fleetfootkath

This was a day of churches and rocks. Our first stop was the Mount of Beatitudes which is a rather unusual church made of local volcanic rock so it is dark grey. Most of the other churches have been a beautiful creamy sandstone. The path to the church is lined with flowers and plaques with each Beatitude described while the church itself was a very simple octagon shape to represent the 8 Beatitudes. It was on the hill above that Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount and in this area that he performed the miracle of feeding the multitudes with five loaves and two fish.

I found this quite moving despite the hordes of tourists. I think everyone generally feels the reverence for these places and even though there are lots of people, there is a sense of goodwill. Being in the open rather than a church also helps too. Over the centuries there have been so many churches built and rebuilt by Christians. While many are truly beautiful, sometimes I feel the presence of God more in nature.

Our next stop was Capernaum located on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee which was where Jesus was supposed to have lived during his ministry. He travelled to surrounding areas but always returned to Capernaum. He taught in the synagogue and and performed miracles here such as raising the daughter of Jairo’s from her death bed. It is suggested that the house below the chapel was the disciple Peter’s home. The chapel has been built over the old church and home, mirroring the original octagonal shape. The synagogue was quite lovely and you could imagine Jesus teaching there.

We also visited the Sanctuary of the Primacy of St Peter. Here I felt completely overwhelmed. I could not restrain my tears. I don’t know if it was because my husband was Peter and he was my rock, so that symbolism struck a strong chord, but I was very emotional. The church is small and it houses the huge rock on which according to tradition, Jesus ate food with his disciples after his resurrection. The huge rock in the church is called the ‘Mensa Christi’ or ‘ Christ’s Table’. There was also a little bay where put our feet into the Sea of Galilee. It was a likely spot to land a fishing catch. The grounds surrounding the church were very elegant and had many shady trees. The whole place seemed to have a peaceful aura to me.

From here we visited the Magdala. This is the home town of Mary Magdalene. The church is dedicated to women and has a magnificent boat for the altar. When the water levels of the Sea of Galilee were higher the altar looked like it was floating in water. The complex is very modern but elegant and warm. Downstairs in a little chapel was a magnificent painting depicting the sick woman touching the clothes of Jesus in the hope she would be healed. It is a most striking composition by Daniel Carioca from Brazil.

On the way out a priest asked one of the tour members to recommend the church on trip advisor because they don’t get enough visitors! There are excavations of an old synagogue which revealed evidence of an observant Jewish Community in the area. Jesus preached throughout this area of Galilee. The archeology in all these areas provides evidence of the different communities who lived around the Sea of Galilee.

Our next visit was to Banian or Caesarea Philippi where Pagans performed rites. Pan was supposed to be worshipped here and a cave here is a source of a river that flows into the Jordan River. Herod the Great built a temple here and it is suggested that it is the site where Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah.

We lunched here in a restaurant surrounded by the rushing water. It was cooler but the water was very noisy. We found we were nearly shouting to be heard.

The last treat was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Our guide was able to get us onto the boat without too much trouble and in our own group. Our guide is excellent at timing visits and has a strong network that helps us get good treatment everywhere. Once on board the crew pulled out an Australian flag which he hoisted to the music of our national anthem! It was a fun touch. We sailed for about 20 minutes along the shoreline before returning. It was a delightful experience and a bit surreal to think we were in Galilee. Nobody from our group however tried to walk on water!

This was an exhausting day emotionally. Following the footsteps of Jesus proved to be a very moving experience. Even if the ‘where’ exactly of his deeds are debated, there is agreement that they happened. It is very thought provoking and challenges many of the stories we have been raised with.

We were off earlier today to visit Mt Tabor where the transfiguration of Jesus occurred. Before we left however we visited the Terrasanta College, that has been supported by Lisa and Joe’s parish in Melbourne, to meet the children and the principal but also for Lisa and Joe to present them with a gift of $,9100 the parish had raised. Israel has cut funding to private schools from 75% down to 33% of their costs so they are struggling.

The school has excellent results and teaches from kindergarten to high school. The children were very happy to shake hands and one little boy had an Aussie flag. They welcomed us in English and then the children lead prayers. They were all dark haired and all the girls wore jeans or shorts we noticed. The school shirt was uniform. We saw some of their school work displayed in the hallways. We also had a look at the Church of St Joseph that is also at the school and is built over what was thought to be Joseph’s workshop. We were told that this playground was where Jesus had played as a child.

