busy, but good

we have had visitors from denmark, a trip to jerusalem, a brief meeting with summer warmth and the beach, spring flowers. it's been a busy and good month.

hope you're enjoying these days too.

kisses in jerusalem

neshikot - kisses - from the jerusalem market back in august. i don't really like them, but they do look pretty.

we're on the last days of our vacation. there's fall in the air. middle eastern fall. meaning we're pulling out the long sleeves for the evening. i don't mind this change. it feels good.

happy weekend.

after the zoo

at the end of a long day in the jerusalem zoo with the sweetest aunt. hanging, hiding and cooling off with "artik".

last time i was in the jerusalem zoo was when little D was only a couple of months old and the older boys not even two. i remember being tired from running after the twins, trying to get them interested in the animals when they'd much rather just run or climb around.

with that in mind i felt a bit sorry for all of us new parents that are trying so hard to get out and about with the little ones, giving them great experiences and adventures. really, most of the time a not-even-two year old just wants a playground, a stroll, a park, beach or maybe - and really simple - home. i know they learn and experience when we take them to museums and zoos and all the other things, but really, it is just so much better to do these kind of things with children that are a bit older and participate, ask questions, have opinions, and really remembers.

good stuff

i now have a laptop. i never had that. weird, i know, considering i have worked in hi-tech and internet for so long. which might be the reason, since a) i was really tired of sitting in front of a computer by the time i got home, and b) i work laptops (not the cool one though, it seems to me that marketing people often end up with the crappy old ones, because the business and product people need the newer, cooler and better ones. or maybe i was just unlucky).

anyway, i now have my very own. and as i was putting in some photos from the summer and fall, i found these. from the market in jerusalem back in august. and i thought they were funny.

wishing you a wonderful weekend with lots of fun.

grand scales

we have been celebrating rosh hashana - the jewish new year. lots of fun, beach, bbq, dinners, garden and pure relaxation.

today a new week begins, and i'm off to ikea (wish me luck). pictured above are the wall when entering the exhibition of the dead sea scrolls at the israel museum in jerusalem, and the sun setting at our local beach. sometimes grand scales sooth the eyes just right. have a wonderful week :)

corner view - front doors

front doors in the old city bazaar of jerusalem, the city of gold. i always wonder what's behind those doors.

open more front doors via jane of spain daily

now, if you'll excuse me as i go open my front door to go pick up my three little ones. have a sweet corner viewing day.

sanctum sepulchrum

these are from the church of the holy sepulchre. it's a fascinating place. first, it's really hard to find, as it hides inside the market in the old city of jerusalem. most people end up having it pointed out "yes, it really is that tiny gate at the end of this little market street, right up there in the corner". you can see the gate up there in the second photo, small and insignificant, but when you enter the church looks enormous as it rises high towards the sky.

the world is a strange place, and where i live it's a little bit stranger than most places. personally i think jerusalem is the epicenter of this strangeness. where the dead cat is buried. this city has created so many wars, so much hatred, so much hostility through centuries. back in the middle ages it was christian and muslims. then over time the crusaders gave up and the christians settled with just being present. today the hostility is, which you all know, mainly between jews and muslims. but that doesn't mean that the christians can't throw a good old fight once in a while.

passion has two sides and so, as in most cases where hate grows and explodes, there is also love. jerusalem is treasured and sacred to millions and millions of people all over the world. the christians because this is where jesus sacrificed himself on the cross, for the jews because this is the site of the temple, where now only the wall of the second temple is left and feeds the dreams of a third temple and the coming of the messiah. and for the muslims it is the al aqsa mosque, the third most important site in islam where the prophet muhammed is said to have held prayers.

the receipt for trouble and worldwide instability: place the most beloved sites of three major religions on the same tiny tiny spot of this big earth of ours . can someone please fire the city planner?

back to the church. this church is really old, it dates back to the 4th century where the first version was built under the supervision of helena, the mother of emperor constantine. her son had put her in charge of building churches on the places that had been of importance in the life of jesus. and this exact spot was believed to be golgatha, the place where jesus got crucified. it is also the place of the stone, where it is believed jesus was placed before his funeral after he was removed from the cross. people today come to pray here and place their belongings on the stone like the book and candles in one of the photos above. the church also contains the place where jesus was said to be buried. which would be that little black building within the church itself in the second photo from the bottom. there's long line to get in, and it's tiny and the air is heavy from inscent and candles.

this church is the final destination on a walk you can do through the old city through the via dolorosa, the road jesus walked while carrying his cross. even for someone like me, not really religious that is, it is quite extraordinary and overwhelming. because you stand there in the middle of it all, all the stories you have heard all your life. and you feel that it really did happen, it's like the bible comes to life before your eyes. and then some people go crazy. like in really, seriously and clinically defined nuts. it's called the jerusalem syndrome.

but that's not all. the crazy can also be found inside the churches, this church in particular. see, the church is shared by many different christian churches and secular entities. there is a very complicated, but also very precise, physical division of the church space, which has led to many a fist fight between the monks and other caretakers.

like back in 2002 on a hot summer day where a coptic monk moved his chair from its agreed placement on the roof into the shade. bad news. see there's always a coptic monk at this place to show the coptic claims to the ethiopian territory. so the move was considered hostile by the ethiopians. and thus by the end of the fight, eleven monks were hospitalized. things like this happens quite often. i kid you not.

the frictions between the groups also make it hard to renovate the church. the individual groups take good care of their own areas, but they cannot agree on the so called common grounds. see that ladder up there? just under the right window on the church front in the top photo? that balcony where it stands is common ground. back in the middle of the 19th century it was decided to renovate the area, but then disagreement broke out and the work was put on hold. till this day, and no one wants to touch the ladder as it could be interpreted in the wrong way. and so it stands. like it does in old paintings of the church, dating back more than 100 years.

so, that's jerusalem to you. it's the twilight zone between passion and insanity. and i didn't even get to the western wall. with the al aqsa on the top. but it is also a beautiful, magnificent and tense experience. you feel the magic in the air, in the buildings..

i have a couple more posts planned with photos from my recent trip. just be patient with me, there are so many photos to sort through. because in jerusalem every place you look is worth a photo.

this was a long one. class dismissed, now go have a lovely weekend.

in the city of gold

we took the day of. the kids, my parents and i went to jerusalem to meet D's younger sister who lives there. we walk through the old city bazaar. it is an absolute tourist trap, especially religious tourists, but nevertheless, it's fascinating and there are so much to look at. we made stops in some churches and at the wailing wall, watched the amazing view over the "city of gold" as the sun set and reflected in the yellow sand stones of the city and the gold of mosque roofs, giant menorahs and crosses reaching for the sky.

it was a great day. there's no traffic in the little streets of the old city and it's a colorful potpourri of race, ethnicity, culture, religion and ages - people as well as buildings.

we are exhausted now, in our minds, bodies and souls. in the good way.

more photos to come...