ISRAELI Vacation

09-March-2011 thru 19-March-2011

The PICTURES (181)


	Getting There	Weather	Monica's House	Jerusalem
	Arrival	Shabbat	Baha'i Shrine	City of David
	Hotel	Tel Aviv Port	Mount Carmel	Haas Promenade
	Dinner	Monica's	Akko	Monica's
	Monica's	Neve Zedek	Tel Aviv

Getting There

Of course, we HAD to bring stuff like Girl Scout Cookies
and Mac 'n' Cheese (Yellow Pasta) for the kids/grandkids.

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We had a list... checked it thrice.

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Finally, we got to use-up some of our "miles" for some good seats/beds...

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... and the good food!

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Ahhhh, the shoes that kept "the help" coming back to ask questions and gawk.
They're called "Barefoot Shoes" and are made for serious runners and triathletes... like me.

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Somebody's Alps

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And, an engine.

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When we arrived it was Winter (March) and oh so cold (50°F), so everybody had to bundle-up.
Daughter Monica and Granddaughter Aviah ...............

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.... and, Granddaughter Yahel.

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Our Hotel. From right-to-left: "Orchid ... Park Plaza ... Tel Aviv"

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The worst of the bad weather, all winter: Cold, Wet, Dark and Gloomy"
(City of Jaffa in the background.)

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First night and we revisit Belinni's Italian Restaurant in Neve Tzedek. This was a favorite meal five years ago.
We all had a GREAT time, but it's true: you can never go back.

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I had some sort of shellfish pasta (Kosher, of course) that came with a shell cracker.
Yahel couldn't wait to smash my finger in it and wouldn't stop until I "pretended" it hurt...
...which of course was too late because it already hurt like hell.

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Much to Moma Natalie's dismay.

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Somebody else was there to eat!

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Monica's House

Just like Great-Grandpa Dick, some things require extra concentration... and a tongue to do it!
(Sorry, but I HAD to crop out the left side of this picture. Monica MADE me.)

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Day #2 and more of the same.

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Surf's UP!
The lifeguard stand is no longer ON the beach, but rather, IN the sea.

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The surf goes OVER the breakers!
But the class of surfers carries on.

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Shabbat Dinner at Rina's

This is ALWAYS the best meal of our trip.
Edna, sister Rina and Momanina create a feast of our favorite Persian foods, including fissenjune and babaganoosh.

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"Dang! Thought it was a window!"

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Okay, everybody ate dinner so it's time for G'Pa to throw the kids up in the air...
...just to see what happens.

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Tel Aviv Port Area

The old port / warehouse district of Tel Aviv is now an outdoor mall of shops and restaurants.
Great place for playing around and eating.

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Between the port and the park is a playgound. (wow, alliteration!.)

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Not sure what she was going to do with this bird...

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... we had already eaten lunch.

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Maybe too much port, park and playground. ;)
(Couldn't resist. Won't happen again. Promise.)

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I think this picture was actually taken by Yahel... using Saba Rick's camera.
NICE SHOT!

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"Did I hear a camera shutter? I LOVE cameras!"

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"Saba Rick said I can't play with his camera."

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"I'll just sit over here, get away from that old meannie and play with cousin Yahel."

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"Aviah, did you see this picture I took with Saba Rick's Camera?"

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A "thing" for a man in uniform?

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In the 1830's, Moshe Montefiore had the idea to create a railway to help develope modern industry
in the Land of Israel. This area eventually became a main junction for commerce.
After years of restoration, HaTachana ("The Station") covers 49-acres and includes:
22 buildings, the train station, the freight terminal, the Templar Hugo Wieland
building materials and tile factory and the family home - "Villa Wieland".

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Elsewhere in Neve Zedek.
Okay, okay. I get it!

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Okay. These people like stuff...

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... hanging all over their house.

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We thought this very old and dilapidated house looked intersting...

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...amonst its newer neighbors.

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Looking down the coast from our hotel room at Yaffo (Jaffa).

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Well, this place looks familiar. Remember me?

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I'm not sure what I had on my finger! But, I'm sure it was delicious!

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Nice. All four of 'em together.

