tiberias
In a way, it was a bit of an anti-climax for me having the rest of the day off. From what I could gather, most people looked on it as an opportunity to go shopping. I don't like shopping. I wanted something 'interesting' to do, like for example going somewhere I could talk to the 'real people' of the area, both Jewish and Arab, to hear their opinions and ideas, especially about Christians who are only about 2% of the population on average, I gather. The guide didn't know of anywhere, neither did the hotel receptionist. So I asked if there was a museum, seeing that Tiberias was a Roman town, surely there would be something. The hotel receptionist told me the direction to go to find a small museum at a nearby hotel. It was the middle of the day and very hot. Also there were very few people to ask if I was on the right way to Hotel Dona Gratias. So after a while finding nothing, I decided to turn back.

T-Junction at TIBERIAS

By now I was starving and the hotel didn't serve food in the middle of the day, so I made for McDonald's, the only place I knew how to get to. By accident, I went to their take-away area. I got an omelette in a bun. When paying, I couldn't figure out whether the conversion from shekels was correct, but I was tired and hungry, so I let it go. When I got back to my room in the hotel, I tucked in, then lay down and had a great sleep - almost certainly the best possible use of my "time-off".
Day Five - Saturday October 6 - 
Journey to Bethlehem
We were called at 0600 that morning - the idea being to be on the road before the bad traffic started. But in fact, this was Shabbat - the Sabbath of orthodox Jews who do not drive on this day, so our journey was actually simple.
The proposed schedule for the day was changed, but I was so relaxed by now, and trusted Motassam implicitly, that I just took the changes in my stride, even though it meant that we missed out on one or two places.

Desert hills

On our way south towards Jerusalem, we passed miles and miles of dry desert, rough stoney ground, not fine sand like the Sahara. In some places, amazingly, they were getting things to grow - a miracle I thought looking at it from a gardener's perspective.
As we drove along Route 90, Motassam, our guide, told us many interesting facts about the places we passed. I made brief notes, so brief that I'm not able to interpret them now as I write. The one thing that struck me about their history is that we in Ireland only had one major 'invasion', Israel had numbers of them, different invaders, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Moslems, Ottomans, British, looting, knocking down and building to their taste, then these buildings being knocked down and replaced by the following invaders.

1. Jericho - Mass at convent

Convent with pea-hens

Again we had Mass in the open air at the convent of the Good Shepherd, where there were pea-hens in the distance, but no sign of their master, the pea-cock.

I was deciding that I much preferred these liturgical celebrations in the open air, though sometimes the indoor ones were also impressive.

2. Qumran caves

? view of Qumran caves

On our way to the Dead Sea, we passed close to the Qumran caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in the 1940's when I was a child.
These documents seem to indicate that a group of Jewish monks left the corruption of Temple, and formed a kind of monastery in the desert. Some scholars think that John the Baptist, and even Jesus himself may have been part of this community. But we didn't get to see the caves close-up, just from the window of the bus.

? Mount of Temptation

3. Mount of temptation
Also on our way, we passed the Mount of Temptation. We did stop here and looked up to where there was a monastery, or maybe even two monasteries, as sometimes the Orthodox Christians and the Catholic Christians have separate places of worship, celebrating the same event in Jesus life. 

4. The Dead Sea 

Pilgrims at the Dead Sea

As we got near the Dead Sea, Motassam told us that the Dead Sea is drying up. He showed us where the water had been up to thirty years ago. I remembered this from my previous trip. Although, Tony and I didn't go down to the Dead Sea, I remember we passed it on the way to Masada, and I'm pretty sure I remember being able to see the water from the road. You cannot do this now. All you can see are the ruins of the beach buildings I would have seen back in 1987

Go in Peace

Well, this was one of our major stops for the day. Many of the pilgrims had brought their swimsuits and got in and floated, and even rubbed themselves with the black muck which is supposed to be very good for the skin. I just paddled my feet (with no shoes on this time!)

Desert blossom at Dead Sea

As we left the beach area, I spotted this notice: Go in Peace, and thought how much this idea is needed in this land of Israel.