We returned to catch the bus, were counted as we are every morning and left Nazareth. We passed through the rich agricultural land of the Jezreel Valley. It looked like the Darling Downs or any other rich agricultural land, but is more marvellous after we have been in such arid land up to date. This area was the place of many battles because of its fertility and thus importance to the economies of various empires but also due to it being at the crossroads of trade routes.

We arrived in Canna to visit the Wedding church. This was the place where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. Our guide told us that it had to be holy water because it came from a stone jar. Stone keeps the water pure and is used for storing holy water.

There were two mature aged couples renewing their vows or getting married. We initially thought it was a wedding then decided it couldn’t be because it was two women. Then we realised that they were facing two men, presumably their husbands and the priest was wrapping their wrists in his stole. While we were waiting for the group to come together we noticed a door with a picture of a bride and dressing room on it. Anne poked her head in to see and was surprised to find the room full of mops and buckets for cleaning. This church was unusual because it had the Virgin Mary on the roof top and Jesus below her on the lintel.

Next stop was Mt Tabor which is very steep and we needed a shuttle to get to the top where the Franciscan Order had built a church to honour the event of the Transfiguration of Jesus. This was when the disciples saw him as the Godly person not man.

The church was beautiful with two bell towers and three chapels dedicated to Moses Jesus and Elijah. What was particularly unusual was the main part of the church had upper and lower altars dedicated to Jesus as God and Jesus as man. The church was built on the ruins of another earlier church from Crusader times.. The views over the valley were expansive so it was a good vantage point for viewing any approaching armies.

While we were waiting for the shuttles to take us up the mountain a few ladies needed to use the toilet. Often we are required to pay a shekel or dollar to use the toilets. This is a real dilemma because getting small change is so hard. Mary managed to find some shekels for the coin machine but most of us had no small change. We then started to try any coins to see if that worked but the money just bounced out. Pauline was getting desperate so she decided to climb under the barrier. Then Virginia slunk through and Anne and Julie climbed over! We were very impressed with Pauline. She is in her late 70’s, is a fairly slow walker but has determination in buckets and can be surprisingly quick! Poor Randa our tour organiser, had her hands over her face saying ‘ These Australians!’ We had tried to do the correct thing but I think the payments are to encourage you to buy something from the shop!

Eventually we returned to Nazareth. It was a fairly long drive so Kathy and I played scrabble on the IPad. She is very good and beat me both games.

Our last stop was a visit to a spice shop where we saw and smelled an enticing array of spices and herbs. I bought almonds and Anne bought pistachios. I would have liked to buy some Karcadi (?) dried Hibiscus like we had in the spa experience but I worried about getting it into Australia because it is loose, not packaged.

That evening we were invited to join the Rosary procession at the basilica. Joe, Lisa and Helen were asked to participate and lead the decade in English. There were about six languages represented and they taught us to sing the Arabic decade. Anya and Svieta were delighted to find that there was a group of Croatian pilgrims who said a decade in Croatian, their native language. Anne, Mary, Bill, Father Dean, Anya, Svieta and myself all joined the procession. Anne said she is always a sucker for candle waving. It was rather lovely but went for longer than we thought.

We proceeded through the street back into the church grounds again passing all the various Virgin Mary’s that have been donated by countries around the world.

Poor Mary was so tired her candle slipped and she started to burn her little cardboard box. She furiously blew until the flames were out. That woke her up!

On the way back to the hotel we saw the man giving/ selling date syrup in the traffic. Another big day.

Before we left Jericho we visited a church nearby for morning mass. It was held in the grounds of a primary school. While we were praying the peacocks in the garden screeched and called. The male was quite glorious with his tail up. The church of the Good Shepherd was quite pretty but what caught our eye was the giant set of rosary beads in the tree and the painted white trunks of the trees. The white tree trunks apparently discourage insects from eating the trees.

Our destination was Masada, a fort on the top of a mountain that is completely separate from the mountain range so it had a strong defensive position. It was built by Herod as a winter palace and safe haven (https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/masada). It is famous for the fight to death of Jewish Zealots who refused to bow to the Romans. Death not slavery was their cry. The siege lasted for nearly three years but eventually the Romans built a ramp and tower with battering ram to breech the walls. The Jewish fighters had strengthened the walls against battering so the Romans decided to burn it instead and eventually the walls were breeched but they found that everyone was dead.

