A short walk in Bucharest

January 16, 2019

A long layover at Bucharest allowed time for a bus ride downtown to take a look around. In the early 1980s (during the Communist era) Nicolae Ceauşescu razed the Uranis Hill neighborhood of Bucharest to build his monumental House of the People (1).

Only a few years later in 1989, as the iron-fisted dictator gave a nationally-televised speech from the balcony, there was whistling and jeering from the normally-adulatory crowd. The dictator looked dumdfounded and stopped his speech, while the camera pointed away to avoid further embarrassment (2). The overthrow of the Communist government had begun. It would be a bloody affair (3).

In a small neighborhood across the huge boulevard from the building is a monestary church, All Saints Antim, that was far enough away to avoid the bulldozers. As one enters through a fresco-laden archway, the city noise falls away. The Church building itself has intricately carved doors and colorful stained glass representations of various saints.

(1) By various accounts, the building is the largest administrative building in the world, the heaviest, and/or consumes more electricity than any other building. The building is still there, now serving as the parliament building (a).

(a) Being a bit of a white elephant, no-one was sure what to do with it for a while. 

(2) Even today, it is fascinating to watch the climactic moment of the speech. It must have been quite shocking to those in Romania watching live to hear The crowd jeering their totalitarian leader:
https://youtu.be/t6pvMFfQF50

(3) The Securitate (secret police) later fired on the crowd, while the army switched sides and supported the people. Soon, Ceaucescu and his wife were speedily tried by a military tribunal and executed.

Ceaucescu's Palace

Monastery Courtyard Entrance

Gruesome, but colorful Fresco in archway that appears to depict the Ottomans beheading a saint

Church building in courtyard

Detail of wood door

Stained Glass of St. Mark

I happened upon the Nadia Comăneci Clinic. She was the first gymnast to ever be awarded a perfect ten at the Olympics (Montréal, 1976). The clinic provides services to needy children.

Canoeing the Jordan

January 15, 2019

The day dawned clear and warm, as yesterday's storm had blown itself out. The southbound bus let me off where the Sea of Galilee flows into the Jordan. I walked to a nearby place that rents canoes; there was only one person there and he was carving a totem pole (1) with power saws (2). He thought no-one would come today, but he was glad to rent me (3) an Old Town Canoe, which was made in Maine.

I set out downriver (4) and enjoyed seeing and hearing the birds and the occasional plop of an unknown animal jumping off a log into the water upon my approach. The water was quite turbid, with visibility probably about a foot in depth. The locals told me the water is normally much clearer, but the big rain yesterday washed a lot of soil, &c. into the river. I had to maneuver around a few snags caused by yesterday's storm (5). I saw a group of turtles sunning themselves on a rock, with one younger turtle on its mother's back; they were perfectly still the whole time I watched.

Back upriver is a large site for baptisms. There are river-side seating areas, pavilions, stairs into the water, and fences to ensure the newly-baptised don't get swept away. I kept a discrete distance to avoid interfering (or photo-bombing someone's picture). Ladling water from the river seem to be the preferred method today; full immersion might be a bit chilly for some (6).

From the baptismal site back to the boat livery, a happy white dog followed me from the riverbank, poking his head out each time there was an opening in the brush. While I thought this was pleasant, he was not particularly welcome at the boat launch, as he likes to chase the chickens that live here. Upon my arrival back, there was a large kettle of tea brewing over a wood fire at the boat livery, and I had a nice chat with an Australian couple who were visiting.

The southbound bus went through the Jordan River Valley, with the country of Jordan just across the river (7). Jordanian border watchtowers were sometimes quite close to the road as the river meandered through the valley bottom. The Bet She'an bus stop, where I got off, is about 2 miles from the train station (8). I knew trains left every hour on the 31. I could have rushed to make the 1:31, but I saw a sign for the Bet She'an National Park in the right direction, so I took a more leisurely stroll to allow me to visit.

While I had never heard of the park before I saw the sign, it was definitely worth a visit. The Park contained the remains of a fairly large Byzantine City from circa 400. It was amazing. The Romans/Byzantines (9) certainly built things to last. There were wide streets, grand houses with floor mosaics, an amphitheatre, &c.

I caught the 2:31 train and (with a few connections) arrived back in Jerusalem in the early evening. At Beit She'an (-600 feet elevation), I was in a short sleeve shirt. At Haifa, (sea level), I switched to a light sweater and windbreaker. At Jerusalem (+2,500 feet) it was a heavy sweater and down coat. 

