Day 1: Monday 3rd Sept. - First impressions of Jerusalem
I somehow lost my day 1 report which is a shame as I rambled on for some time about how good the airplane flight was. I'm not going to rewrite it though as I am still hoping there is a way to retrieve it and I don't want to be repeating myself.
It took a while to get used the sights and smells of a city made up of small cobblestone roads lined with market stalls and shops.
There were people on the streets welcoming us obvious tourists and inviting us in to buy their range of souvenirs or items of clothing.
We saw the Western Wall ( above) a holy sight for Jewish people and wandered around the Jewish quarter noting the difference in affluence between it and the Muslim quarter where we reside.
Please note I have since added to my previous blog to include Day 1 - and in so doing have repeated myself below ... at least with the photo
Here is a picture taken from the plane over Jordan.
The desert reminds me of Luke Sywalker'shome planet in the first ( or fourth) Star Wars movie.
Our first full day at Jerusalem saw our Tassie group of 8 venturing out beyond the Ecce Homo doorstep into the unknown on the lookout for adventure ( and an ATM) .
The views from our accommodation were amazing. This is the view from our immediate balcony. You can see the Dome on the Rock in background and a mosque with it's minaret ( or tower) dominating the shot. Notice the interesting roofs too ... I think the bulge is built to help the cool the buildings ... But I could be wrong here.
This is a view to the West including the dome of the Ecce Homo basilica below us and the a sea of sandstone buildings of the old city.
In the late afternoon we were given a tour of the convent which was fascinating in itself. A labyrinth of staircases, rooms, chapels and a variety of places to view the city. Today we are staring the programme proper and I now have ten minutes to get ready so signing off. Sometime soon I may even invite others to read this blog but I am not sure I am ready yet.
Day 2: Tuesday 4th Sept. - Rosh Hashanah and Basilica mass
Today was spent having introductions and other practical matters in the morning, reading time in the afternoon ... Which was handy because I did very little of the reading needed before coming to Jerusalem. ... Including the need to read all of the book of Matthew ... Then in the afternoon we learnt about the Jewish festival of Rosh Hashanah with a Jewish lecturer, Marcie Lenk.
After dinner we had mass in the Basilica below Ecce Homo - a beautiful space that included part of the Ecce Homo arch. No photos allowed during mass times but hopefully I'll take some later in the course.
Sunset was beautiful though ...
And I found this magic setting on Richard Ross's camera that brings out all the best colours in each photo....
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