It is an impressive fort even now with ingenious methods for capturing water from the mountains behind it. They stored the water in huge cisterns and had many wharehouses of grain. The way up by foot was called the snake path but as it was nearly 42 degrees Celsius we took the cable car! We were all surprised when exploring the ruins of the synagogue we discovered a room with a Rabi writing Hebrew texts. He said we could take photos and gave Helen a card with her name and her husband’s name in Hebrew and a heart underneath as a gift to celebrate their wedding anniversary. He was the stereotypical grey haired, smiling faced, gentle Rabi with shawl and Yamak. It was so unexpected. He was writing beautiful uniform Hebrew biblical texts for the Torah.

From here we travelled to En Gedi, a place of waterfalls. It seemed unbelievable that there would be water in this desert. It means spring of David. There were lots of young people frolicking under the water fall in the first pool. The water actually comes from a spring in a cave further up the mountain. The pools are shallow and rocky so even when people stood in them they didn’t get muddy. The water must flow because it is a national park but once outside the park it is captured and never enters the Dead Sea. There are wild Ibix (a type of mountain goat) which we actually saw as we entered the park. They were too fast for my camera though.g

From here we continued on to Nazareth where we would have three nights. No packing up every morning will be a nice change.

Anne and I finally got to an ATM to withdraw some money but could only get Shekels. They don’t seem to last long! We wanted American dollars but we haven’t had time to go to a bank and ATMs only give local currency. I regretted not buying them in Dubai as we have had no time to go to banks, and ATMs have been scarce where ever we are. People like cash, American dollars or Shekels, they seem interchangeable but we have used cards in the hotels or shops.

Our hotel was opposite the Church of the Annunciation, which has been built over what was believed to be Mary’s house and where she was visited by the Angel Gabriel. The church has been built and rebuilt over the centuries and has been in the hands of the Franciscan order since 1620. Two of the tour members, Lisa and Joe come from a parish in Melbourne that raises money for the school attached to the church. Lisa also went to school with one of the women associated with the church and so we were told about a service that was the Adoration of the host. A few of us decided to attend thinking it would be silent. However this service was not silent and had three singer musicians with the most exquisite voices. Mary, also one of the tour group, was asked if she would do a reading. Much to her horror she discovered it was being videoed after she had said yes. There were seven speakers with seven different languages. The singing absolutely transported me and I felt like crying. The whole service was so moving I was not the only person to get teary. Afterwards we visited the grotto below.

What is endlessly confusing and amazing is the number of churches built over old churches. The foundations may be used or not, depending on the state of the ruins. This church is celebrating its 50 th year, so its a relatively young church with a holy place within. It is very active especially with the number of pilgrims that come to Nazareth. Some of the pilgrims are extremely devout and prostrate themselves before the shrines or kiss them. We have been amazed (and somewhat horrified) at the huge number of pilgrims attending all the holy sites. The economy must be so dependent on them.

Fortunately our guides are local and they seem able to expedite us through the crowds or at times when they know others are at lunch so we haven’t been overwhelmed by the numbers very often.

Today we crossed into Israel via the Allenby Bridge. This was like going to the airport and going through security. The landscape changed to mini grand canyons and is subject to massive flash floods which gouge out channels in the soft stone.

Our guide organised visas which cost us 10 Jordanian dinar. We were told to not smile or crack jokes with immigration. We had to enter single file and put our luggage on the conveyer X-ray and pass through security. It was quite tense even though the guards were all really young. We waited ages for our bags and several went through twice before being released. Kathy had to unpack her bag because she had a bottle of whisky that she has been enjoying. The guards opened the bottle and checked the contents before releasing her bags. Randa our tour guide has been joined by her son Mathew, and it is his first entry to Israel. He was held and interrogated for over 30 mins because he is a Jordanian born Australian and an Arab.