In the evening, it was fun to watch the cats at the Mehane Yehuda market in Jerusalem. They seemed to know when each shop closed and would go scrounging for scraps. One cat was riding a rubbish bin with its head in a box as the bin was being wheeled out.

(1) Northwest USA Native-American style, of which there were a good number already on site.

(2) He was wearing thick ear protectors and was unaware of my presence for a while. Not wanting to startled a man wielding a power saw, I waited until he turned my way to get his attention.

(3) After signing a waiver of course. While I do not read any Hebrew, I'm sure it said that if I do something stupid, they're not liable.

(4) While I started going downriver, there is no current here The river is endammed at both ends, forming a linear pond here (a).

(a) My general rule when there is a current is upriver (against the current) first, then downriver with the current later when you're more tired.

(5) One local told me she had not seen a storm like yesterday's in a number of years.

(6) Having taken a quick dip elsewhere in the river, I can attest that the water was refreshing, although probably warmer than the Maine Coast in summer.

(7) Upriver where I had been canoeing earlier, both banks of the river were in Israel.

(8) Integration between bus and rail transportation (b) does not seem to be Israel's top priority, although the recently-opened (9/2018) rail line to Jerusalem did put the train station right next to the main station.

(b) There was an episode of the UK comedy "Yes, Minister" in which the minister is asked to develop an integrated national transport policy. Some remembered dialogue:
The Minister (bemoaning a lack of integration) "Have you ever seen a bus timetable at a railway station?"
The Permanent Secretary: "Has a bus driver ever seen a bus timetable?"

(9) The Emperor Constatine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium in the 300s C.E.

Cat at the Jordan. 

Note the turbidity of the water.

Rooster and kettle of tea at boat livery

Floor Mosaic at Bet She'an

Main road of Byzantine City

Tiberias/Galilee

January 13, 2019

The morning bus to Tiberias hit heavy rain about halfway there, and the rain continued through the descent to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee (1). It was a real gully washer, with muddy water flowing down the streets.

I had planned to rent a bike and ride up to Capernaum, but the locals advised against this due to the rain, which had washed mud and rocks into the road and which could happen again this afternoon. I therefore hopped on the local bus heading north and got off at the road leading to the Monastery of the Beattitudes, located where they believe Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.

Upon arrival at Monastery gate (a 1.3 km walk down a side road), I discovered they did not open until 2:00. As it was about 12:50, I puzzled over the hedges spelling out "Pax et Bonumi" (2) for a few minutes. When the gate opened, I proceeded to the modern church for a look. I'm sure the view from here across the Sea of Galilee would have been nice absent the low cloud cover.

I knew there was path from the monastery down to Tabgha at the Sea and enquired of the Italian Sister at the Church where the path was. She told me it was through the first gate, but it was too dangerous due to the rain. She mimed walking with her two fingers, made a swish sound and showed her fingers falling. "Take the road" she said (3). I took a look at the path; it was behind a locked gate and the sister had the key. I took the road. Walking down the winding, narrow-shouldered main road, an Israeli Police car stopped and enquired if anything were wrong: "No, just walking." "OK, be careful" they replied" (4).

Tagbha is the site of Jesus feeding of 5,000 of his followers with two fish and a bit of bread and the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes commemorates the event. The Church was built on the remains of a 5th century church that was destroyed in 614 C.E. The location was lost until an archeological expedition in 1932 discovered a few remnants of the church and the (relatively intact) floor mosaics. The current church structure was built in 1984, using the same floor plan as the original church. The 1,600 year old mosaics have been well restored and are quite striking.

A short walk from there brought me to the seaside Church of the Primacy of St. Peter. The site is believed to be where Jesus made his last post-resurrection appearance and entrusted the care of the Church to Peter (6). The Church, built in 1933, is a simple stone structure inside and out and its stained glass has no iconography, is simple inside (7). There is a rock protruding into the Church at the altar where Jesus made his last appearance on earth.

I walked up to the junction with the main road and took the next southbound bus. Soaking in the hamam at the hotel refreshed me as the day ended. While the hamam is indoors, I got out after a very bright flash and loud burst of thunder signalled an intensification of the rain storm.