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Baha'i Shrine & Gardens

"The golden-domed Baha'i Shrine that dominates the Haifa skyline..."
That's what the guidebook says. Tell me: do you SEE anything "golden-domed"?
That's because the Shrine is undergoing repairs.
It's completely covered in scaffolding and "sheets".
Wikipedia says the restorations were completed just weeks after we were there. Great!

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The Baha'i faith was born in 1844 and follows the teachings of its founder Bahaullah:
one God, one human race and progressive revelation of God's will and purpose for humanity.
They also teach: equality between the sexes, elimination of poverty and wealth,
compulsory education, a world federal system and science and religion should be in harmony.

The grounds and buildings are spotless. The Shrine is a place designed for
quiet prayer and meditation where no ceremonies or religious services are held.

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There are over 5-million Baha'is wordwide.
All costs associated with Baha'i operations are covered by Baha'is voluntary contributions.
No other donations are accepted.

The view of the Haifa port from in front of the Shrine is amazing

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The Baha'i faith has no clergy. There are 180 national councils and 12,000 local concils around the world.
They are governed by the Universal House of Justice in Haifa.

And not so bad looking back up either.

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Up the hill from the Shrine are the Baha'i Gardens which were opened to the public in 2001.

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The garden ornaments in stone and metal
are chosen for their aesthetic appeal and have no religious significance.

The grounds are built on 18 terraces; each terrace ranges from 180' to over 1200' wide.
They go up the hillside for amost a mile and reach an elevation of over 650' (think STL Gateway Arch)
As you may guess, cutting the grass is a full-time job and requires some special innovation.

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Baha'is from nearly 80 countries serve on a temporary volunteer basis as staff of this center.
The guy who gave us directions in the Gardens was from Toronto...
the girl escorting us into the Shrine was Ethiopian.

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To learn more about Baha'i, visit: "http://www.bahai.org/"

And, for more gardens pictures, visit: "http://www.ganbahai.org.il/en/"

Mount Carmel

A little further downhill on Mount Carmel, sits the Stella Maris Monastery ("Minor Basillica")
near the birthplace (in 1156) of the Catholic Carmelite Order.

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The dome is crowned with by paintings of Elijah flying towards heaven, King David plucking a harp and of prophets.

The current monastery complex was built in 1836.
But, previous structures were erected in the 12th century, 1631 and 1767.

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Prior to that, a Byzantine (324-638) chapel and the medieval Greek Abbey of St Margaret had occupied this site.
During Napolean's ill-fated Palestine campaign in 1799, wounded French soldiers were left at the monastery.
They were then massacred by the Turks.

Across the street from the Stella Maris Monastery is the Stella Maris Lighthouse Complex.
Now under Israeli military control, photography is strickly forbidden, and enforced!
Sure, now they tell me.

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The original lighthouse complex was built by Abdallah Pasha as a summer palace.
To build it, he used the masonry from the Carmelite monastery that he had first ordered destroyed.

Behind the lighthouse, a winding path leads down to the Holy Family Chapel and then to Elijah's Cave.
The guidbook says: "the path is quite long and steep... plenty of shade... benches to rest on... panoramic views..."
The guy we asked at the lighthouse said "Easy walk. 20-minutes tops".
And so we started downhill on what then became known as "Rick & Joan's Most Excellent Adventure".
Pictures show us looking back uphill at the Stella Maris Monastery... from in "the shade".

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The bench to rest on.

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Still no shade, but a nice panorama.

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Okay, that's Site #1. (We didn't even get a picture of the 1-room chapel.

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And, that's Site #2 we braved the hill to see. Sheesh, no pictures from there either.

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There are few places in Israel where you will see Jews, Muslims and Christians worshipping in the same place...
at the same time. Jews and Christians believe the prophet Elijah hid from King Ahab after having
slain the prophets of Ba'al on Mount Carmel. Christians also believe the Holy Family rested here
on their retrun from Egypt. Muslims revere this site as the "Cave of the Green Prophet" (Elijah).
Inside is no larger than a nice-sized livingroom. Partitions run down the middle for Jewish men and women.
A mihrab (Muslim prayer niche) is provided behind a curtain at the far end of the cave. Christians make do anywhere.
Jews pray here for Elijah's return, the harbinger of the Messiah.
The cave is ascribed with miraculous healing powers.
Personal Note: I don't think the renovation project was a very large entry in the Associations's 1983 budget.