Once that ordeal was over we headed off to Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. This was the home of an aesthetic Jewish sect, the Essenes who lived communally and simply, studying the Hebrew bible as a celibate priestly class. The Dead Sea scrolls were religious documents that preserved multiple copies of some of the Hebrew Bible. They were discovered in a cave by a shepherd in the 1940s and date back to possibly earlier than the 1st Century. It has been suggested that Jesus may have been part of the sect at some time because they used the bread then the wine in their rituals as did Jesus in the Last Supper rather than wine first. There were ruins with several bathing pools because they practiced ritual bathing morning and night to purify their bodies and their souls. Even the steps into the baths were uneven so they could not rush in or out but maintain their contemplative state.

From here we travelled to Jericho, the oldest city in the world and saw the Mount of Temptations where Jesus was supposed to be tempted by Satan . We also visited the sycamore tree where the Tax collector waited for Jesus. Jericho was a sad place it seemed to us. There was rubbish everywhere and places unfinished. It just looked shabby. We all thought the oldest town in the world was not capitalising on its history.

Finally we arrived at the Oasis hotel, which had been a casino for a brief time. It had a lovely pool which we all hopped into almost as soon as we arrived. We were all hot because the temperature had soared to well over 35 degrees.

We were returning to Amman and faced a long drive in the bus. Kathy and I played cards but it was quite difficult because the bus jumped and shook so much our cards often slipped off the table. It was a fun diversion despite that issue. Occasionally when the bus got speed up we were almost throwing ourselves across the table to keep them in place!

When we had a coffee stop we shared the Torte de Santiago that Anne and I brought from Spain. It was a pleasant change. Not too sweet. When we close to town we stopped at a special restaurant where they served the feast meal of mansef , a traditional dish of slow roasted lamb, yellow rice and hot goat yoghurt sauce. As usual there were many dips served of hummus, baba ganoush, yoghurt and cucumber, smoked eggplant, tiny sausages and chicken wings as a first course with flat bread then the main meal followed by dessert of sweet cakes. Julie and I decided we only wanted the light meal of the dips and we were a bit miffed at the end to find we paid more for less! Anne had had the full meal and only paid 16.50 Dinar including the drink. The waiters hadn’t charged us the special group price. We learned that it is best to be all in or all out. The staff just don’t cope with variations. Some of the others are not having lunch at all but just a drink.

One of the interesting things we have found is that when alcohol is not part of the culture the restaurants have a few more non-alcoholic options. One we like is the whole lemon vitamised with mint and water with a little sugar added. It is very refreshing but they don’t really go with food like wine.

Once back in Amman we began a tour of the city. We visited the Roman amphitheatre, the acropolis, Pillars of Hercules, and from a vantage point looked over the oldest part of Amman where the houses might have 100-200 steps for access. As Amman is built on many hills the houses have crept up the hill. We wondered how they would deal with a fire because there were hardly any lanes to access the houses.

Having seen the old town we were heading off to the newer part where all the embassies and new shopping malls are situated when the bus broke down. The driver managed to manoeuvre it out of the traffic but we were stranded for about 45 mins and it was still very hot. Some of the others got out of the bus because they were too hot and the air conditioner wasn’t working in the bus either. Finally the repair man arrived and fixed the bus. It was only because the petrol tank had dropped to 1/4 full and the new buses need more to keep the air out of the pipe. As we were all sweltering we were very relieved to get the bus going and and the air conditioner and continue our tour.

We passed the American embassy which has a massive compound and we were not allowed to take photos. The Saudi embassy was also huge. We ventured into up market suburbs that were like Glen Waverley! There was greenery and gardens. They seem to be fond of topiary.

Then we were back at the hotel and had dinner. The call to Mosque started and went on for some time before life started when the day’s fast was broken. The locals celebrated while we all took to our beds.

We were all excited about arriving in Petra. Our hotel was called the Petra guest House and it had a Cave Bar into which we all ventured after dinner. Kathy Harrington was celebrating her 36th wedding anniversary and her husband had organised with her friend Julie, Anne’s sister, to have a bottle of Champagne to celebrate.

