The morning was dedicated to Mathew and I have to admit the first hour I was fighting off sleep ... Not the only one I am happy to admit... It's not that the topic isn't interesting ... It is ... But it must be a combination of the heat and the concentration needed to understand Pino's English at times. I decided to try chewing gum for the next hour ... 'Mike Delaney swears it is the only thing that keeps him awake when driving long distances ... and even though I am hoping none of my Croagh Patrick students are reading this .... But it really worked .
The next two sessions I was wide awake and chewing as discreetly as a cow chewing it's cud .. ie.not very discreetly at all.
After lunch Joe and I went for a walk and explore the Old City a bit more. I sought out the 10 shekel scarf shop and it turned out that was for the 'Made in China' scarves. Israel scarves were 80 shekels. Twice the cost of the ones from the other day. We haggled for a bit, but couldn't agree on a price, so it was "no deal" . Another guy pretended I dropped something and went to pick it up for me before starting a conversation with me ... "Where do you come from? " and then a story about Australia.... Etc etc. We didn't spend much time in the suq (street market) today.
Here is a photo I have prepared earlier. Note the lack of stiff pose. Actually it is an action shot ... As my friend Maria says ..."engaged in spontaneous acts of life"Found the Upper Room , as did a number of tourist groups around the same time. Took a couple of snaps but didn't linger.
The upper room, allegedly the place of the Last Supper.
A piece of sculpture in the upper room.... I really don't know what it is though ...as perhaps my gesture suggests.Sat for a while in the Jewish quarter with an ice cream and a coffee. Before heading back for a couple of hour lectures on Matthew's gospel from a Jewish perspective. The general gist of this was Matthew's gospel was both very Jewish and had been interpreted through history as very anti -Jewish. Some very interesting discussion followed. I'll say no more , except to say that I should have been more silent on the matter I think.
That's about all for today. We need to get ready for Galilee tonight and a 5 am rise in the morning so I might try for an early night.
Until tomorrow when hopefully I will have much more to say.
15481@8.51
Sounds like the Santamaria genes were working this day Pete! i.e.'The gift of the gab'! Loved to have been a fly on the wall...lol
ReplyDeleteSo some unknown pretended to you, that you had dropped something!, sounds like a pick pocket, while you were distracted. Probably good you didn't spend too long in the sup.
ReplyDeleteI can see now why they chose you to go on the pilgrimage. Sounds like you left them with more questions than they could answer.