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Mary and I had breakfast at the Jerusalem Gardens restaurant and Naomi was expected to join us from her work after an all night shift at the El Al Airlines. The crew (5 from Kevin’s family and Sheila and Kevin) from Ari’el came down to meet us and we piled in with them going to the Jaffa Gate, the part of Jerusalem within the ‘Wall’. This is what is looked like moving past the Jaffa Gates, the Wall on the right. 

We wandered a lot, up stairs, going along narrow streets and came out on the roofs to view the Jerusalem out before us. Jerusalem extends a lot longer than ‘the wall’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next we went to Cardo, a street a long time ago, built after Jesus’ time but half of it still remains today. Then we went to the square with the church recently built. The Western Wall (it used to be the Wailing Wall – I remember it then) was next. We (the Females) had to go in the girls section – it wasn’t as pleasant as the boys section.

I was up at 5:30 am and the air mattress that I had was partially deflated … This is a bitch! I couldn’t think of what to do with it so I went back to sleep until 7:30.

Kevin and Sheila are up when I get up. I had a cup of coffee with them. The sun is peaking out behind the mountain.

Slowly, but slowly everyone started to wake up. Breakfast was in stages along with going swimming in the Sea of Galilee.

We took down the tents and mattresses – all very fine – and we did get out before Sheila’s car went kaput. It was the batteries. We stood in the parking lot borrowing cables from another tourist. Believe it or not, the men in my party couldn’t get the cables to hook up. They were scratching their heads about it and Jack, the 17 year old nephew of Kevin had the brilliant idea of hooking it up right. And so the car was fixed!

Capernaum was the next stop around the sea. It was famous for it’s architecture. Looking at it I can see how it used to be.
We arrived at Meshushim Pool, the largest reserve in the Golan Heights, after that. I sat outside and wrote because my hip was fragile but before that I was treated to the VIEW. This is one of the pictures.

I couldn’t go down to the Pools … it was way down the stairs, and I mean that quite literally.  The stone ‘stairs’ crisscrossed down the valley. But I got pool photos from the brochure. This is it.

We were at the Jerusalem Gardens Hotel and had Sheila’s car. At 8:45 am we set out for Caesarea National Park, Israel.

During the Persian period and the Hellenistic period (until 37 BCE), the village was in Dor county called Straton’s Tower. In 103 BCE they were conquered by the Romans and in 30 BCE, the village was awarded to Herold who ruled.

 

He built a large port city at the site. It took 12 years to build the planned city and he called it Caesarea in honour of his patron Octavian Augustus Caesar. It had networks of crisscrossing roads, a temple, theatre, amphitheatre, markets and residential quarters.

The aqueducts, bringing in water from Shuni springs (a 7.5 km northeast of Caesarea), are terrific. We ate lunch under one of the aqueducts at noon – spreading out along the beach, windy and nice and sunny.

In the afternoon we went to Nazareth to a thing called Nazareth Village. With the guide we explored the Nazareth side all these years later.

We ate dinner at Younis Restaurant; Kevin favourite place. It was getting late so we got it the Sea of Galilee and pitched (a lot of) tents, in the dark. We were sleeping outside this evening …

Day 1 – Friday October 15th and 16th

I got on the flight – I had the ticket but with 250 people getting on it was a chore. I succeeded! A HUGE wing was in my way; a couldn’t see either taking off or landing and 10 hours later I was at Tel Aviv, Israel the next day. Sheila met me, I was so glad and we went off around Israel to the bakery and to buy a hairdryer (she wanted one for the house).

We went home and met everybody for lunch. I slept, walked, helping Sheila make dinner and now I’m writing … just a day in the life!

Day 2 – Saturday October 17th

I woke up to a munching of cereal outside my door. I didn’t know what time it was so I was checking my cell phone – it was 7:22 am. I slept!! and I woke 7 hours ahead, I had 11 hours of sleep. Go figure! I showered – that was really good – I hadn’t showered for 2 days, believe it or not.

My niece, Naomi, was getting married so I gave her THE PRESENT and we went to her apartment. The Ben Gurion airport was our next stop and we pick up our sister, Mary and her husband Derek, with all the suitcases.

We went looking for monkeys at the Monkey Park along the way. There were a lot of monkeys!

