Last day

Our last day in Jerusalem was spent walking and by the end we had made a huge figure 8. We set out before 8am because we wanted to go to the Garden of Gesthemane, where Jesus prayed on the last night of his life, while it was still quiet. We beat the tour groups by only a few minutes, but found a quiet spot out of the way to read the gospels about Jesus' last night and say our prayers. The olive trees really do look 2000 years old, and the view of the city walls was beautiful in the morning light.


Then we walked up the way Jesus would have that night after Judas, his own disciple, told the Roman Soldiers (the bad guys) that he was the one to arrest. We stopped at the "upper room" where he would have had his last supper (earlier that night), but in fact the room was built 1000 years after that happened, so we just had to imagine it. From there we walked out of the old city into a Jerusalem that is as new as any city we've ever seen, and went to the bookshop cafe of our friend Michael Weingrad's good friend Daveed.


We enjoyed meeting him and hearing a bit about his life in Jerusalem. While we were with him we heard a siren blaring for 2 minutes. Everyone stopped what they were doing, stood up and was silent to honor the soldiers who have died in the last year. Today is a memorial day, and tonight begins their independence day, so there are israeli flags flying everywhere. We walked through a fun part of Jerusalem with modern shops and restaurants to a bustling market where everyone comes to buy their produce, spices, meat and cheeses.


We had lunch in a yummy little restaurant (azura) that's part of the market that has some of the best hummus in the city. It was delicious.
Then we walked a long way to a part of the city called the German colony, had some ice cream as recommended my Michael, and then stopped to have a drink and rest our feet a while. We had come so far and wanted to get a bus back, but found out this wasn't convenient, so we decided to complete our big double loop. (We started up off the map in East Jerusalem-- follow the line with arrows to see our itinerary on the map.)


On our way back through the old city we received our first phone call and were so happy to hear Harper, Simon, Mimi and Pop, and to imagine that we'll be having dinner together tomorrow night!! We've missed you all so much and can't wait to talk to you all and share even more stories and pictures and hear what you all have been up to!
We've tired ourselves out today and hope to sleep a little before the taxi picks us up at 12:45 for our 5am flight!
It's been an amazing trip! Shalom!



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Two Days

Two more busy days in Israel.

You may remember that we started our first day with a worship service at St. George's. When the Dean, Graham Smith, found out I was a priest, he offered to take us on a tour the next day, Monday, yesterday.

We met him mid morning for a tour of St. George's College, which primarily hosts two week programs for American pilgrims, many from Episcopal Churches. Shortly after, he took us into Old Jerusalem where he led us through the Via Dolorosa, which is the path the church remembers Jesus took to his death on the cross. The prayers at each station were beautiful and moving. It's good to be an Anglican!

Graham was very generous with his time and showed us some of the more moving but hidden spots such as the Gate of Judgement, a probable place of the Last Supper, the places where Judas fled, and where Peter denied Jesus. Much to ponder and process. Thank you, Graham!



In the afternoon we went to the Israel Museum which just underwent a huge renovation and claims to be one of the top ten in the world. We only really had time to look at two things. The first was a huge model of Jerusalem in the late Second Temple period, the time of Jesus. The second was the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Aleppo Codex. Both provide great context and color to our sense of our tradition.



Another very full day, ended with a delicious Armenian meal in the old city with a magical late night stroll.



Our taxi driver to the museum yesterday talked us into hiring him today for a tour outside the city. It was a great choice. We visited four places.

First, we went to Bethlehem, where we saw the oldest continually running church, the one on the site of a stable in Bethlehem, where Jesus may have been born. It was sweet and moving, and once again we arrived in the midst of a service at the spot, this one led by Armenians.



From there, via the shepherd's field and some rugged landscape, we passed by settlements on our way to the Dead Sea, a salty inland sea at the lowest point on earth. It is very easy to float and a very cool feeling.




From there we went to Masada, which is stunning Roman style hill fort built by Herod and the site of one of the most dramatic sieges in all of history. It exceeded our expectations for beauty, history and drama.



Finally, we visited a small site in Jericho, where the oldest city known to the world was discovered. Whew! What a rich few days of history!

Tomorrow we hope to connect with a friend of our good friend Michael Weingrad and experience a bit more of today's Jerusalem.

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A very full day in Jerusalem

We had a beautiful hike in the valley bellow out hotel with more carved rock formations and even naturally carved tunnels we walked through.


The trip to Israel was uneventful and we arrived at St. Georges guest house around 11pm.
The next day was certaiy not uneventful! Christopher said it was one of the fullest in his life. We started our day with a Eucharist service with a bunch of Anglicans from england and Australia, and it was very moving to share the same worship and sing Jesus Christ is Risen Today. Grounded in our own tradition we then went out to experience the multitude of ways that people from around the world worship God. We started at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus' crucifixion and Burial are commemorated. We could kneel under this altar and touch the stone that held the cross.


We witnessed a Greek orthodox mass taking place at the Sepulchre.


Then we stopped in a shop selling antique pottery and glass and got to see and touch some exquisite vessels that are thousands of years old. The shop owner was very nice and very knowledgeable.

From there we headed to the Western Wall which is open to all, though it seems that most of the people praying there are Jewish as they are reading Hebrew scriptures. We had to go to separate areas for our prayers as the men and women are separated, but I think we were both very moved by praying while touching this wall that held the Temple at which Jesus prayed. People write their prayers on little pieces of paper and stick them into the little cracks in the wall- some of them minuscule.


Having gone to the holiest sites for Christians and Jews we then ventured up to the temple mount, which used to hold the Jewish temple but now holds a couple of mosques including the Dome of the Rock, which is covered in gold. Even though it is currently controlled by Muslims, it is still very significant in our tradition too.


