Day 4: Jerusalem

Despite being on my fourth day in Jerusalem, this was the first day I had officially planned any activities.  For the first three were travel, getting settled, and then Shabbat.  Today, I had plans to go to the Palm Sunday procession from the Church at Bethphage, the Mount of Olives, to the Church at St. Anne's, within the walls entering through the Lion's Gate.  I knew this was a four to five-hour procession, with thousands of people, and it was really something I was interested to do, despite not really being a big fan of crowds.  But, hey, you only live once!

I began plotting out this event because it would require me to take several buses to reach the Mount of Olives.  It was in the Arab/Muslim controlled part of Jerusalem, and that was also a bit thorny.  I decided to just go for it.  I tried to read up and research the "ritual" for the bus-- where to get tickets, etc.  Apparently, there is a lot in flux still in Jerusalem, and buying what's called a Rav Kav ticket is not quite as easy as I thought.  I decided not to overthink it and that I would just figure it out as I went along -- you know -- wing it!

So, I walked to my designated bus stop, boarded the bus, and the bus driver was very cool, he gave me further directions, and sold me a Rav Kav "anonymous" ticket (meaning, it's for monthly passes, etc., but you don't need ID) right on the spot.  I followed his directions, changing buses at the first designated spot, and then I reached the Damascus gate, where I was supposed to board the bus numbered 255 for the 17 stops out to the Mount of Olives.  When I got off at the gate, there was a crush of cars, buses, etc., but no bus stop.  Some older men pointed me towards the Muslim minaret, and said, "there is the bus depot to the Arab quarter."

I walked over and needed to purchase a different ticket because the Jerusalem bus system is different than the Arab bus system.  I boarded the bus and realized I was literally the only non-Muslim on the bus.  I brushed it off.

As the 50-minute bus ride wore on, I felt increasingly uncomfortable, looking at the landscape.  It was SO Muslim.  Yes, so Muslim.  I began to worry.  What if I get off at the wrong stop? I shuddered.  Thoughts of mayhem began to creep into my mind.  I felt a few butterflies of fear in my belly.  I stared straight ahead, as the Muslim man behind me stared hard at me, his expression was inscrutable.  I tried to think of nothing.  A moment later, an older, very well-dressed woman, NOT in Muslim hijab or garb of any sort, also sat staring at me.  She was also a Muslim, but different.  What did she want? She stood up and wobbled over to me, and asked, "Are you going to the procession?" I nodded.  She said, "Good me too." She looked at the Muslim man who was staring and said something sharp sounding to him in Arabic.  He looked away.  She turned to me and said, "We Christians have to stick together. We are the minority here."

A few minutes later she said, "This is our stop." I could see the church and the crowd, and I felt a tremendous sense of relief.  We unboarded and parted company, as she was going to the convent to visit her sister.

I walked into the complex, and it was awash with color and happy singing, and faces of all colors and ethnicities.  I felt a wave of happiness wash over me -- just look at all these different Christians, different sects, but here they were, happy and joyful for the day!  I walked around and saw a little restaurant area.  I ducked in to grab a cup of coffee because the restaurant was surprisingly empty.  As I did, I saw two Arabic women sitting in the corner, chatting.  When I approached, I heard them speaking English, very well.  I don't know what possessed me, but I walked straight up to them and said, "Hello! Where are you from?" The stopped and looked at me and smiled, and said, "Canada before, but now we live here, in Bethlehem. And you?" I said, "I'm from America--the Northeast, in Pennsylvania." They became enthusiastic - "We know Pennsylvania!" They grabbed another chair and said, "Please, join us!"

And so, that started my day with Gladys and Nargys, my two new Arabic Christians friends from Bethlehem.  We stayed together the entire day, walking the procession and chatting and laughing.  They told me about their families, their travels, their hobbies, and I did the same.  We showed photos of our children, grandchildren, family, pets.  They laughed and told me the cultural idiosyncrasies of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.  They were solemn when they told me of the persecution they suffer for being Arab Christians.  They each spoke four languages, and I was amazed at them.

We walked along with the Arab Christian section.  They sang their songs in Arabic -- and it was melodic and relaxing.  They laughed at some of the others with their crazy antics, and I appreciated that too.

We finally made it to the Lion's Gate, with us making entry, and people throwing rice and flowers on us in joy from the balconies above.  It was close to mayhem with different groups all trying to "out sing" each other in different languages.  The procession made a turn into the courtyard of St. Anne's to regroup.  We decided we would not stay on for the additional hours of singing and festivities, as we had been traveling for four hours, and we were hungry and needed a restroom.