5. Zachaeus sycamore tree.

This was in the middle of a town, on a very busy street, in Jericho, I think. (So we must have passed through here twice). Again, we just got to look at it from the bus window.
A man came to the bus selling pictures, and I bought one for a dollar. I doubt that this is the original tree - sycamore trees don't live that long, so far as I know.

6. The "Wall"

After more driving, we got to the edge of Jerusalem and had to pass through the checkpoint in the "Wall". The wall itself broke my heart - I found it worse than the Berlin Wall, or even the Belfast walls. In fact, at 25 feet, it's more than twice the height of the Berlin wall. Some Irish walls are even taller than the Israeli ones at 35 feet.

Grafitti on "The Wall"

On the Israeli side, the wall is plain pristine grey, On the Palestinian side, there is artistic graffiti, very little 'tagging' and some of the images humorous. By the way, I think the red/white marking along the edge of the footpath means "no parking"
Even though we went through it a number of times during our stay in Bethlehem, as I said, I never got used to it.  One feature I was always aware of was the high 'speed bumps' on the road at some distance back from the checkpoint itself. These are designed to trigger suicide bombs. Our bus didn't get stopped at any time, but we could see the guns at the ready in the event that we caused them any trouble. Needless to say, I didn't produce my camera near the checkpoint. I wasn't taking any chances.

'Angel Feathers' in the Shepherd's Field

7. Shepherds Field with Confession

Was I imagining it, or was there a much more relaxed atmosphere on the Palestinian side of the wall? Anyway, we traveled to the Shepherds' Fields where we had a lovely little Reconciliation Ceremony with the chance of Confession for those who wished to avail of it. Afterwards, I went a short distance into the field itself, and sat quiet there for a while. And while there I found several feather's, reminding me that this is a place where angels sing, and let us know that God is near.

I think there was quite a big chapel at this place as some pilgrims mentioned visiting it. but for me, nothing could have been better than those few minutes on my own, close to nature with time to think for once.

Very soon we were on the bus again on the way to our hotel which was called 

Hotel Manger Square Actually, it wasn't exactly on Manger Square, but adjacent to it. To give an idea of the terrain of Bethlehem, I have to tell you that when we left the bus, we entered at the ground floor, and went up in elevators to Reception on the 7th floor. But beside the desk in Reception, there was a door leading out to the street, no distance from the Church of the Nativity around the corner from us!
It was a very posh-looking hotel, and most of the facilities were good. But the food was not to my liking. I have to say that I haven't much of an appetite, and so I have to make myself eat, a lot of the time. Dessert is my reward for 'eating up my dinner, like a good little girl'. Well only one dessert was offered that evening, tiny 1-inch square identical pastries with a layer of nuts as the main ingredient - not ideal for anyone like me with dentures.

Day Six - Sunday October 7
1. Church of Nativity - Mass St Helen Oratory 0900
We were able to walk to the Church of the Nativity where Motassam told us a bit about the history, and about the current arrangement where the Orthodox Christians are in charge.
Mass in St Helena Oratory in part of the complex, was very nice, if a bit hot and stuffy.

St George & the dragon

St George While we were in this area, I spotted a large statue of St George in a glass case. I was born on the feast of St George, April 23, and I have an extra reason for claiming St George, since I am a big fan of Pope Francis and his  baptismal name is 'Jorge'. I was most impressed to hear that he gives ice-cream to poor people on his name-day - in my opinion a great way to spend some of his 'Peter's Pence'.

Gentle St George

But a few days later, I had a chance to take a closer look at the same statue, and noticed to my amazement that George's face is gentle and kindly, even while he is stabbing the dragon.
That's the kind of saint I like - effective and kindly at the same time.!
Info on St George
2. St Jerome Grotto & Holy Innocents
We were down to visit the Grotto where St Jerome is said to have spent many years translating the Greek Gospels into Latin. This grotto is also said to be the place where some of the Holy Innocents were killed and/or buried. Actually, I think it may have been the following day that we visited it.