 

And Emu’s too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary, Derek and I had dinner at the Jerusalem Gardens Hotel and went to bed …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3 – Sunday October 18th

I woke up in Jerusalem! And the place provided breakfast … It was so exciting to see the place from my window. Cars rolling by … On Day 2, there were not cars; in this area the cars are parked for the Jewish Sabbath Day. There weren’t many cars, other than us.

We (Mary, Derek and I) went to the Bible Lands Museum and had a tour of the place with a little woman who talked and talked about Babylon.

Then we went home to our hotel. Mary and Derek had a sleep and I waited for Sheila. She came and we talked. Eventually Mary and Derek joined us and we went out for dinner. Sheila promised us Sharma but she didn’t find any — the place had moved. Derek found a place just down the road a bit. It was opened 5 days ago and it was so good!

It was gorgeous at Sauble Beach. My boyfriend went to his Guitar Festival (in Sauble Beach of course; he had things to play and people to learn from) and I had all day to read, write and go places until I showed up at the guitar festival at 5:00 pm.

I went to Wiarton for lunch (a little place down near the water) and then, with my boyfriend for dinner (at the Wiarton Inn and Restaurant). We hadn’t been there for a year and the restaurant was Asian and Canadian; new restaurant owners. Really it was Chinese/Thai but they had Canadian out on the lawn so we went in anyway.

 

 

Australia’s Jason Day won the RBC Canadian Open last Sunday at Glen Abby golf course in Oakville, Ontario. And I was there …

I haven’t got pictures of Jason because on Friday when I arrived for the day, Jason had gone out all ready. It was a beautiful day and we hiked all around the course.

Bubba Watson (Gerry Lestor Watson) and married to Angie a Torontonian, was second. He’s got the longest drive in professional competition at 442 yards – WOW!  He didn’t do this today but he was second.

David Hearn, a Canadian, was third and he had lots of support through the tournament.  “The way that the Canadian crowds were, it was truly incredible. I’ve never experienced anything like that before. It was pretty special.”

Jason said, “I’ve never felt so much at home, and I’m not even from Canada. It was just amazing to play in front of the crowd that we had out there this week. Some of the nicest people you’ve ever met. It’s amazing.”

I’m outside! It’s a beautiful day – the birds are chirping and the traffic is moving along well on University/York and Front Street.

I’m sitting at the Second Cup and its summer out here. This week it will be hot and sunny. It started out to be a COLD July: I wore a sweater but the last 2 weeks it has been wonderful.

The sidewalk is filed up with people going home from work at such a fast pace; to the subway/Go transit. In my patio though, they settled down and buy coffee, the regular type and all kinds of iced coffee/tea. The patrons are sitting alone with their computers, or together reading newspapers. One is on the phone. He’s about 50 something sitting relaxed with his ice drink and chatting.

It’s a perfect day!

 

Two days of warm weather and sunshine! This year has been terrible for me and just as the sun shines, I go outside.

I moved again in 2 years on February 25th and I have had my hip replaced on March 25th.  It’s been so crazy! I’ve moved every 2 years since 2006 and it is a big job. I will NOT moves again! And my hip … well I figured out that it’s not my back giving me the limp: it’s my hip. I’ve been going to a chiropractor for 4 years waiting for the back to straighten out and when the chiropractor said “your back is perfect” and I still had a limp it occurred to me. My hip. Six months ago I went for a MRI on my hip and it was damaged so I went to a surgeon and I waited. And waited, and waiting, and it was six months that I had surgery. So now I’m waiting for 6 weeks … well 3 is done, I have another 3 to go! And I’ll be done with it.

And it’s SPRING!

 

 

 

On St Patrick’s Day Sunday, we went to Scruffy Murphy’s and there were all kinds of shamrocks hanging on the bar. We ordered dinner with wine and it was quite good.

The Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals were playing a hockey game. The Leafs lost but I was entertained anyway … all the boys were high-fiveing when a Leafs goal went in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went later to the Rose and Crown pub. They had entertainment there; a fiddle and a guitar … Irish Music it was! The little girls, one about 3 years and the other 6 years, were dancing in front of the stage.

All and all, St Patrick’s Sunday was quite good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

BAGS! All kinds of bags I’ve seen living in trees. It would be because it’s so-o windy in March in the winter and the trees are barren they just invite bags to come up. For example:

 

I was on University Ave at Queen and I was taking pictures of the bag in the tree when I saw the Hawk, just a little ways down. So I took pictures of it, and before I knew it, there was a crowd there taking pictures with me!