It was one of those serendipitous days that sometimes happen while traveling. One of those days where you just wander, going with the flow, going wherever a local may suggest and happening upon some of the most incredibly visceral things you've ever experienced.

Starting out in the Muslim quarter, another wander around the Pool of Bethesda complex and some introspective time. Next, the hunt for the stations of the cross we'd missed actually seeing for the entire two-weeks we'd been passing them (they're surprisingly difficult to find!) and then the search for the entirely passed-over Armenian quarter led us to the shop of one particularly lovely jewelry shop owner who invited us up to the rooftop of his shop and then gave us a tour and a history lesson of Jerusalem from that roof.

Afterward, he sent us on a quest to find the Armenian Upper Room. "You must look for the cleaning woman. If you are very lucky, she will share with you her story. She is..." he waves his hand next to his head, "...special, but it is very good."

Right on. Challenge accepted!









The Cleaning Woman in the Armenian Church was one of the most interesting people I have ever, ever met. As a schoolteacher she visited Israel many years ago. When she came to this church she felt the calling to leave her job and serve the church. So she did. She cleans and cares for the place and will gladly share her story, the stories of the miracles she has witnessed there and many other interesting facts with you, if you but give her your time. The locals think she might be a bit crazy and eccentric. I can't tell you if her stories are legitimate, but I can tell you that she is certainly convinced of their truthfulness. That, and the time I spent with her was wonderful.

So sit back, relax, and if you're a woman, don't cross your legs while sitting on the church pews, just your ankles. I'm still not sure why, but she will tell you "we must give praise to God."

She honored us by singing to us in Aramaic, to share the ancient language with us. It was quite beautiful. Enjoy:

Ahhh, Petra.
Words fail to truly describe one of my favorite places on the planet adequately. In short, this is a place that dreams are made of.

Take a photo tour of Petra:

It is impossible to really see the scope of Petra unless you get off the beaten path and go further than just down the main street (way of Facades) and up to the Monastery. Beyond the well-known, easily accessible places lies a path not for the faint of heart. The High Place of Sacrifice, via Wadi al Farasa is tedious vertical trek full of precarious footholds and ancient walkways. From Wadi al Farasa it is possible to actually see just how far the complex extends - it stretches for miles and miles into the pink hills, mausoleum facades dotting the horizon much farther than the eye can see.

If you enjoy hiking (and aren't affected by heights and narrow, vertical passages), journey to the High Place of Sacrifice at Petra for an unforgettable experience.





The Details:
Pick up the trail at one of two places:

-Just after the first set of restrooms, on the left at the bottom of the way of Facades. Walk up the staircase there and keep going to the top of the hill (High Place of Sacrifice is there). To get to Wadi Al Farasa, leave the High place of Sacrifice via the back route, which will take you back through the hills and deposit you at the base of the hike to the Monastery (Which is the second option for picking up this hike, and the way I did it - in reverse.)

-Both the Monastery hike and The Holy Place of Sacrifice are very demanding hikes. If you aren't in great shape/used to hiking/walking, you probably shouldn't try to do both in one day.

Bring: a packed lunch. Water. Water. Water. Sunscreen. Don't forget water.

Betcha didn't know: The Bedouins at Petra now accept credit cards. That's right. I just said that. And it's true. But I really, really recommend taking cash. If you try to use a credit card, the price will go up. Credit card fees, or something...

A rainy day in Israel provided the perfect opportunity for an indoor activity: visiting The Western Wall Tunnels.

To visit the tunnels, one must join a tour, which starts at the base of the Western Wall in the Jewish Quarter. It is given from a most assuredly Jewish perspective, which is, at times, hilarious. And at other times interesting/possibly controversial, but always it is just so "Jerusalem."

In any case, the base of Temple mount goes down about four layers of city beneath what is lived in/walked around in today. Over the years, buildings were built on buildings on top of buildings. It's the same in Rome, or any other very old city. The Temple mount as it exists today was leveled out by the Romans, who flattened the area by installing a base of very large to freaking-massive stone blocks. And by freaking massive, I mean larger than a couple of elephants standing side by side. BIG. Way BIG.

Wikipedia has this to say about the largest stone used in the base:

The Western Stone, located in the northern section of Wilson's Arch, is a monolithic stone block forming part of the lower level of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Weighing 517 tonnes (570 short tons),^[1] it is one of the largest building blocks in the world. The stone is 13.6 meters (44.6 feet) long and 3 metres (9.8 feet) high and has an estimated width of 3.3 meters (10.8 feet).