3. Ein Karem - Church of Visitation

Our next journey by bus was to the village of Ein Karem. As we drove, I was thinking of the Blessed Mother. She walked all the way we had driven the previous day,  from her home in Nazareth to visit her cousin Elizabeth, whose husband Zachariah worked in the Temple in Jerusalem. All it says in the Bible is that she hurried - it doesn't say whether she had anyone with her - the only thing we know is that she was in the early days of an unexpected pregnancy.

Mary & Elizabeth - the two mothers

 How did she manage? did she have morning-sickness? Did she know where to find lodgings along the way? - and then having supported her elderly cousin for three months, she made the return journey to Nazareth for another few months, only to come back yet again, to Bethlehem where Jesus was born (but at least on that second journey, we know that Joseph was with her) 

I was very impressed with the modern statue of the two women at this site.

We saw many young Israeli soldiers around the Visitation area - I couldn't get used to the ideas that these boys and especially these girls at Leaving Cert age were holding these big guns, and presumably were ready to use them if the need arose.

Bethlehem is also known as King David's city,
Room of the Last Supper

Room of Last Supper

Peace between Faiths

This was a big empty room and is part of the building which Jewish people identify as the location of King David's Tomb. I have to admit it left me a bit cold. But one thing I did like as the bronze olive tree denoting peace between the three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Friend of Holy Spirit ...

Finally, there was the delightful distraction of a dove moving about on a window-ledge far above our heads. To me this was a friend of the Holy Spirit reminding us that our faith is about 'living things' more than it is about dead stones and monuments.

King David's Tomb

We then went to an adjoining room where there is a replica of King David's tomb. I liked the idea of these two important places being side by side.
Two Jewish things happened before we left the building. First we were asked if anyone in our group has Jewish relatives and the man who did so, was invited to join in a dance with some of the Jewish men.
Second, just before we left, a fiery Jewish speaker preached enthusiastically to us, I think he was reminding us to honor God, Whatever he said, I had no problem agreeing, but I think he was a bit 'too charismatic' in his delivery for some of the pilgrims.

Cemetery of Oskar Schindlers grave

This is also the day we visited the burial place of Oskar Schindler who was a businessman in Germany during the war, and managed to save many of the people condemned to concentration camps. I always think of him when I ride elevators and escalators as his business still exists and his work lives after him.
We couldn't go right down to where his grave was, but we could see all the stones left on the grave of this Catholic man by Jewish people who appreciated the risks he had taken to save so many people from the concentration camps.
Info on Oskar Schindler

Finally that day, we visited what is known as the Abbey of the Dormition, in other words where the Blessed Mother died and was assumed into heaven.
Info about the Abbey of Dormition

? St Jerome

Actually, I'm not sure that the image I'm showing is from that Abbey - I just like the idea of Mary sheltering us all under her cloak.
I think the Cave of St Jerome is also at this site, and this may be a statue of him, but don't bet on it. At this stage of the pilgrimage, I am a bit overloaded with information, and apt to confuse some of the details. (and it's not even a decent photo but it will serve to remind me of the man who spent years in a cave, possibly with a lion for company, translating the Bible from Greek into Latin.!)

That evening, having heard that the crowds there, normally dispersed by about 1600, I went again in the hopes of visiting the manger in the Church of the Nativity (2). No hope - the crowds seemed worse than ever, so I went for a short walk-about with two of the other pilgrims. I think I found where I had sat all those years ago on Christmas Eve in the pouring rain with Tony. Not everything was as I remembered it, for one thing it now seemed smaller. It also seemed a bit tattier, though maybe  then it was 'dolled up' for the Christmas visitors. The rooftops also seemed higher now - my memory of the soldiers with their guns pointed down at us is that they were a lot closer that they would be today.

Back at the hotel, I sorted out the second key for our room, and found that wifi could be accessed if I sat near the Reception area so sent some WhatsApps home.
The dessert that day was the same as the previous day, though someone had a birthday cake, and the finger of sponge  shared with me was manna from heaven - God is good!
Day Seven - Monday October 8
We were up early again to beat the other buses to the check point. Only one little bus was ahead of us. As we came through to the Jerusalem side of the wall, we could see workers in small groups waiting about. Motassam our guide, told us that the lucky ones were waiting for their employers to pick them up. Others might sit and wait all day, and have to go home without any money if no one gave them work. It made that gospel about the employer who gave all the workers the same wage, come alive - this employer knew you still had to eat and feed your family, even if there was little work for you to do.
St Anne's - home of Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne.

