Next trip! Germany

You would be forgiven for thinking that we've only just recently gotten back from Israel, but in fairness with all the activity I didn't manage to get the final set of posts done until much after our return to London. Don't worry, the pictures and a proper retrospective are coming, but in the meantime. . .

We're off to Germany! We'll be visiting our good friends Bobby & Erica (with whom we've already done a little travel already) and are looking forward to exploring their newfound home.

One of the beautiful things about having friends who are fellow expats is that you get to benefit from having your own dedicated tour guides to interesting places that you might not otherwise get to see. We don't have any firm plans set yet, so you'll just have to wait and see what we get up to!

Israel Take 2 - Day 11 (last day)

After our last breakfast in the hotel (and my last of halva, porridge and silan), we checked out, but left our luggage so that we had our hands free for one last adventure. The goal was to try and see the Ethiopian Orthodox Church currently set in the modern city.

 

On our way, the air raid sirens brought the whole city to a stop for a moment of silence in memory of the holocaust. It was eerie and extremely touching to see absolutely everyone stop where they were and be still, some with tears in their eyes. Poignant to say the least.

 

After coming out of the collective reverie, Branson had us homed in on the church and much to our surprise it was open! After removing our shoes (as per custom) in we went and aside from two old gentlemen praying (napping?) it was just us. It was an interesting space, very different from any other church I'd been in and yet still very familiar. It is certainly less prosperous than many of the others we had seen on our trip, but still kept up with lots of love. I was particularly intrigued by the different drums that were haphazardly stacked in various corners and alcoves  and wonder what their services are like. A few signs in English gave us a sense of some of the more unusual iconography though I wish I had more knowledge of their beliefs before going.

 

Meandering back through the modern city to our hotel, the dust storm which had been predicted for the past few days finally started to blow in and the sky took on the eerie yellowish-rusty brown of desert sand. After a few minutes, even my lungs were protesting. I suppose it was a sign that even in the most beautiful climates, there are down sides. 

 

After arriving back at our hotel there was nothing left after a brief rest and stowing of gear but to head off to the airport. We took mostly the public transport route, Branson going with us very kindly to ensure that we made it (in total fairness, it's not the most straight forward of systems to figure out!). And another tearful goodbye that was the end of another wonderful trip.

 

And to be honest, we're still processing it. Going through pictures, absorbing all the things we saw and trying to square the different sides of the country that we saw and frankly speculating about what we didn't see. I can't thank Branson enough for having us and being such a fabulous guide. It's been interesting to see him go through his own expat experience while we've had ours and to experience a little of that world for ourselves. Had he not been there, I'm not sure we would have gone at all, let alone twice! It's a complex place full of passionate people and more history than you can shake a stick at. I have a feeling that it won't be our last trip, although next time perhaps we'll be less complacent and learn a bit of Hebrew and Arabic for ourselves! 

 

Israel Take 2 - Day 10

In hindsight, I think this post will make more sense once I get the pictures processed. So look out for those soon! In the meantime, the text of the day is below.

Our original plans for Sunday were to  go into Ramallah, however, since deciding that was a bad plan upon arrival, we'd been batting around what to do with our "extra" day. I remembered the enchanting description of three very different walks through Jerusalem at dawn in the Jerusalem biography - putting that together with my previous experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre a few days previously, the best idea seemed to be to spend a few hours at dawn in the Church.

So, it was that I found myself walking through the Jaffa Gate at the seriously uncomfortable hour of 5:00am. The boys headed off to watch the Jewish community great dawn at the Western Wall and I headed inside the church for a few hours contemplation and worship. It was a very magical time with the different services all going on at once and in not so subtle competition with each other. The keen faith was palpable and very special indeed.

Stepping out in the full light of day around 7:15, I was not a little unchanged for the experience. However, at that hour not a lot was open so it was back to the hotel for another super tasty breakfast and decide what it was we wanted to do with the rest of the day.

Seeing as how we hadn't yet seen any of the Muslim holy places, the next obvious place to go was the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock. It was at this point we were very glad indeed to not be part of a tour group, because security limits the number of non-believers who are able to enter at any given time. A party of three, we were put into the "fast track" line away from the larger groups, who were then turned away for a few hours - the quota having been filled.

From the check point it was a short walk over a wooden bridge, past the Western Wall, over the top of many extremely interesting looking archeological excavations and then into the Temple Mount complex itself.