We went on into the Arab section behind the wall, stopping to haggle for this and that, and then Gladys and Nargys treated me to an authentic Arab dinner.  We ate a delicious dish called "knafa" -- which was goat cheese and candied nuts.  It was really amazing, and they gifted me with some to take home, as well as two loaves of sweet bread that Nargys insist I try.

Finally, Gladys said her husband was meeting her at the Damascus gate and kissed us both goodbye.  I traveled on with Nargys, as we rode the bus back -- I got off at Machane Yehuda, and she went on to City Center, to catch the bus to Tel Aviv for the evening.  We had exchanged information earlier, and they had very kindly offer me to come to Easter dinner at their mother's home in Bethlehem.  I told them I would consider it!

All in all, it was a wonderful time of exploration and meeting new friends in a new city.  That always makes for a fine day!

Day 13 and 14 Santorini and departure

Day 13 and 14, Santorini and leaving -- iit was a wonderful time, but I'm happy to depart.  Santorini is beautiful, but its good for couples and party groups -- I felt most alone even in a group here, and that's an underlying feeling that is never a pleasant one.

But, for the hotel I stayed at -- I can only say they had the most comfortable bed in all of Europe!  That I was sad to leave behind and stayed in there until the last possible minute!

Yesterday was spent relaxing and snoozing as well, plus I found a laundry service to clean all of my clothes for 15 euros -- clean, and fold.  When you travel more than a few days, you cannot underestimate the importance of clean clothes!  Washing your socks and underwear in the sink gets really old.  

So now, I'm sitting in Santorini airport, waiting for my flight back to Rome, with a stopovere in Athens.  I look forward to seeing Rome again for a few more days, and hitting some art museums.  Rome was my favorite visit so far -- as a single person, this was by far the most comfortable city and cosmopolitan, wheree the locals did not look at you like you were bad real estate or with pity, because they can't comprehend a woman on her own haha.

So, back to Rome! I'm looking forward to a few more days there :-) 

Day 4 Naples and Pompeii

I was always intrigued and amazed by the story of Pompeii, and also, I had heard how beautiful Naples is, and how the food kicks butt, so off I went.  It is almost 4 hours from Rome via shuttle, or an hour and a half on the high speed train.  I decided to do the high speed there, the shuttle back (to see the countryside).  

Pompeii was an overwhelming site -- it is very large, as it was a large town/city (with amazing walls!) and it was just so interesting, fascinating, and sad. The city was very lavish, with their own sporting arena, a drama/arts amphitheater, coffee shops, wine bars, even a gym and spa that boasted hot and cold plunge pools as well as a weight training area.  The homes layouts were gorgeous, with many of the frescoes still intact.  It's just amazing to me that it was all instantly covered when Vesuvius blew -- and now, two thousand years later, we can walk through and envision it.  As I was wandering through the streets of Pompeii -- a very handsome (and very YOUNG) Dane named "Henry" began chatting with me, and he accompanied me along for a good portion of the afternoon as a sort of guide.  He was on his own, and I think he was a bit overwhelmed.  He invited me to lunch, but I declined.  He was literally my son's age -- that was amusing, but also kind of horrifying LOL.

Naples is beautiful with the dramatic Mediterranean coast line, the pastel earthen colored homes and buildings, and of course, the amazing food.  I found an amazing restaurant (on recommendation) that not only boasted wonderful food, it was so cool and refreshing under an arbor of beautiful flowers.  It was very hot, hazy, and humid, so I ordered a plate of melone, prosciutto, y mozzarella -- honeydew, "ham", and a fresh mozzerella ball, served on a fresh bed of greens.  Couple that with the most amazingly fresh olive oil, crusty local bread, and sparkling mineral water with a wedge of lemon -- and I was in absolute heaven.  The service was excellent, and it was a long meal of almost an hour and a half, and finished with the best tasting dish of chocolate and vanilla gelati I have yet to taste.  I was literally in Nirvana.

After, I headed to the shops to buy a couple of very nice little  "take away" gifts for my special peeps, and then went to the bus meet up to head back to Rome.  It was a nearly four hour trip (air conditioned thank goodness) and the countryside of Italy was spectacular -- in full bloom.  The country is very well maintained -- clean, and not a lot of strip malls and ugly BS.  I was very impressed.

After I disembarked at Via Cavour, I took the metro back to Cipro where I was staying (outside the walls of Vatican City).  I wanted to kick around a bit, but I realized i had to pack up and do some last minute things, and my cab to the airport would be picking my up at 345 am -- to make my 6 am flight to Athens -- and I should probably squeeze a few hours in of sleep.  So, that's what I did.  

And Ciao for now, Roma!!