--

When the Israeli government dug the tunnel along the base of the Western wall (without telling anyone, which was a HUGE deal when the story finally got out), they were able to literally uncover layers of history dating back through the years, over various occupations: Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, Caliphate, Crusaders, Ottoman... the proof was all there, in the layers of buildings. 





"Whatever you do, don't hit the wall too hard. They" Our tour guide motioned up above, to the Temple Mount, run by Muslims, "They have seismographs up there. Any big movement recorded and *smack*," He clapped his hands together in a finite motion, "atomic war!"

At the end of this long hallway is a very, very narrow cleft in the cavern that you have to pass through. It measures only around a foot wide at it's narrowest point. Our guide told us a story about one VERY large guest. He told her she wouldn't be able to fit and she became offended. He shrugged and let her come along. At this point, she tried to shove herself through the opening and became seriously lodged in place. She couldn't move forward, couldn't go back. Other people on the tour had to push from one side and pull from the other to free her... Yah. Tour guides know what's up.


The tour is one-way and exits onto Via Dolorosa, just above an old cistern pool, which is actually connected to the cistern that is under the Convent my friends and I stayed in. Except our tour was apparently 10 minutes late and the Jewish guards who were posted at the exit to prevent heaven-knows-what happening from the Palestinian quarter (actually, violence is known to happen at that doorway on occasion) decided it was their break time, so instead of offering us an escort back to the entrance from street-level (per normal), we were told that we were extremely lucky in that we would be able to wander back through the tunnels to the entrance at our own pace. So we took our time, wandered, really enjoyed it and then walked all the way back to our convent/guesthouse at street level.

Welcome to Israel!

Visiting the "Kotel"/Western Wall Tunnels:
The entrance is located at the base of the Western wall, in the Jewish Quarter. If you're facing the wall, look to the left near the restrooms.

Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs 7am to "Evening"
Reservations: Highly recommended (but small groups of 2-3 will easily be able to join a tour)
Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Cost:  I don't remember. Around 20 shekels.
Cool official website: http://english.thekotel.org/VisitorInfo.asp?id=1
Bring: Water, camera capable of taking photos in dark, indoor spaces

In hindsight, if I could have spent one more night anyplace in Israel, I would have given myself an overnight at Caesaria, and one full day in the park.

Easily my favorite stop of the trip, Caesaria, or as all of the signs spell it along the freeways: Quasaryya (the locals pronounce it KWaysaar-ya, don't forget to roll the "r".)

But we all know that I have an affinity for ancient Roman towns. And oh, Caesaria is such a lovely example of a quintessentially Roman town!

From the amphiteater overlooking the sea to hippodrome and public baths with their AMAZING mosaic floors, this place is truly a wonder.



FAQs:
Get there: By renting a car. It's located 45 minutes (driving) north of Tel Aviv. (Two buses, 76 and 77 also run to Caesaria.)
Cost: Normal, adult admission: 36 NIS (Around $9 US)
Bring: Sunscreen, plenty of water (You'll do a lot of walking)
Allow: 1 full day if you're an explorer. For just the general gist, allow 3-4 hours.
Misc: There are restaurants of many varieties near the medieval section of the city, most are quite pricey. For a less expensive option, try the pizza/gelatto shop. Yum!

Caesaria's official Website

My little sister is going to hate me for this post. You see, her last name is Westover. And she wasn't with me when I visited the plantation... Oh well.

While I was down home on the farm in Virginia, I had one day of exploration in mind. I wanted to go back to the James River plantations and explore some more. This time I invited my lovely auntie-mama Rene along. We set off in the morning and drove an hour Southeast from Gram's farm down to the mighty James, the selfsame river that meets the Atlantic and was the gateway for the first British colonizers to the Americas.

The Westover Plantation is one of the oldest plantations established along the James (the oldest being Berkeley - more on Berkeley later). It was built in 1730 by William Byrd II, the founder of the city of Richmond. It was named after Lord Henry West, son of the Governor of Virginia.

The house proper is not open to the public to tour, but the grounds can be toured and are GORGEOUS. I can safely say that of all the Plantation homes I've toured along the James, Westover is my absolute favorite. It is the most happily situated house I have ever laid eyes on.

On the property there are grand gardens to explore, a plantation-style house, kitchen and other out-buildings from long past days, including a "necessary", an ice house and an old root cellar that used to be part of an old secret passage system to provide escape during Indian attack. (Yes, seriously!) I may have climbed down the ladder into the old passage...