Ethiopia – Addis Ababa

At the airport people are not allowed to wait inside for those they are picking up.

Once settled we headed to the National Museum of Ethiopia in a taxi.

Haillie Selasse the emperor, his robe and chair.

A traditional painting.

We had lunch in the Lucy restaurant beside the museum. Definitely a good choice. We asked for a table in the sun so they took one outside for us. Our waiter wondered why we wanted the sun. When we said we were from the Yukon, he understood.

Jordan -Petra

If you have not been to Petra think about putting it on your bucket list. It is spectacular. If you rent a car, get to Petra by driving the Dead Sea Highway. It is a stunning drive along the Dead Sea, through the fertile Jordan valley, then along mountain roads with more twists and turns and more elevation gain in a short period of time than I have ever driven. The main highway from Amman, which we took for the return trip, is uninteresting, by comparison.

We stayed in the Bedouin Village located at the back gate of Petra. These were our neighbors, who you could hear braying regularly. What a sound.

The back road into Petra. In the distance you can see a square temple in the old city centre and owners with their donkeys on the road heading in for the days work.

This square temple dates to the first half of the 1st century AD

DSC08996 (1)

Heading toward the Monastery the largest monument in the Ancient City of Petra. 950 steps to the top.

Some go by donkey.

Ad Deir, or The Monastry dates to the early 2^nd century AD.

Climbing higher.

Looking down.

The Great Temple Complex constructed 1^st century BC covered 7000 sq meters.

The Royal tombs.

The theatre.

The church built end of the 5^th century AD was destroyed by an earthquake. The quality of the floor mosaics attest to the church’s significance.

Heading back to the Bedouin Village.

The City of Petra on New Year’s Eve.

End of the day – our new neighbors.

Jordan – Dead Sea – Petra

Our trip today took us along the Dead Sea for some spectacular views.

Through the fertile Jordan valley.

From super highway to mountain roads.

Through spectacular country.

Into Petra.

Jordon – The Dead Sea

We rented a car in Amman and drove to the Dead Sea. We saw workers in the fields then selling their produce along the side of the road.

Fun to be able to get pictures of these creatures.

We drove to the Baptismal site on the Jordan River only to discover we needed a ticket to get in. We will search one out on the way back.

At the Dead Sea I took one for the team and went in. It was surprising as the water temp felt warmer than the outside temp which was 16.

Jordan – Amman

We arrived by bus in Amman, Jordan to torrential rain. That, combined with the Muslim Holy Day, restricted our sightseeing. We did get in a bit more Christmas as we waited for a the shop to open to buy a sim card.

The streets we walked downtown were lined with shops selling traditional dresses, traditional scarfs and perfume all around the central mosque and the loud speaker call to prayer.

A view of the Amman.

Israel – Nazareth

On our last day in Israel we climbed the hill behind our apartment to visit the Central Synagogue.

Then we headed back to the Basilica …..

where we appreciated varied mosaics of the Virgin Mary from countries of the world.

The stations of the cross were all exquisitely created from ceramics.

And of course sweets from the sweet shop before heading home.

Israel – Nazareth

Christmas Day began with an Arabic service at The Basilica of the Enunciation, the largest church in the Middle East. The service had me reflecting on the Latin services I attended as a child with my family of eight in our Catholic Church in Canmore, Alberta.

People come to Nazareth to see the churches. With map in hand, Christmas seemed like a great day to search out other churches in the community.

St. Joseph’s Church, built in 1914 is where Joseph once had his carpentry workshop. A staircase leads down underneath the modern-day church to where a cistern and series of storage pits can be seen. This underground level dates from the early 1st century AD.

Cats are absolutely everywhere. This little guy was particularly friendly. Most though are easily frightened.

This Chapel is dedicated to Sister Theresa of Calcutta.

The White Mosque is a traditional Ottoman Mosque from the 19 century.

The Synagogue Church is the traditional site where Jesus read from the Torah scrolls. It is snuggled away in the market district and belongs to the Greek Catholic Melkite community. This one was a real challenge to locate.

Anglican Church of Nazareth.

Mary’s Well (also known as the Virgin Fountain) waters are said to possess miraculous healing powers. Water was not evident here but the well water is bubbling in a crypt at St. Gabriel’s Church behind the well.

The smells and visuals in the market place are always a delight.

End of the day at St. Gabriel’s Orthodox Church.

Israel – Nazareth

Today we waited a long time for a bus to take us downtown to the Christmas parade. We finally decided to walk, thank goodness, as we later learned the buses were canceled because of the parade.

On the way we passed the Greek Orthodox Annunciation Church, St. Gabriel.

The parade was a fun event. One of the highlights was the number of bagpipes in the marching bands.

Israel – Nazareth

On Dec 23 Nassib and Maha, who we met in Istanbul, picked us up and took us to where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount.

Maha and I attended an outdoor service here where the birds in the trees were so loud they often drowned out the priest’s voice! Can you see the little parrot in the tree?

From the Mount we went to the Sea of Galilee where Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes to feed the multitudes that came to listen to him preach.

This church holds the rock where Peter stood when he was declared the chief among the Apostles.

After our wonderful outing we had a traditional meal of humous, pita, eggplant, olives, pickled cabbage, grilled sea bass, grilled bream, potatoes all accompanied by a fabulous salsa and followed by a beautiful milk custard.

Before heading back to Jerusalem we went to the home they are building in Shafar’am, Nassib’s home town and met their two children Hana, who is studying journalism at the Columbia University School of Journalism in New York and Zane, who is studying Environmental Science at the University of Waterloo.

Eating delicious deserts we enjoyed stunning views from their new home.

Israel – Nazareth

Nazareth has the largest Arab population in Israel. Today we tried an Arabic thick milk drink sold everywhere. It was very filling and quite delicious.