I was surprised at how little was open for visiting - none of the mosques (either Al-Aqsa or the stunning Dome of the Rock) were open for tourists; the Islamic Museum was likewise very firmly closed.

The other surprise was the very lively study groups which had all set themselves up in the plaza. Some fairly large (20-30), some small (2-3), but definitely segregated by gender and all deep in discussion. A good reminder that this is still very much the centre of faith for a vibrant community.

On the other side of the Dome of the Rock was a lovely little grotto of olive trees where school children would play on their breaks.

Come full circle, we headed out of the "Cotton Merchant's Gate" and found a cute little market where we finished off the majority of our souvenir shopping.

Shopping complete, we headed back through the market and over to the Citadel - that was finally open! It's rather misleadingly known as the Tower of David, the name wasn't the only misleading piece of information. Still it surrounds some pretty neat ruins and from the walls you could get some great views out over the old city.

After several hours wandering about, it was definitely time for lunch and so we decided to pair lunch with another sightseeing expedition. So it was back into the modern city and around the corner from the Mahane Yehuda market at a little hole in the wall called Rachmo. Definitely one of our better lunches in Jerusalem! Enormous portions (Stephen and I split a plate) but all homemade. We had a stuffed eggplant dish, with rice/lentils/onions mix, the ubiquitous tomato/cucumber salad and a plate of pickles that went way too quickly.

Sated, it was through the market to wander about relishing all the lovely fresh fruits & vegetables, pick up some last minute snacks (mmmm halva) before heading back into the Old City to continue our plans for the day.

On the agenda for our final afternoon was to pick up where we left off at the Citadel and do the Eastern edge of the "Ramparts Walk" where we met a very cheerful and yet a little bizarre ticket taker (all of our answers to his very routine questions got turned into song). When I saw the not too terribly stable, nearly free standing spiral staircase, I was wondering what in the world I'd let myself in for. Fortunately, once actually up on the walls, it was firm stone under my feet. A much happier camper, I could then relax and enjoy the view. And the views were wonderful, on the one hand back over the old city, on the other back across the new city. Because everything is built higgledy-piggledy we got to peer into some very non-public areas, including watching some of the police horses get a cool down in the stables that according to the sign were used by Crusaders and later the Sultanate. Kind of amazing when you think about it. I really enjoyed getting a birds eye view of the daily life of the city as well as the more traditional panoramic vistas.

The walk eventually dropped us off at the Zion gate (so called because it leads to the Mount Zion, yes that Mount Zion), just a short walk from our next stop, the Abbey of the Dormition. Looked after by a German Benedictine community it was yet another stunning example of modern architecture built around much older ruins. It also housed some of the more beautiful mosaics we'd seen outside of the Orthodox churches with a beautiful crypt. Blessedly we were able to pace ourselves to fit neatly inbetween the tour groups and so got periods of being in the church on our own.

Around the corner and above a Jewish religious school (which explained the groups of young Jewish adults - some carrying their AK47s alarmingly nonchalantly - hanging out in the church courtyard), was the Room of the Last Supper. Very plain, but with some original features, including scraps of what were probably once frescos.

By that point it was already late afternoon and we were all getting a little droopy from our early start (or at least, I was). So we took the scenic route back to the hotel, through the historic Yemin Moshe neighbourhood. Very quiet and peaceful (living up to its name) with some really lovely gardens. One of the few places in Jerusalem that felt like real people lived there.

Back in the room ,where I took a nap and the boys caught up on the world happenings, we realised that evening was the start of the Holocaust Remembrance Day and so none of the usual restaurants would be open. So we decided to be totally unambitious and give our hotel restaurant a try . . which was exactly the same thing as everyone else did. Service was slow and the food was mediocre - not good, not bad, just ok. But it was dinner and it furnished us with wine glasses and a bottle opener for us to toast our last evening in Jerusalem (oh, and pack).

Luckily for us, there was one last surprise in store before getting on the plane.

Israel Take 2 - Day 9

After another immensely tasty breakfast, we were off on perhaps our most ambitious sightseeing day ever. The plan was to head over to the Mount of Olives before returning to the Old City along the famous Via Dolorosa and take in as many of the churches on the way that we could.

Fortunately, the weather was looking up with the day dawning bright and clear with a forecast of pleasantly warm, but not scalding weather. Perfect! 