(1) The Sea of Galilee (a) is 685 feet below sea level (b). I had never been below sea level before (c).

(a) More properly a lake, as it has an outlet (the Jordan River) and is known locally as Kinnerett Lake.

(b) The lake is in the Jordan Rift Valley and ultimately flows into the Dead Sea (i).

(i) A real sea, as it has no outlet. The Dead Sea is so salty because all the salt leached from the land of the valley accumulates in the sea.

(c) Except when scuba diving.

(2) I knew pax (peace) right away, but it took a few minutes for me to figure out  bonumi: "good will." I still had an hour to wait and I had no book!

(3) The path was probably a mile down a steep hill. The road route required backtracking to the main road, walking down some switchbacks on the main road, then taking a left. Total distance of about 4.5 km.

(4) I pondered as I walked who would win a debate between the Italian Sister and the Israeli Police as to the safest route: the path or the road (d).

(d) I think it would be the Italian Sister because she had the key to the gate giving access to the path (ii).

(ii) Although walking on the side of a busy, winding road filled with Israeli drivers is not for the feint of heart either.

(5) Most of the mosaics depict birds from the Galilee area.

(6) Roman Catholic popes consider themselves to be the successors to St. Peter.

(7) Many of the Churches in Jerusalem are quite the opposite: heavily frescoed, mosaiced, etc., betraying their Byzantine origins and Eastern Orthodox roots. All the Churches in the region of Galilee north of Tiberias appear to be relatively modern Roman Catholic churches. I'm not sure why I have not seen any Orthodox religious buildings in the area.

Chistman Creche at the Mount of Beattitudes Monastery. The flashing blue lights had an odd effect

Rain washing down the hillside

At the entrance to the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes

1,600 year old floor mosaic

Seaside Church of the Primacy of Peter

Stained glass at Primacy of St. Peter

Jerusalem

January 13, 2019

The Tomb of the Garden is outside the city walls. Some protestants think this location is where Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, rather that at the Holy Sepulchre Church (1). Unfortunately (and somewhat ironically) the site is closed on Sundays.

I went to visit the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock. I was surprised it was not well signed, with just a small sign in Arabic pointing the way. I soon found out why: as I approached, Israeli Soldiers told me: "Muslims only" (2). 

The Via Dolorosa was nearby. A short video presentation at the Church of the Flagellation provided an overview, and I walked past a few the stations on the street named " Via Dolorosa."

Wandering across the Armenian Quarter of the Old City (3), I exited the old city at Zion Gate in thr southwest. I saw a sign for the location of the last supper. The site is not a church; it appears to be a former mosque that is now under the control of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior (4). The rooftop terrace of the building offers fine views of the Old City and Mount of Olives. The nearby Church of the Dormition, where Mary (Mother of Jesus) died (5) contained a number of evocative mosaics.

When leaving via Zion Gate earlier, I noticed an exit from the ramparts walk. I found the entrance at Jaffa Gate and walked the Ottoman-era ramparts atop the city walls on the south side of the city. The views were quite nice, but few people seem to take advantage of this opportunity.

The ramparts walk ended at Dung Gate, near the Western Wall. I stopped in for look again, noted a number of pigeons roosting in niches on the wall and other nearby surfaces (6), and took advantage of a virtual reality (7) recreation of Herod's Temple (i.e. the second temple) built on the Temple Mount. 

(1) Not knowing exactly where events in Jesus' life happened seems to be a common theme. The historical (as opposed to scriptural) record from this period tends to focus on the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. by the Romans (a). The destruction of the city would have made it difficult to find the precise location of any event from before 70 C.E.

(a) "Jerusalem ... was so thoroughly razed to the ground ... that nothing was left that could ever persuade visitors that it had once been a place of habitation." - Josephus.

(2) It is possible for non-Muslims to access this area of the city through a different entrance, but only at very limited hours on certain days. Non-Muslim praying or religious displays are prohibited.

(3) The Old City has four neighborhoods (quarters): Christian, Moslem, Jewish and Armenian (b).

(b) Armenians are mainly Christian, but have their own Church, unaffiliated with either the Catholics or Eastern Orthodox. 

(4) Celebrating mass is prohibited here except on 3 days of the year, presumably to avoid inciting religious discord that may arise from celebrating a Christian Service at a former Mosque. 

(5) Or fell into a deep sleep according to some accounts, hence the Church's name: Dormition, from the Latin for sleep.