The top of that there hill is where we started walking 2-1/2-hours ago.
(That's another picture of the lighthouse. Ne ne-ne-ne-nehhh)
So ends "Rick and Joan's Most Excellent Adventure". Got a train to catch for Akko.

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Ahmed el-Jazzar Mosque / The Great Mosque
(built in 1781... on top of a Crusader church)

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The Mosque is built on the quarter of the city occupied in the Crusader Period by the
Order of the Knights of St John (Hospitallers).
Even before the Crusaders, anybody who was anybody passed through Akko: Egyptian pharaohs,
Israelites, Phoenicians, the Assyrian King Sennacherib, the Greeks, the Seleucids, Romans
(Julius Caesar, King Herod), Vespasian and prospered under the subsequent Byzantine empire and as the main
port of the Umayyad capital in Damascus. The Knights of St John, the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights
and the Order of St Lazarus all established headquarters here. The city was captured by Slah al-Din in 1187
and recaptured by Richard the Lionhearted in 1191. St Francis of Assisi and Marco Polo both visited.

The mosque's courtyard with palms, flower beds and shady trees.
In front of the mosque entrance is the ablutions (ritual washing) fountain.

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In 1291 Mamluk forces defeated the Crusaders and 30,000 to 40,000 citizens fled before
el-Malik el-Ashraf razed the city and left it uninhabited for over 300-years.
It was rebuilt between 1750 and 1775. And in 1775 Ahmed el-Jazzar ("The Butcher") murdered his predecessor.

Inside the el-Jazzar Mosque

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Khan el-Umdan (Khan of the Pillars), Akko's best preserved caravanserai (inn).
Built in 1785 by el-Jazzar.
Clock-tower built in 1906 (notice the Turkish half-moon and star).

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Built on the site of a Crusader period Dominican order monastery.
Similair clock-tower in Jaffa also marks 30th year of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II rule.

The last time Rick was here, he was serving as a soundman for a concert.
A strange package was found and the bomb squad was called in.
They blew-up what turned-out to be somebody's uneaten lunch.

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The lower level served as rented storerooms for merchants.
The upper galleries served as boarding rooms.
There are 32 granite and porphyry columns 'recycled' from Caesarea.

Kicking back for some coffee at an Arab coffee and hookah cafe called Galilleo and Cafe Tuscana.

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A remaning section of the original city wall.

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Three very friendly Israeli tourists. We offered to take their picture with their camera.

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Us in front of that same St John's Church (Franciscans - 1737), using OUR camera.

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The Lighthouse (undergoing restoration... of course).

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What's left of the Templar's Fortress.

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Once renowned for it beauty as much as for its strength, it was destroyed by the
Mamluks in 1291 to ensure the Christians would never return to Akko.
Whatever was left was further destroyed in an earthquake in 1837.
No trace remains today.

Underground in the cold Templar Tunnel.

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This tunnel runs about 1050' from the port in the east to the Templar fortress (now underwater)
in the southwestern part of the city. It was carved into the bedrock in the second half of
the 12-century and not discovered until 1994.

Through this tunnel runs fresh drinking water... not salt water. Where it comes from, I have no idea.

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The Templar Knights (or Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon) were established
during the time of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem. They started as eight or nine French knights
who decided to protect against attacks by local Muslim the passage of pilgrams to The Holy Land.
The Order expanded its activities and became a formidable military strength with considerable wealth.
The Order also became extremely secretive. Eventually, its grand master was burned at the stake in 1314.

Our long-time favorite eatery in Tel Aviv, I can taste Jacky's shwarma even now!
It's located just off the northwest corner of Ben Yehuda and Mapu Street.
Don't forget to say: "salad, humus and chips (and amba)"

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"We're going shopping!"

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It's either Tuesday or Friday at Nahalat Binyamin (Artists Market) in Tel Aviv.

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Our favorite vendor... year after year.
We should be his favorite customer after all these years.

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Looks like she may have bought something.

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Our favorite jewlery artist (year after year).
Obviously she didn't recognise her favorite customer (after all these years).

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If you ever need a watch battery, look for this store on Allenby at Yona HaNavi.

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I know this isn't what you expect to see when you get to Jerusalem, but the Dan Boutique Hotel
is where we headed first to dump our bags and get a drink. The room was nice, the hotel was beautiful,
the location was just this side of perfect and we can almost reccommend you stay there.

