Our Long & Winding Road

On our way out of the Teaching Steps/Steps of Learning outside the southern retaining wall or the Western Wall area - I forget which - a large stream of IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) soldiers were coming in. A few things struck me. (1) They are so very young.  (2) They are all Israeli Jews. Israeli Arabs do not have compulsory service; in fact, they are not allowed to serve even if they want to. And Orthodox Jews are exempt. As a result, it's quite likely that there is a strong single narrative rather than a blend of narratives among IDF soldiers and officers.  (3) Some of these young soldiers carried their automatic weapons with the tip pointing out rather than down. It was a bit alarming for me to see into the barrel of an assault weapon; I can only imagine what it is like for Arabs - not only Palestinians but Israeli Arabs, too.  When our tour guide, a Christian Israeli Arab, saw these soldiers heading toward the al Aqsa mosque with guns at the ready, a fellow trav...

Today has been a great day. Before I reflect on what we did, saw, heard, learned, etc., I want to lay down some history for context. THIS is a really helpful timeline of Jerusalem. (Check it out if you want to geek out on it as I just did before deleting a few lines that attempted to summarize thousands of years of history - you're welcome.) Here in Israel, we keep seeing physical evidence of the Herodian (37BCE-70CE), the Roman (70-324CE), the Byzantine (324-638CE), the early Muslim Dynasties (638-934) that preceded the Crusades (1099-1187CE), and the Muslim Dynasties that followed the crusades, namely the Mamluks (1250-1517CE) and the Ottomans (1517-1918CE). Most churches we have seen, for example, are modern churches built by some European country in the 1920's or 30's or 50's - on top of Ottoman or Mamluk ruins that are on top of Byzantine ruins that are on top of Herodian ruins. What I'm calling ruins are not all scraps and rubble. Rather, conquer...

Our entire day was spent around the Sea of Galilee. I can't get over how much history this small place holds! It was part of a major pathway in the time of Jesus; in fact, it was the only way to get from Nazareth (see Mt Precipice circled on map below) to Magdala (Migdil on the map), which was the next closest Jewish town, and onto Capernaum, the center of Jesus' ministry. We saw the Valley of the Doves and saw Mount Arbel, where Jews tried to hide in caves from King Herod and his troops. We went on a boat ride in the Sea of Gailee, the site of quite a few of Jesus' miracles - calming of the seas, walking on water, etc. In fact, we got to see the wreckage of a 1st century boat that was recovered only 15 years ago. Fascinating. While we can't know if Jesus or Peter or their crew sailed on this particular boat, it's not impossible as they existed in the same place at the same time. Capernaum was quite a bustling place in its time! It's an archaeologists...

Yesterday was our first full day in Israel. We visited Caesarea, built by King Herod to demonstrate not only his strength and wealth but also his new allegiance to the Romans. Like all Roman cities of the time, it included a theater, a hippodrome, and a temple. I hadn't realized that it was the Romans who coined the phrase "bread and circus" - they understood well that if you keep your people fed and entertained, they are highly unlikely to take issue with their government. Herod created a sort of concrete made with volcanic ash that he used to create new land in the sea. Most of what was built on this Herod-made land has been eroded over time and is visible only to SCUBA divers - how incredible would that be?!? - but you can see some parts that are still above the water. Here, for instance, is what remained of a palace replete with a swimming pool in the center. Nearby was an incredible example of a Roman aqueduct, which was necessary in Israel, 60% of which is ...

Cruising's like luxuriating in a pretty darn high-end resort that magically transports you to a new destination every day or two. Our stops were Great Skipper Cay (Bahamas), St. Thomas (USVI), Torolla (BVI), and Dominican Republic. The first is an island apparently owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines, and the only stuff on the small island seems to be geared toward handling a few thousand people for excursions and beach time. Rali and I took the first tender (cruise jargon for the smaller boat that takes people from a ship anchored offshore to a destination - a ferry) at around 7:30am and were in the first group of zip-liners on our first full day of the cruise. It was FUN! I wish the course was much longer, but the zip lines and elements in between them were fun. It was especially cool to sail over the crystal clear water seeing the our ship just off-shore, noticing the differences in depth and terrain, and trying but failing to name the color - colors - of the water. Turquoise...

 I know I began with a post about family over the holidays, but there's more to tell.  :) After dropping Lucy off at UMiami and putting Zoe on a plane back to Boston, Rali and I drove to Melbourne, FL, and spent 4 nights with my Dad and stepmom, Carole.  As I said to them at some point, a needed calm enters my heart when I get the chance to spend some time with them.   My dad had planned out all the meals - which were delicious even when he played the role of the cranky diner cook! We read books, took walks, watched TV, did a puzzle, and fully relaxed.  A highlight was going to the clubhouse with Carole to meet the other Lakes of Melbourne hookers.  Yes, Carole is the lead hooker; in fact, she has both recruited and tutored quite a few other women as they developed their craft.  Rug hooking, people.  Get your minds out of the gutter!  Goodness.  If you want to see some of Carole's incredible work, check out these pics !

Christmas always allows us to spend time with family. First, we celebrate Wigilia, a Polish tradition, on Christmas Eve with the full Pietraszek clan.  Santa provides a stand-up comedy routine while passing out gifts to the youngins, the adults duke it out in a gender-split Yankee Swap, and then all sit down to enjoy a meatless meal of soup, fish, pierogies, and other delectables.  Since the girls have been able to drive, Aunt Maryanne has moved the start time up so that Rali and I can leave before the meal to return for the Christmas Eve service at First Church; when Zoe and Lucy were younger and the start time was later, Rali missed out on Wigilia and I missed out on her Christmas Eve services.  Sadly, COVID struck my cousin Annie and made her parents hosting the whole family impossible.  We were still able to celebrate Wigilia this year, though, since my in-laws (Jean's parents) invited us down to RI where their sons and their families were staying for a few days....