(6) Pigeons are officially rock doves, whose natural habitat is cliffs. When people began to build cities, it was a great boon to the birds, who found building ledges, etc. quite familiar and accomodating.

(7) In this case, basically a movie you watch through a drvice strapped to your head.

Mosaic depicting the imprisonment of Jesus at a Greek Orthodox Church on the Via Dolorosa

Epiphany display at Franciscan Church

In the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem in the "Ho Ho Holy Land" (as the sign says). Note Santa on a Camel above the door.

Window in building at the Last Supper site, presumably indicating the building's former use as a Mosque (there is also a Mehreb in the room and a Minaret on the building)

On the roof-top terrace, last supper site 

Mosaic of Mary and Jesus, Church of the Dormition

Different layers of city walls, from Roman to Ottoman

The Ramparts

Southwest corner of Old City walls

Dome of the Rock, view from Ramparts; Western Wall in foreground

Contented cat at Western Wall

Jerusalem

January 12, 2019

Upon arrival at Tel Aviv Airport, I took a shared taxi (sherut) to Jerusalem Bus Station (1). I had a nice walk to drop off my bag where I was staying. The city was very quiet; I did not even hear a radio playing (2), no shops were open, and there were few cars in the streets. They seriously observe the Sabbath in West Jerusalem.

A half hour stroll led me to the Old City. Upon entering the New Gate, I noticed some shops were open and more people were about; I was in the Christian Quarter. 

I wended my way through crowded covered street markets to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified. The rock at Golgotha is enclosed in glass but there was a hole in the glass that allowed you to reach down and touch the rock. The small altar over the hole was designed to require you to kneel to touch the rock. The tomb from which Jesus rose is also purportedly in the Church. 

Holy Sepulchre Church is generally considered to be the holiest site in Christianity. In an unusual display of ecumenicalism, the site is shared by Roman Catholics and various Orthodox denominations. Judging by the manner in which people were crossing themselves, the crowd in the Church when I visited was mainly Orthodox (3).

Walking through more crowded street markets (and through a security scan) brought me to the Western Wall, the holiest sight in Judaism. The wall supported  the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in response to a Jewish insurrection in 70 C.E. There were a large number of people praying at the wall (and a heavily armed police and military presence), with separate sections for men and women. Ablution stations were available for ritual washing of the hands.

I left the Old City and walked (along very quiet streets and past large cemeteries) to the Mount of Olives to the east. The Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed on the night he was betrayed by Judas, is located here, but the exact location is in dispute.

Climbing further up, there is a Franciscan Chapel. While enjoying the view. I overheard the leader of an America religious group pointing out the East Gate of the Old City as he explained the gate's role in his eschatological beliefs (4). The Pater Noster (Our Fathet) Church, built at the site where tradition says Jesus taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer, is near the summit and displays the prayer in a wide variety of languages. 

The Chapel of the Ascension sits at the summit of the Mount of Olives, the highest point in the Jerusalem area. Christian and some Islamic teachings (5) say this is the place from which Jesus ascended into Heaven on Pentecost. There are altars in the Chapel for various Christian denominations and a mehreb (niche in the wall) signalling the way to Mecca. 

The Mount of Olives afforded a good view of the sunset over Jerusalem; some Chinese Christians sang songs while the sun set.

Walking back as evening fell, I could easily discern the Christian Quarter of the Old City even from outside the city walls: Christmas trees, and lighted reindeer and candy canes were visible above the walls and through New Gate.

I also passed from East Jerusalem to West Jerusalem. The city had been divided from 1947 to 1967, with a small no-mans land in between. I sensed the divide walking along the north wall of the old city as Sultan Suleiman St became Schlomo ha-Melekh St: Arabic store signs and commercial vibrancy early Saturday evening in mainly-Palestinian East Jerusalem, short walk through a quiet stretch, then Hebrew store signs and a slowly-awakening feel as Shabbat ended in West Jerusalem (5).

(1) Being the Sabbath (Shabbat), the trains and busses were not running. I had anticipated this would mean the shared taxis would fill up fast (a) on Shabbat. However, I did not consider that El Al (the Israeli airline) does not fly on Saturday, so few passengers were arriving. After about 45 minutes, there was a bit of a surge, and two sherut left simultaneously. 

