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Our bodies are slowly readjusting to the Portland time zone. I felt fairly normal and didn’t feel as if I was going to fall asleep until 6 pm. After dinner, I had a bit of a revival and so I thought I would post some more photos and thoughts about our trip. Here are some photos that Steve took with our other camera to prove that I really was there.
Can you find me in this group shot?
My regular blog readers know that I am a bit of a foodie, and I often post photos of food when we travel. But alas, the food in Israel was not very photogenic. Our breakfasts and dinners were in the two hotels which also housed other large groups of tourists. All of the meals were buffet style and kosher. There was always a big table of salads and cheeses — even at breakfast. The kibbutz hotel had the best food, especially for breakfast. The hot dishes were really overcooked and sitting in those big metal pans for who know how long? Our lunches were often similar fare — plates of salad, hummus, baba ganoush, etc with pita bread, followed by a meat and vegetable course. The best lunches were in Palestine — shawarma was my favorite — lamb which was cooked on a rotary spit, thinly sliced and served in pita with condiments and a yogurt sauce.
One of the most fun finds was a litter of puppies in one of the ruins near out kibbutz. Look how cute they are. Click on the photos for a better view.
I promised to show some of my purchases. The necklace on the left is a version of The Hand of Fatima. It has the hand, the Star of David and two birds. Next to it is a cross which was a gift from the owner of the tour company, Guiding Star. It has the loaves and fishes from the feeding of the 5000. Next is another hand of Fatima, a gift from the Center for Spirituality which sponsored the trip.
These items are made of Olive Wood — a small nativity scene, and some crosses. The two Jerusalem crosses were also gifts from the Center.
I bought two scarfs in the old city. Both have peacock imagery. The first is Pashmina and silk:
This one is cut velvet.
This is a small pillow cover made from dupioni silk with satin stitched applique with the very popular pomegranate motif.
I also bought one of the Palestinian quilts. I think this might be a prayer mat.
And to bring everything home, I found this bag which is made by the Druze, a religious sect that lives in Galilee.
I am setting up a Yahoo group for the members of the tour group. It is somewhat of a challenge because many of them are not as internet savvy as I am. Tomorrow was the day that the demolition of our bathroom was to take place, but thank goodness the contractor needs more time because I have to reorganize all my stuff from the bathroom and the closets into the guest bedroom and bathroom. I have not had the energy to tackle that — maybe tomorrow.
thanks for sharing your pictures, thoughts and the goodies you bought! what a wonderful trip… good luck readjusting though..
Well I like your new prayer mat, no matter how you choose to use your new purchase. The peacocks are fabulous too! What great gifts and what wonderful purchases……and I’m so glad you have a few days to prepare for the bathroom reno! Phew!!!
xo
FYI- the pomegranate “pillow case” is actually an Afikomin bag… used at Passover to hold the middle piece of Matzoh. The meal cannot end until that piece of matzoh if found and eaten (children hold it for ransom).
I really enjoyed viewing your pictures and tales of your travels to the MidEast. I sometimes feel we here in America take our freedom and liberties for granted. I don’t travel much and getting someone’s elses prospective of their travels (especially to foreign countries) is not only interesting but also makes me realize how much we are all so much the same, and yet so different. Thanks for sharing your trip to he Holy Land.
Juanita
Glad to finally see a picture of you! You look get and yes I think I did find you in the group shot. I agree with those above – your purchases were nice to see and I love the quilts and the bag. Hope you are enjoying our American food – and glad you did not get the virus that was going around.
Hello Gerrie,
Thank you for the wonderful pictures from your travel to Israel and Palestine!
Just for info: the palestinian quilt is very unlikely to be a prayer mat. The small little mirrors and many seams would make kneeing down very difficult and painful. Also a prayer mat would have a different layout in order to being able to identify the top (where the head meets with the ground) and the bottom (where you stand with the feet). These kinds of quilts are used in the households as decoration for a couch, a small table, sometimes a bed (although nowadays they are seen as very “unmodern” and actually this type of pattern and colour is not traditional palestinian but from westasia). But never mind: enjoy it! it is a very pretty remembrance of your trip!
All the best,
Aischa
Love that tote bag!
Now, just wondering–did the vendor who sold you the pomegranate-themed item tell you anything about it? It will make a cute little pillow, but the Hebrew on it is a clue to something else.
Thank you again for “virtually” taking us along with you on this trip! We’ll “keep our bags packed” for the next one!
Welcome back! Thanks for sharing your purchases. You’ll look so chic with your fancy peacock scarves. I really like the Palestinian quilt and the Druze bag. I wish I had browsed more fiber art when we were in Egypt, but the aggressiveness of the vendors made it so difficult.