On the way we had stopped for a break at a cafe with tourist (trap) shop like Aladdin’s Cave. The jewellery was fantastic and all the women were abuzz. Kathy H was particularly taken with a square ring of Zultanite, which changed colours in different light. The stone was surrounded by diamantés. It was gorgeous and she bought it for her present. I was particularly taken by the adventurine and silver. The stone is navy blue with mica flecks which makes it sparkle. It was supposed to be good for your health too. So we were celebrating the anniversary with the ring and Champagne and went to the bar after 8.30 when the Ramadan fast was broken and we were able to buy alcohol. Though they proudly produced champagne it was only just cold and Anne, who doesn’t like plain champagne asked for a Champagne cocktail instead. She was horrified when the bartender offered her grenadine and red bull in her champagne! In the end she suggested how to make a champagne cocktail with sugar, brandy and fresh fruit. We resorted to adding ice to it too! It was a good night.

Next morning we set off for Petra which involved a steady descent of about two kilometres through the Siq, the narrow gorge before opening into Petra. The Siq itself is impressive and busy with people, horses and carts dashing down the path and donkeys or horses offered as alternatives to walking. When we arrived at the Treaury, the jewel of Petra, we were suitably impressed. It is hard to believe people would choose to live here but they did for at least 10,000 years and from as early as the 1st Century BC were ruled by the Nabataeans.

Petra was central to the trade routes for Frankincense, Myrrh and Spices. They were ingenious with water collection and management, running aqueducts along the walls of the gorge and building dams to collect water runoff. It prospered under the Nabataean Empire and the Roman’s until an earthquake destroyed it in the 4 th century and by the 7 th century it had been abandoned. It was rediscovered in 1812 by a Swiss explorer.

We explored down to the Roman theatre and up to the Royal Tombs but we were getting hungry so we returned to the hotel where our bus was waiting to take us to lunch and then on to Wadi Rum. It was a good drive through arid country and small farms where people had tapped into the ground for water. We were amazed that so much land was not cultivated because they can’t access water. Digging wells is very expensive apparently.

Before we arrived at the desert camp we had a 4WD drive tour through the canyons of Wadi Rum. The mountains were fantastic, dramatic and rugged. It was great fun sitting in the back of a Toyota Ute with a canopy scooting over the sand. We stopped to climb a sand hill to a small mountain which gave a great view over the area. We went into a bedouin camp for afternoon tea where we were served a delicious black tea scented with cardoman and sage.

After two hours we were driven to our desert camp. It was a dry camp so Kathy and I resorted to non-alcoholic beer before dinner. The food was good but nowhere near the standard we had in Morocco. They did a roast lamb though in a pit which was so succulent and tasty. The camp was shared with many other tourists and had been the set for the movie the Martian. They offered stargazing but we thought we were too tired to enjoy it.

Wadi Rum reminded me of the Kimberley’s. The rock formations were so impressive and majestic. I was mesmerised by the light and shadows and the quiet.

We started the ritual of checking our bags were down from the rooms and identifying our bags to go onto the bus. This is the standard routine before we leave every morning. We usually have a session of morning prayers after breakfast as well. The mornings are busy so we can’t dawdle.

Our first destination today was Mount Nebo which is believed to be the place where Moses was buried and the most revered holy site in Jordan. You could see from the top the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho and Jerusalem (on a clear day!). It was a place of pilgrimage for early Christians who would come from Jerusalem and a church has stood here since the 4 th century to mark the place of Moses’s death.

There was a fabulous sculpture of the Bible at the entrance with the words ‘One God, Father of all, Above All’ written at the bottom. It seemed incredible to be standing where Moses stood, surveying this panorama. The heat makes it so hazy it is hard to see clearly but I wondered if it had been a lush valley or like it is now, arid and sparse of vegetation.

From here we went to visit the site on the Jordan river where it is believed that John the Baptist baptised Jesus. It was supposed to be one way Jesus could show his empathy with humanity. There are archeological diggings that revealed a number of churches had been built here on stilts above the ground to survive the periodic floods.

I was shocked when we went down to the Jordan river. It is not much more than a muddy creek now because so much water is taken from the flow up stream by Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Water is such a precious commodity here but still it was sad to see its state. Only recently there had been a flash flood which had swept away the steps into the river on the Jordanian side. No repairs have been made. On the opposite bank which is the Israeli side, they have concrete and railings so you can enter the water. It all looks so well looked after and a lot more commercial. The archeological diggings are on the Jordanian side so that is believed to be the more authentic site yet it isn’t particularly well looked after in comparison. Mind you there were still bus loads of tourists.