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Daughter Natalie came to town with daughter Yahel to have dinner with us...

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... and a bit of traditional bed jumping.

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Looking west from out hotel is (left-to-right):
the tower of the YMCA, Sir Moses Montefiore's Windmill and the King David Hotel.

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[In 1860 Sir Moses Montefiore build the first new homes outside of the Old City.
Because it was his intention to make the "New City" self-sufficient, he also built a windmill
to grind flour. Unfortunately, there was/is rarely enough wind to turn the sails.
It has never been used to grind flour.]

Walking to the Old City we see the city walls and The Citadel (Tower of David) at the Jaffa Gate.
(night shots from here later.)

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Looking up the VERY steep hill we are about to climb,
we can see the Armenian Theological Seminary and the Dormition Abbey on Mt Zion..

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Thru the Jewish Quarters and on to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) and the Dome of the Rock.

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[The Western Wall was originally built by King Solomon in 961-BCE and rebuilt by King Herod
toward the end of the 1st century. The Dome of the Rock was constructed in 691-CE.
In 1994 the dome was covered with pure 24K gold weighing 175 pounds (donated by Jordan's King Hussein).]

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The St Louis Cardinals may not have made it to the World Series in a while...

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...but in March 2011 they made it to "The Wall".
[Maybe this prayer will help next season.]

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Joan, too, made it to The Wall... on the "girl's side".

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We have been inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher many times in the past. But this was Lent!
There were rooms open now that in 40-years of visits I've never seen before.
This is the main Greek Orthodox Catholicon. I've never been in here but I have been shooshed away many times.

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Being Lent, there were huge lines to get in to the Angel's Chapel and the burial cave itself.

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The church's main rotunda.

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What I believe to be the Greek Cathedral within and under Sepulcher...

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... with its stone chalice on the floor marking the center of the world.

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What may (or may not) be a minerette attached to The Mosque of Omar.
It could also be the tower attached to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

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[If it is The Mosque of Omar, Muslim tradition holds that after his conquest of Jerusalem in 638,
Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab prayed outside of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher out of respect
for the Christian faith. The mosque was first erected in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 19th century.]

The Night Spectacular at the Tower of David (The Citadel).
4000-years in 45-minutes shows the history of Jerusalem beginning in the
Canaanite Period and concluding with birth of the State of Israel in 1948.

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[The Citadel is built of overlapping Hasmonean, Herodian, Roman, Byzantine,
Muslim, Mamluk and Ottoman ruins.
During King David's era, this area was outside of the city and unsettled.]

No photography is allowed during the show so this is the best pre-show shots I could get.
[If you plan on getting some pictures, take them BEFORE the show...
you 'll get herded out right after the show, regardless of what they tell you on your way in.]

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Innovative techniques and a sophisticated computer system operate 20 projectors, 10 video players,
14 computers and 14 loudspeakers. All this in addition to some 10-kilometers of cable...
and two projection rooms.

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See a sample of the show below.
(click on the PLAY symbol in the middle of the screen and adjust the volume.)
(Then, if you wish, expand to "Full Screen" using lower-right-hand icon.)

Get the whole story at: "http://www.towerofdavid.org.il/english/night_spectacular"]

City of David

Walking from our hotel to the City of David tour, looking south. The Kidron Valley to our left,
the Arab village Abu Tor in front of us and the city of Bethlehem beyond that.

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Looking east to the Mount of Olives with Arab village Silwan to the right,
ancient Jewish cemetery straight ahead and Garden of Gethsemani off left.

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To the Christian Cemetery.

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The main entrance to The City of David.

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Built to the south of the current walled city of Jerusalem, King David built his city on a ridge about 3000 years ago.
A perenial water source (Gihon Spring), steep valleys to the East (Kidron) and West (Hilua) converging to the south,
and Mt Moriah to the North (traditional site of the Binding of Isaac) provided strong defenses.

Our English speaking tour group and guide Mordachi (floppy hat).

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Okay. This is an ancient toilet seat found near the Royal Quarters.
Maybe King David himself sat on this "throne".
If you MUST know how this was identified, read what's below the picture.