Walls of Jerusalem

We had to walk a bit before we came to the house of Joachim and Anne , Jesus grandparents, where we were met by an Irish SMA priest who talked to us about the very interesting ruins nearby.

Ruins of Pool of Bethesda

 These were thought to be the remains of the Healing Pool of Bethesda where the man who had waited 38 years for someone to help him into the water was cured by Jesus.

Before we left we got to see this statue of St Anne teaching her daughter Mary. Tradition has it that she was teaching her the Shema, that very special prayer that Jewish people say every day.

St Anne & Her daughter Mary

Maybe it was Mary who taught these words to Jesus, and he passed them on to us as the most important commandment; You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

We would like to have stayed longer in this place as Fr Jim was very interesting to listen to. But it was not to be and soon we were on our way to our next stop,

2 Mass at St Peter in Gallicantu

from Last Supper to Gethsamane

This is the place where Jesus was taken after he had been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. I thought this panel with all those worried faces told the whole story.

       I include three images of the cock crowing to remind me of how fear can make us do the same stupid hurtful actions over and over.

I also thought of St Peter, poor fisherman from rural Galilee, probably terrified out of his wits that the soldiers would grab him too - so when the servant girl tried to identify him as one of Jesus friends, in his terror he denied this strenuously. I am reminded of my mother's words about telling lies: "If you tell one lie, you have to tell more lies to support the first one."

This place, known as St Peter in Gallicantu - Church of the Cock Crow, was built over the house of Caiphas. While we were there, some of us got confused and we were going up and down stairs, not knowing where we were supposed to go. I thought of Jesus spending that night in this place - uptight and exhausted after his agony and his decision to let God have his way, being roughed up by soldiers, pushed here and there, in a place where it is unlikely he had ever been before.

Mass site at house of Caiphas

 Eventually, we came to where we should be and celebrated our Mass together, again in the open air in a beautiful setting - painfully beautiful in the context of the history of the place. As you look through the trees left of the centre of the picture, I could see the Golden Dome which for me is a reminder of how separated we people of the book are - Jews, Moslems, and Christians.

Jesus dragged by soldiers

This last panel showed what was to come for Jesus the following morning, after him having little sleep on account of being tormented by the soldiers during the night.

3. Pater Noster/Ascension Church

Our Father in Irish

One of the first things we wanted to see when we came to this church was the plaque with the Our Father on it in old style Irish.
The part I photographed is my favourite part: Na lig sinn i gcathu, ach saor sinn o olc which I translate from the Irish to mean: Don't let go of us in the battle, but free us from badness.(Gaeligoiri can correct my Irish if they wish!) Actually, the real plaque is black on white, but green is my favourite colour, so I added it for Ireland.
More info about this church here

? St Joseph

There was also an unnamed statue here which I thought looked like St Joseph without his staff. It seemed to me to be a nice thought that Jesus would have got his human ideas about what God our Father is like from the step-father who took such good care of him as a boy.

4. Mount of Olives

There is a little Church called Dominus Flevit (the Lord Wept) on the Mount of Olives.

Window at Dominuc Flevit

This is the place said to be where Jesus looked down on Jerusalem and the temple and cried because the people wouldn't respond to his call. He said: How many times I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me! 

The guide confirmed for me the memory I have from thirty years ago, that this window used to be un-glazed, but he said "the rain used to blow in, so they put in glass"

When you look out the window, you see the view Jesus would have seen with the Golden Dome on the Rock marking the place where he would have seen the Temple that was going to be destroyed.

Jesus view of Jerusalem

You can see the clouds - apparently the local olive trees need a heavy downpour before they are fit for harvesting around this time of year so the people are now longing for rain at the moment. Sadly as they wait, some people rob the fruits as a way of telling the farmers they are not welcome in the area.

Ancient Olive trees - ?2000 years old?