We all dipped hands, or feet into the water and Anya, filled a bottle with the (murky) water and gave some to Anne later to take back to bless Sophie. I doubt we would get it through customs! We had a short prayer service here too which made us feel united with other pilgrims over the centuries.

Our next stop was Madaba, the city of mosaics. Here in a modern Greek Orthodox Church dedicated to St George was a vivid 6 th. Century Byzantine mosaic map of the holy land right across to Egypt with pictorial representations of towns, valleys, hills etc. The newer church was built around it to protect the floor. This town had other notable mosaics in churches and even homes.

By now we were hungry and our lunch was near a mosaic workshop. Naturally we made a visit and were quite intrigued by the young woman who painted with the coloured sands and the ostrich eggs decorated with the ground slate powder which take 120 hours to make.

Our last stop was Wadi Musa from where we will visit Petra.

Anne and I were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the departure gate to meet the tour group for our flight to Amman, when we saw her sister Julie and friends sitting at a table right next to us when we sat down for breakfast. It was a happy reunion and after meeting everyone it was soon time for our flight. The plane was not full so Anne was able to secure a four seat section and put her swollen ankle up for the duration of the flight. Watching the country from the air was so interesting because it isn’ just sandy desert like the Sahara.

When we arrived in Amman we were met by our immigration guide who asked for our passports to get our visas and then we were all shepherded through in single file. I have to say I felt like a primary school kid again but it was certainly trouble free. From here we were met by a bus and then taken to our hotel, the Larsa, which is in the suburbs. Everyone freshened up and then a few of us went for a walk around the block. On the way back we found a massage place just up the road from the hotel and Julie went in to ask about the services. Anne and I decided we would have one too but as we were going to a local parish church later in the afternoon for Mass we would have to go after dinner. It was Ramadan so the spa was not open again until 9.00 pm and closed at 1.00am in the early morning! We decided it would be good to have one before going to bed so we booked for 9.00.

There are 27 pilgrims on the tour and it was a challenge to remember everyone’s name but everyone was friendly. The others were all tired after their long flight from Australia. We visited a rather lovely church where we were all welcomed warmly by the priest. He had a marvellous voice and a bold personality. Randa our tour leader told us that though Christianity is tolerated its followers are not growing here because they don’t have large families like the Muslims so it is difficult for the churches here.The grotto at the church.

On our return to the hotel we had a buffet dinner with lots of salad and delicious dips which Anne and I relished after our recent travels. While everyone went to bed early Anne and I trundled up the street for our massage. What a hoot it turned out to be. On our arrival we were given blue paper bloomers and a paper bandeau bra( of sorts). Then we were asked to shower then get in the hot jacuzzi. Except, the water was scaldingly hot and we could barely stick a toe in let alone our bodies! The girls brought a big hose with cold water which we alternated on our feet but it was taking too long to cool so we were told to go to the sauna for a few minutes, then into the steam room. While in the sauna we were given a red drink, kakdi ( hibiscus tea) which looked like a dark red wine. No OH&S here because it was served in glass! I thought it was grape juice but I have been assured it was hibiscus tea.

Next we returned to the still hot jacuzzi and managed to immerse ourselves. We were being properly sterilised! When we could stand it no longer we entered the cool pool. We were so hot it was a relief. We were given the red drink again and in glass again. Now we thought it must be time for our massage. We found our towels and went to dry off but no, we had not washed with the soap and loofah ( it looked like a bleached coconut)! We were sent back to wash again. By now Anne and I were in mild hysterics because we were a sight to behold in our wet bloomers and not too generous paper bandeau bra. Finally we were deemed clean and then led to a marble counter with a thin towel draped across; no pillows or holes for your head. Soon we were slicked with oil and the massage began in earnest. This went on for an hour and was delicious. We were pummeled and stretched and smoothed. Even our heads were massaged. By the time they were finished with us we were relaxed, slippery, greasy haired blobs.

It took me two days to get the oil out of my hair but nary a stiff bone or muscle was found in our bodies the next day. It ended up being two hours for A$50 each. I would do that every week if I could! Needless to say we slept like logs and were very grateful no photos could be taken!

Note the trees planted on the footpath. The foot paths were very uneven and cracked so for the sight challenged it must be a nightmare and where the trees are it is nearly impossible to walk.

Some of the houses nearby and the baker cooking flat bread at the hotel.