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So, how do I know this? Well... Scrapings!
They studied scrapings taken from the stone and found "uncooked human waste".
Since the city was under seige and the ashes of burnt furniture was found nearby,
it is reasonable to believe a time would come (after all the available wood was burnt) that food would be eaten raw.
AND! Since the wooden furniture was made of wood imported from Syria, these were folk of elevated status.
It would not be unreasonable for a family with means to have a privy near their home.
Okay. You asked!

Looking across the Kidron Valley at Mt of Olives and the Village of Silwan.

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The Village of Silwan was originally built as a Yemenite settlement in 1885 for the immigrants
from San'a Yemen. It was named Kfar Hashiloah.
During the riots of 1936-1939 the Yeminites fled and their stone buildings were swallowed
up and built over with 20th century structures..

More of the Kidron Valley

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Warren's Shaft. The underground path to the Gihon Spring and water.

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In the 18th Century BCE, the Canaanites hewed a large pool in the rock near the Gihon Spring.
It was then surrounded with fortifications (since it was actually outside of the city walls.
Thru this steep shaft downward to the pool, locals would draw spring water and haul it back up.

Anybody here claustrophobic?

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King Hezekiah's Tunnel - 800-BCE.

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Fearful that the water flowing outside the city walls could be tapped by the Assyrian army,
King Hezekiah diverted the Gihon Spring water through a new tunnel
cut to the southern tip of the city called the Shiloah Pool.
Over 1750 feet long, the winding tunnel falls but 11-inches and was cut using two teams
working towards one another... without the help of GPS.

Back on the surface and headed south to Shiloah Pool.

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Above-ground markers of Hezekiah's Tunnel below.
These markers show where the two tunnel digging teams met.

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The Weill Excavations ("The Tombs of the House of David"?)

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Commissioned by Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1913 to find the tombs of the House of David,
the archeologist Raymound Weill uncovered these rock-cut tunnels and caves
that he believed were the remains of the tombs.
Doubt has since been cast on his theory. Whatever they once contained is long gone.

The Shiloah (Siloam) Pool.

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Not much nowadays, but, at one time covered 150' x 180'
and may have been used as a ritual bath for pilgrams coming to Jerusalem.
Uncovered only in 2004 after a city sewer main required excavations.
Beneath stone ovelaid steps are the remains of an earlier pool dating from the Hasmonean era.

Visit the City of David website at: "http://www.cityofdavid.org/hp_eng.asp"

Haas Promenade

Our last day in-country and we have arranged for a Segway tour aound Jerusalem and the Peace Forest.
Here we are "close" to the meeting spot. There's even a sign on that post.
From here we were told by the ticket salesperson to "stay right. Always, stay right".

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Staying right. Here we stop a jogger and ask if he knows where the people meet-up for the Segway Tour.
He directs us "to the right and just follow the path around and then up the stairs".
Sure, why not. He spoke with a St Louis accent.

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After walking 35-minutes (not the 5-minutes promised), we come to these stairs.
Now instead of being 30-minutes early, we are 3-minutes until departure time.
At this stage, Rick is thinking about an attorney and a cadiologist... in that order.
And indeed, that jogger was right: there IS a Segway tour that leaves from near
the top of these stairs... just not OUR tour!

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Wow, nice rest area. NICE HOUSE!

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Oh wow! WHO LIVES IN THOSE?

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Well, we missed the Segway tour.
But we got to see some really nice sights. This is loooking back at the Old City of Jerusalem.
The people in the houses behind us must be really important to have views like THIS.
[...now I'm wondering who that jogger was...]

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NOTE: walking back we spy our Segway group below us, headed the other way.
It seems where we "stayed right" and asked our jogger friend is where we should have "stayed-left".
The meeting spot was 1-minute from there... had we only stayed-left.
But then again, we wouldn't have gotten all that exercise.

Monica's Before Flying Home

We left for home the day before Purim. Everybody was running around in costumes. Yahel was a princess.
I guess Natalie liked Aviah's bunny costume ears. (I hope that's what's going on here.)"

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"Okay, okay. I was at a Purim party earlier. The whiskers didn't all come off. Okay?"
"You gonna come over here with that camera?"

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Well, Yahel has the camera again. Nice!

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"Whatever it is, sure is better than what was on Saba Rick's finger the other day."

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"I'm not sayin' a word!"

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"Shalom, y'all."

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