(a) Like furgon (buses in Albania), sherut leave "when full."

(2) This was especially noticeable when I heard some music from an apartment I was passing. What I initially thought was a radio playing was actually people singing.

(3) The manner of making the sign of the cross differs between the Western Christian tradition (e.g. Roman Catholic and Protestant) and the Eastern Christian tradition (e.g. Orthodox). The differences relate to how the fingers are held and which shoulder one touches first (left in the Western tradition, right in the Eastern tradition).

(4) His version of the end times goes something like this: the Book of Daniel (b) said the world would end in 490 years, there were 483 years between Daniel and Jesus, leaving 70 weeks (c). Jesus' ministry was 69 weeks, leaving only one week left, but this final week is on hold (d) until the Jewish state makes a deal with the Anti-Christ (the European Union), who will broker a peace deal between the Arabs and Israelis (e). Once the peace deal is reached, the clock will start again and Yeshua (Jesus) will return, blast open the East Gate (which was closed by the Moslems to fulfill Biblical prophesy), and re-enter Jerusalem in Triumph (f).

(b) The Old Testament Book of Daniel, together with the New Testament Book of Revelation, are the go-to books for end-times predictors  and from which the group leader (Bible in hand) quoted liberally

(c) No, the math does not work for me either.

(d) "We are living in a parentheses" was how he phrased this gap.

(e) "Yes, the Anti- Chirst will win the Nobel Peace Prize" he asserted. 

(f) It surprises me that people predicting the end times tend to believe every word of the Bible is literally true, yet they still try to predict the last day. According to the gospel accounts, Jesus stated that no-one except God the Father (not even Jesus himself) knows when the last day will be (Matthew 24; 36).

(5) West Jerusalem began to come alive as shabbat ended: empty buses (labelled route 0) and empty trams (destination marked as "Depot") rumbled through the streets positioning themselves to recommence service; they soon began taking on passengers as shops and cafés re-opened.

At Holy Scepulchre Church, built on the site of Jesus' crucifixion 

The Western Wall

The Tomb of Zechariah, at the foot of the Mount of Olives

Mosaic at Church of all Nations depicting Jesus being betrayed by Judas with a kiss at Gerhsemane. Notice the halos on Jesus and his disciples (to the left), but not on Judas and the Roman guard (to the right).

The Garden of Gerhsemane (maybe), adjacent to Church of the Nations

The Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdelane, another possible location of Gethsemane

Jewish Cemetery, Mount of Olives

Dome of the Rock, view from Mount of Olives

The Lord's Prayer in siSwati

The rock from which Jesus ascended to heaven

Mehreb at the Chapel of the Ascension

Adjacent to the Chapel of the Ascension

London and Sofia

January 11, 2019

I was on a train across London, connecting from Gatwick to Luton Airports. A woman sat down across from me and was trying to organize her luggage, crutch, purse, and coffee. She handed me her coffee to give herself another hand to work with. She was a Brit living in Saudi Arabia who had come to visit her new grandson. Judging by the time of day, I guessed the flight was overnight with arrival in the morning. "Got it in one!" she replied.

On takeoff from Luton, there was a clear sky and the ground below was filled with fields and hedgerows. As we ascended and banked to the left, a memory stirred. It looked remarkably like the scene in The Snowman when James and the Snowman spiral upward from the garden (except there was no snow on the ground today).

I had an overnight layover in Sofia, with an early morning departure to Israel. I set my alarm for 3:30 and asked my wife to call as backup. The phone rang; I picked up but I could not hear my wife (1). It was 25 past the hour, so I got up, took a shower, packed up (2), and went to check out. The clock over the night manager's head said 3:45. She asked when my flight was (6:00) then asked why I was leaving. I was a bit perplexed until she pointed to the other clock, which said 10:45. This was the time in Sofia (at night). The clock showing 3:45 was New York Time (in the afternoon). As it turned out, I had only slept for about an hour and a half (3), then got a junk phone call at 10:30 p.m., Sofia time. The manager sent me back to bed, and said she would call to wake me at 3:30, Sofia time.

(1) It is remarkable how often a wifi call halfway across the earth actually works, so I do not fret when it doesn't work.

(2) I was surprised how damp the clothes were that I had rinsed out last night. "Must be a very wet climate," I thought.

(3) And, of course, my clothes had only been drying for 1 1/2 hours, which explains why they were still so wet.