Arrived early morning and checked in straight away. Because the plane was delayed an hour and a half leaving Madrid we missed getting a breakfast. Anne was feeling a bit sick from her empty stomach and no sleep so we showered then she set the alarm for an hour nap. I felt okay. We both felt a lot better after we lunched.

Next was a tour of Dubai. I have never seen anything beyond the airport while Anne had a sister and brother -in -law who had lived here for a number of years so she had visited a few times. We opted for the private driver on the basis that a hop off hop on would take too long, it was Friday and the beginning of Ramadan, the Holy period of fasting for Muslims so we were not sure what was open. It was a good decision. We saw so much more and avoided the waiting for buses when places we visited turned out to be closed, such as the museum and half the gold souk.

The only trouble was I started to get really sleepy and nod off. Anne was prodding me and finally I got into the front seat with the cold air conditioning to keep me awake. Dubai was certainly a hive of building and I would like to be in the glass business here because that and marble was everywhere. It is a bit like Las Vegas, totally artificial but fascinating for the imagination that makes it a destination. The water was a beautiful green and warm. I walked across the beach to put my feet in. I wondered how it stays so clear when they are building artificial islands. What tides do they have I wonder to keep the water flowing?

After our tour we returned to the hotel for a quick rest and then we went to dinner with Anne’s friend Mick who had worked for her husband and had been in Dubai for a very long time. He took us to a Japanese restaurant in our hotel and we had a very talented Tepenyaki Chef cook for us. It was a night of laughter and memories for Anne and Mick who has recently lost his partner. It was not a late night because we had an early departure for Amman to catch. We needed to be up by four o’clock in order to meet the Australian contingent of the Jordan tour at Dubai airport.

Irene and Bill left this morning at 6.45 am and Anne and I woke to say our goodbyes then went back to bed. It was a good place to be because all the cats in Galicia were falling on the roof. The day was wet to extremely wet!

Anne and I tidied up the apartment then departed in the rain to take our bags to luggage storage. Anne had found a plastic bag that she draped over her backpack and I lamented the posting of the poncho! Once the bags were divested, somewhat bedraggled, we headed off to the Santiago fresh food market. We actually found it without a problem. We were getting the hang of the place. What a charming market. All the fruit and vegetables we have craved were spread before us. Even the greens still had dirt. We wandered into the fish part and saw a guy with an oyster and lemon on a plate. It was only 11ish but we decided to buy some too and the oyster seller told us to go down to the end of the hall and get wine to go with them. We did a tasting of two very delicious wines with our freshly shucked oysters. They were fat and juicy and gorgeous. We felt quite decadent! The market has an area where if you buy from the stalls they cook it for you. We passed several people with prawns and octopus and sausages. We ended up at a Japanese stall and had soba noodles and vegetables as well as dumplings. It was so nice for a change.

The rain hadn’t let up at all and was heavier still so I suggested we go to the Museum of Pilgrimage and Santiago. It was free for over 65s, a nice bonus for us to keep our Euros for food and taxis. It was so interesting because it traces the origins of pilgrimage in all beliefs and then the development of the Camino De Santiago. It also had a display on the Kumano Kodo in Japan which brought back good memories.”

We were so engrossed we didn’t realise the time and it was past three when we collected our bags and went to the taxi ramp. It was pouring and there were no taxis, a small queue and no shelter. Once again I lamented the posting of my ponch. I then found the taxi number and rang for a taxi. Another 15 minutes and we were in danger of getting completely soaked as the wind was swirling the rain around us and we were starting to get a little desperate. Finally the taxi arrived and we jumped in quickly. There was a conference in town so the driver had been back and forth to the airport five times already.

Irene and Bill had said get there early because it was like Marrakech- slow and crowded. What a delight when we found not one person waiting at the checkin desk and staff on duty who promptly printed our boarding passes and put our luggage all the way to Dubai. Even security was a breeze despite having to remove boots and getting the drugs and gunpowder test. No queues, no rush. It took us longer to get loaded on the plane as it was a full flight!

Arriving in Madrid was also easy and though we had to go through the whole process again there were no queues or hiccups. What amused us and we took as a sign, was that we were being directed by yellow arrows everywhere. We are still on a pilgrimage but this time to the Holy Land.