Avoiding Reflection

That's been my deal of late.  

Partly, it's been the evil plague that has haunted me these last few days.  Honestly, all I could do was sleep most of the day yesterday and today.  The longest I was able to sit upright at any given time was about 10 minutes.  Thankfully, my bout came at the end of Ceci and Jacob's.  Anyone who knows my children can attest that for them to sleep for huge chunks of day, you know they are sick!


Also, we've been blessed with so many experiences, exposed to such places that most people only dream of visiting.  Even one site could take hours of visiting and processing, and we go to 3 or 4 at a time.  Like: 

Oh, no biggie, let's just go to the Cenacle and King David's tomb and oh, sure why don't we descend to the 3, 000 y/o Hezekiah's tunnel (for more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezekiah%27s_tunnel and for the record my curvy pseudo-claustrophobic self did not dare enter that tunnel of darkness!).  On our way out, we may as well pray at the Western Wall again, along with observant Jews and Christian pilgrims and bridal parties and soldiers.  Sure, why not?


I seriously think I should have a little buzzer embedded in my body to constantly remind me that yes, this is my reality right now.  Yes, I'd better take note, observe, immerse, reflect, share all that I am experiencing.  Out of honor for the gift of our time here, in the name of those who will never come, and for the enduring memory of my children and children's children that they may know the holiness and significance of this land.


Because so much has transpired, I'm going to work my way backward.  At Kev's prompting, I'm going to break it up into a few posts.


After her 3 week visit, Erica headed home Tuesday morning and Julia and Tom left in the wee hours yesterday morning.  Visiting a foreign country, visiting a family in a foreign country, visiting a family with two very active children in a foreign country can present many challenges, and they were troopers.  It was lovely to have them and they will surely be missed!

SO, Julia and Tom arrived early last Saturday morning (3:45ish) and after a bit of sleep, we all piled into the rented car for a holiday in the Galilee.  We had a GPS for back-up, but mostly depended on my navigation and map-reading skills, which I get strange satisfaction from, I must admit.  With a sky full blue and sun, off we went.

On the way to Galilee, we made the requisite stop at the sea level sign.  We all scaled the abstract hand sculpture, (I can't remember who took what pics)

 Auntie and Jacob even rode the stinky camel.  :)  The camel keeper was a hilarious man, who made us all get pictures with our faces shoved up against the beast, who seemed to be rolling his eyes and saying, "Yeah, this is my life."

Onward to Tiberius.  As the land is incredibly hilly and the car was hangin' low, we only did about 60 mph, thus enjoying the long and winding road.  We chatted, snacked, took pictures and sat in comfortable silence.  The kids did wonderfully, and it was so sweet to see Ceci doze easily off to sleep as needed and to observe Jacob's growing obsession with Tom.  :)

Let me say, I've been a lot of places, and this corner of the world is one of the most lush, hilly, GORGEOUS areas  I've seen.  Just when I thought the varied sun-kissed green hills couldn't get any more beautiful---there, just around the curve---more and more beauty.   These measly pics taken from the car do not come near doing justice to the amazingness. 

The Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee!!

I can imagine Jesus learning carpentry in Nazareth, walking the hills of Galilee, sitting on the shore of the Sea with his peeps and teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 


Tiberius on Saturday was a somewhat sleepy tourist town, mostly because it was Shabbat. 

 We sat by the sea, skipped rocks and spaced out.  It's unbelievable that people can pop over to the beach for a weekend stroll, touching the very water upon which Christ walked. 

We shared a schwarma (roasted meat with salad, tahina and fries in a pita), shopped a bit and watched the children dance to the random '90s music playing in one of the open air bars.  Ceci and Jacob both did their own versions of interpretive dance, Ceci's akin to squats and Jacob's to street dancing.  Awesome.

On toward Nazareth, there was a light sprinkling amidst the sun and we saw the most vibrant, clear rainbow any of us have ever seen.   

The next pics are courtesy of Erica:

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Isn't that just divine artistry?


We made our way to Nazareth via Cana.  Cana was busy and crowded and, though I was surrounded by family, I had a sharp pang of loneliness.  Amidst all the travel I've done and all the travel I hope to do, I have never before felt so foreign.  There is something very Lenten in this longing for familiarity, for belonging.  It is the restlessness which propels us toward God, and what better place to come closer to Him than in the land of his childhood?


We made our way through the maze-like streets of Nazareth without getting lost---virtual fives all around!!   After parking in the garage, we walked the cobblestone hills, into the Old City of Nazareth in search of our inn.  It was a quaint adventure, with dusky light peeping from above the walls and narrow passageways, steeped in the scents of food, animals, people.  After a bit of a walk, we came to a miniature door.  I kid you not, this was a magical green door that opened into a gorgeous courtyard.  

Picture courtesy of Erica

The Fauzi Azar Inn, which I found after hours of obsessive research, is a 200 year old restored Arabic mansion.  With stone walls high painted ceilings and a welcoming staff, I knew we had chosen a good place.  (I'll post more pics of the Inn when I get them from the other peeps).


However, there was a bit of a catch.  In the interest of saving money we decided to stay in a dormer room.  When I verified with a staff member a few days before the trip, she said they don't normally have families stay there, but that we could have it.  I of course, just assumed that is would be ours and ours alone.

Ummm....I was wrong.


We were staying in a hostelish dorm (gorgeous though it was).  And there would be a combination of 6 different strangers staying with us.

MEEEEEP!

"Okay," I thought, "We can do this, right?  Uggh....no, I can't face the possibility of simultaneous middle-of-the-night meltdowns by both kids and ensuing half-asleep confrontations with strangers."

There was another room available, but it would be an extra $100 on top of what we already paid, so we decided to make the most of it.

THANK GOD, the other boarders were wonderful

 [although there was an odd German man who, upon coming into the dark room with most of us asleep, stripped down to his birthday suit, bent over to put on p.j.s and....well...let's just say I will never open my eyes in the middle-of-the night in shared sleeping quarters again...]

Anyhoo, the first night we were all asleep by 9:30/10 and by some miracle the kids slept the entire time, even though there was quite the chorus of snorers and nocturnal bathroom breaks.

After our 6:00 wake-up time, we made our way to Tabkha for a Mass on the Sea with the seminar group.  We got to the area just fine, but after looking along the shore for 30 minutes to no avail, we  went to Mass at the Church of the Loaves and Fishes instead.  It was a lovely church, with an inner courtyard that just exuded peace.

And with that view of Ceci's adorable impish grin, I shall leave you until the next installment.

Oh, and if you are interested in the links to my gajillion picasa web albums, please let me know and I can email them to you.

Sweet dreams!