This is one of the very old olive trees that they say would have been growing here in Jesus time. When I was here the last time, this area was wild, but tourists have been cutting pieces off the trees, nearly killing them, so now it is a fenced in garden, very well tended, but probably not quite like Gethsemane was when Jesus and his friends used to come here.

Here you can see a gardener working the soil which seems fertile enough. Maybe he is also guarding the olives.

Crusader Cross

As we left the Garden of Gethsemane, on the door  we saw the emblem of  Crusader Cross. There are five crosses, and different meanings are given to them

• The Five Wounds of Jesus
• The Five Gates of Jerusalem
• Jesus and the 4 Gospels
• Five Crusader countries, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain

I'd often seen this cross before, and wondered what it meant.

We had some spare time when we got back to the Hotel. Very determinedly, I decided to go the the Chruch of the Nativity (3) yet again for my third time. It was mid-afternoon, and I said to myself, "If I have to wait till midnight, I'm going to get in this time. So I joined the queue.

45 minutes Wait.

As I stood there, a nearby guide was talking in English, so I got a bit of input. Then I passed some more time looking at the renovations that are taking place inside the building - they were restoring what can be fixed, and cleaning up other surrounding areas.
Of course I indulged myself with a bit of 'people-watching' also, trying to guess people's state of mind by looking at their body-language. There was a lad of about twelve of so near me who didn't look very happy at the long wait. I wondered whether this experience with deepen his faith!

Eventually, we went through a door, but only into another chapel from which the steps went down to the grotto in the crypt beneath us. People around me were very kind, and made sure I didn't slip on the shiny steps polished by the feet of thousands, even millions of pilgrims over the years.

Nativity Photo

Eventually, I was down - I knelt as best I could, took a photo that shows nothing?, kissed my fingers to the star, and was out the door before I knew where I was.

It was only later that I realized there was also a crib to be seen - but wherever it was, I missed it. I looked at my watch - the wait had only been about 45 minutes, the visit itself, about a minute at most. Still I was glad I'd made the effort. In the end, it's about the spirit of the place, not about the bricks and mortar, and I felt blessed by that spirit.

Angel near St Helen's oratory

I didn't feel like rushing back to the hotel, so I wandered about, found Mass was on in English in the adjoining Church of St Catherine so I waited for that and later took a photo of an angel,

Jewish St Joseph

 I also found another nice picture of St Joseph with the scrolls of the Torah, which of course he would have taught to Jesus.



Only then I returned to the hotel where I had a delightful sleep before our evening meal - with  some nice sponge cake for dessert, so that was an extra pleasure.
Day Eight Tuesday October 9 Last of Pilgrimage

Via Dolorosa

I've just been looking at the booklet, and reading what it says we will see along the Via Dolorosa. In fact I remember none of that. We were moving along at a fair speed, and I was often near the end of the group, therefore not hearing the explanations.

Each station was marked with a black circular plaque, and usually had the title of the station in English somewhere nearby

VI Station

We had what Motassam called our 'whispers' in our ears - these were some kind of walkie-talkie device through which we could hear his commentary, even if we were not right beside him.

 However we needed to be relatively near him - and I rarely was. But in a way, it didn't really matter - indeed maybe it was more like the journey of Jesus - going at a maximum speed for my ability, and not really knowing where I was going.

VII Station

It's a good job the group stopped and prayed at each of the stations as we went, otherwise I might be still trying to find my way out of the maze of tiny narrow streets with their doors open, their lights on, and their tables displaying items they would have liked us to buy, if we hadn't been trotting along at such speed..
Holy Sepulchre

Entrance to Holy Sepulchre

Eventually we reached Holy Sepulchre - the Mother Church of Christianity, but not very impressive. We were warned not to take photos inside because whichever of the Christian groups were in charge here were very strict about photos and videos. So of course, like a good little girl, I did what I was told until the very end when I reckoned that it wouldn't matter if they threw me out at that stage.

Preparation slab

The first thing we saw when we entered the building was this slab of rock, with lamps hanging over it. When I got home, I looked it up on Google - turns out it is supposed to be the slab where Jesus body was prepared for burial before it was placed in the tomb.