Then we spent a couple of hours exploring an archeological museum and site at the base of the temple mount that really helped us imagine what this area was like for the last couple thousand years. We pretty much had the place to ourselves which was a welcome contrast to the crowds earlier, and it was also wonderful to look out at the surrounding hills and think of Jesus knowing this area so intimately.

We were so excited to talk to Harper, Simon, Mimi and Pop from outside the Joffa gate. Can you spot Daddy?


We miss you!

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Three days

We've had some difficulty getting on wifi so today we tell of three days.

Our last day in Istanbul was just as we'd planned it, lazy and slow. The weather cooperated with a terrific windstorm that threw branches off the trees before our window. It was cozy and dramatic.

In the afternoon we felt like a movie and so walked to a local cinema in an old multi-story building. But their planning was odd because above our theater was a bowling alley! It sounded like it was thundering throughout our film.


We rounded out our trip to Istanbul with a visit to our local Hamam, which was well over 500 years old. Hamams are like spas with a well defined regimen of steam bath, massage, scrub and cool shower. It was kind of cool, kind of relaxing and a little smelly.

The next day, Thursday we woke up just before 5am to travel to Cappadocia. After a flight and three taxis we finally caught up with our tour group in small town in this beautiful, strange and historic part of Turkey. The landscape reminds us of some kind of blend of Provence, the American desert and the mountains of Morocco. It's a feast for the eyes.








Over the last two days we've been taken from one intriguing spot after the other like underground cities, ancient Roman ruins and Christian chapels carved into rock, covered with frescoes. Thanks to the unique landscape, the rich history and the warm and funky town and hotel where we are staying, we are charmed and content.

Tomorrow we fly to Tel Aviv via Istanbul.

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Up the Bosphorous

On Tuesday we walked from our hotel all the way to the Golden Horn, the river that separates the two parts of Istanbul in Europe. We went to the spice bazaar where they were selling slugs. Did we buy any? You'll have to wait and see!




They were setting up around the mosque to film a James Bond movie, Skyfall. That will be fun to see.
Then we boarded a boat and cruised up the Bosphorous, the water that leads from the Sea Marmara to the Black Sea. There are beautiful large homes on the banks, but the general effect is thatIstanbul extends almost to the Black Sea now.
We stopped for lunch in a village where we could hike up to an old castle. You can see the Black Sea behind me.



We had lunch at a terrace restaurant looking down at the Bosphorous back toward Istanbul. You can see some skyscrapers in the distance part of this enormous city.



From this terrace we could see some dolphins playing in the water, and they played very close to our boat on the way back.
That night we had dinner on top of one of the tallest high-rises in Istanbul from which the view was absolutely magical. After having walked around much of the city it was really fun to look at it from above and put together all the pieces.



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More adventure!

Yesterday we woke up early (too early thanks to jet lag!) and so got an early start to the day. We took a long ride on the light rail, walked to a metro and then took the metro to the very edge of the old city- the Theodosian walls, which are 1500 years old and, for a thousand years were never breached.

From there we went to one of the most beautiful churches in the world. It's called Chora and is decorated on the inside with gorgeous mosaic pictures of the life of Jesus.

We then walked back towards the center of town. For fifteen minutes we walked by store after store selling wedding dresses! We'd never seen so many in our lives!

We went on to see the most respected mosque in Istanbul. To go in we had to take off our shoes and Chloe had to put a scarf on her head.

We then went to biggest bazaar in the world but didn't buy anything.


Then we went back to our hotel to nap. It was a full day in Istanbul. To top it all off we browsed in some local shops before dinner and Chloe found some fun, beautiful and creative jewelry.



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Taking in views

We slept in late--really late-- and had breakfast in our room, then ventured down the big pedestrian street in our neighborhood, Istiklal Cadessi, to the Galata Tower. It was built in the 1300s as part of the walls protecting the part of the city that belonged to the Genoese. We took an elevator and stairs to the top and then walked around the outside to see the whole city.


It was windy up there! Here's what the tower looks like as seen from the lounge of our hotel. You can't tell how tall it is.


After that we walked down to the waterfront and got some lunch, and strolled down to the modern art museum where we checked out the collection--nothing spectacular--and then sat out on their waterfront deck which _was_ spectacular, and watched the light change and the many boats go by-- Hagia Sofia dominates the skyline in both pictures as it has for 1500 years!




We took a funicular back up to Istiklal Cadessi where there were thousands of Istanbullus walking up and down the street. Had a pizza in a cool little place in our neighborhood and got to bed relatively early.

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A great, long first day

Yesterday, Saturday, after a surprisingly good night of sleep, we set off on our first day of adventure. We spent the day exploring two Byzantine treasures- the Hagia Sophia church and the massive nearby underground cistern.





They were both evocative, if run down. We made our way back to the hotel through a big rainstorm, rested up, and then had terrific night on the town including fresh fish, gypsy music and dancing. We're just drinking it all up!

We're both in great shape, including my (Christopher's) back. We're thinking often of family and friends and hope Ellen's art opening was smash success. More to come soon!


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Arrived safely

The journey was long but totally smooth-without much sleep. Arrival into Istanbul is pretty driving along the water. There are tulips planted everywhere as April is the Tulip Festival. We love our hotel and after checking in on Friday afternoon,


ventured out to the busy pedestrian street Istiklal Cadessi and had a drink at a hip bar with a 360 view of the city. Dinner in the restaurant behind the hotel and a 10 hour night of sleep. Ahhhhhh!


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Location:Bostanbaşı Cd,Beyoğlu,Turkey

On our way

At SFO now...thank you Papa for getting us to the airporter. We're about to board our flight to Frankfurt and are very excited for our adventure!


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Location:International Terminal Departures,San Francisco,United States