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The actual Sepulchre Church seems surprisingly small when you first come in. It's kind of square with huge pillars supporting a dome. Under the dome is a smaller building like a box and it's inside this that you can touch the slab that is over the place where the Body of Jesus is said to have lain the night before he rose from the dead. I'd say we had to queue for an hour or more before we could enter, just about eight of us at a time, and like the Manger, just for a very few minutes. Still, it was quiet and reverent, and I was glad to be there.

As soon as we came out of there, we formed another queue to go upstairs where there is a shrine over the rock of Calvary. Another long long wait, but somehow, it was also a time for reflection and prayer. I kept thinking of the Blessed Mother, and how long she waited at this place as Jesus slowly died in front of her.

What we sometimes forget is that Golgotha, was a rubbish dump outside the city - imagine the smell and the heat and the flies, both for Jesus and the little group standing by him - as if the pain and the blood and the jeering and taunting weren't enough - I knew what it smelled like as we had passed by a smelly rubbish-dump the previous day on our way to Schindler's grave.

As we waited, Greek monks were singing a very long piece of music. Eventually when they finished, we each got to kneel for a moment and reach under the Calvary altar - I didn't know what I was to do, but later at home on Google, I realized there was a way I could have reached down through a hole in the marble to the original rock below. Never mind, I had been to the place, and that is what matters.

Jesus meets Mary

Immediately after we left the Calvary area, we came downstairs for our last Mass together, at Chapel of Jesus meets his mother and again, I had the honour of reading alongside the same pilgrim who had shared the readings with me at the first of our Pilgrim Masses. It was a lovely Mass, very poignant with stations of the cross along the wall, and the bronze of Jesus meets our Blessed Mother beside the altar.

Stations of the Cross

Elizabeth Cleary - Echo on Tour.

When we came outside into the sunshine again, I got my photo taken with our local paper as they have a section called 'Tallaght Echo on Tour' - perhaps I'll get a moment of fame.

The Ladder

The Ladder
Before we left the area, I took a picture of The Ladder.

As with many other things, I didn't hear the guide's full explanation about this ladder and how it comes to be here for nearly 300 years. Google led me to the following explanation. - Info re ladder - and I thought to myself: "I know the Irish are mad, but not quite this crazy!"
The Western Wall
When we left Holy Sepulchre, we headed straight for the Western Wall. This used to be called the Wailing Wall, but was renamed after the battle in which it was regained in 1967. I had my little prayer all prepared, but when I got there, I couldn't find it, so wrote another one. The custom is that men go to the left area of the wall, and women to the right.

Bunch of Prayers at Western Wall

Women at the Western Wall

While there, we found that women walk backwards as a sign of respect for the wall. We did the same .

Motassam the Guide & Elizabeth

I got this picture taken with Motassam, our guide in the area of the Western Wall - even now I am wondering whether I got his name correctly - my apologies, friend, if I did not - and many thanks for the way you added so much to my pilgrimage experience. May God Bless you




Back at the hotel, we had our evening meal - actually our last meal together as we would only get tea and biscuits before we left in the morning. I was very tired, so went to bed to get  at least a few hours before I would be up and on the road again. But I heard later that I missed a great sing-song to finish off our time together. Ah well ...
Day Nine Wednesday October 10 - Back to Ireland

The journey home was pretty uneventful for me. I made sure I was give assistance at the three airports, though one of the other pilgrims who needed it was not so lucky.

Turkish Airlines

On the first plane, I met a lovely Jewish lady from the States, and we found we had much in common. To me she was a gift from God to make up for the fact that I didn't have a chance to talk to 'real people' over the pilgrimage days (Yes, I know the other pilgrims were 'real people', but we were in our tourist bubble, and therefore remote from real life for these special days.)

At Dublin, I was put sitting in the business class area of the plane while waiting for my wheelchair, and as they passed by me, each and every pilgrim shook my hand and said "Good bye and God Bless". It was just lovely, and the cabin steward remarked how beloved I was - that sums it up. These people from Ossory made my day, every day. May God bless them all.

Still it was great that the chap with the wheel-chair whisked me past all the 'controls' and even wheeled me out to my daughter's car. The end of a perfect trip.
ENDS