Instead of passing through the Old City, we opted to walk around the eastern walls that brought us to our first surprise church of the day, St. Peter in Gallicantu. Not sure what it was, we headed down the short drive and onto the edge of Mount Zion and around the convent to the main church which it turned out to have been the site of Peter's betrayal of Christ. Not unlike most churches in the area, it sat on top of what were suspected to be ruins of prison cells. Both the architecture and interior decor were an interesting fusion of Byzantine and traditional Catholic.

Walking back up to the ridge and then across the Valley of Jehosephat we came to church number 2, the Basilica of the Agony or the Church of All Nations set next to the garden of Gethsemane, with it's beautiful old olive trees. While none date to precisely  the time of Christ, some come close at around 1,300 years old. Mind boggling.

The Basilica itself was hard to appreciate properly having lots of scaffolding up (not sure what was going on and surprised that it would be under renovation so soon after Easter) and positively teeming with tour groups all jostling for space and having a mass being said (in Italian) at the same time. Not really an environment conducive to lingering even if we had been so inclined. 

From there we headed across the street to the third church - The Tomb of the Virgin. Set down into one of the caves and decorated more in the Orthodox style, it was (again) quite the squeeze, but this time many alcoves and niches let us stand a bit out of the crush and appreciate the rather ornate lanterns draped in many rows throughout, the icons covering the several altars and the general rather unique architecture of the place. Still, it was extremely crowded and so rather than elbow our way through through the different groups, we took our leave, sitting on the steps briefly before heading back into the daylight.

From there it was already getting on toward lunch time and the noon closures of all the churches for masses to be said by the various religious orders who maintain them. So we headed up the hill and stumbled upon a rather mundane looking place that turned out to have an outside seating area on the roof and looked to be quite tasty, if standard fare. It was the perfect place to linger over our falafel and salads (yes, again) and enjoy the view back over the Jehosephat Valley & the Old City with the Dome of the Rock featuring prominently.

Even despite our lingering lunch, it was still a little too early for the churches to be open again. So, we headed over to another little look-out area to discuss what we'd seen to date, doze a little and plan our afternoon.

As soon as 2pm rolled around, we were off again, this time to the Church of Pater Noster, said to be on the place where Christ taught his disciples the "Our Father" prayer. Though simple architecturally, what made it such a striking place were the large tiled translations of the "Our Father" into a myriad of different languages from across the globe. The little pamphlet said there were over 60. Everything from Italian, Greek, and Coptic to Tuvulu, Javanese and []. It gave the sense of commonality, a way for people to connect over a very simple, yet profound text. It was also fun to watch the different groups of pilgrims come into the courtyard, see the different languages and immediately head off to try and find theirs. We found it wonderful to wander about, looking at the myriad different scripts and alphabets knowing that they all expressed the same glory and humility. 

After that it was just own the road to the church of Dominus Flevit - the place where Jesus wept. The last church on the Mount of Olives that was on our list. Said to be built on the place where Jesus wept upon seeing Jerusalem in the pilgrimage leading up to the cruxifiction. It had it's own stunning view across the valley and into the Old City. What was a particularly nice touch is that instead of having a solid wall behind the altar, they instead put in panels of clear glass so that you saw the Old City out behind whoever was saying mass. This wasn't a church that could be plonked down just anywhere, the mere addition of adding the clear glass kept you rooted in the specifics of where you were. They also had some really beautiful and what looked like very old mosaics on the floor.

So with one last glance across the valley and the lovely garden of the church, it was back down the Mount of Olives, across the valley and back into the City through the Lion's gate.

We were headed for the Via Dolorosa, but got sidetracked, when, in order to let a car pass, I stepped into what I thought was an ordinary doorway and was surprised to find it led onto an open courtyard. Stepping in for just a moment, I was surprised to find myself standing just outside the Church of St. Anne & the Betheseda pools! The boys by this time had come looking for me (being ahead on the street when the car passed), wondering where I had managed to disappear to. they too were delighted at my find. The Church of St. Anne is said to be the place where Mary was born  and is dedicated to her mother, St. Anne. Done in the Romanesque style, it was a much more "traditional" looking church than many others we had seen that day and a welcome change. There is something very elegant in the lines of Romanesque architecture I find and despite its evident age, it still had access to the crypt where they believed that this early holy family lived with a rather lovely series of alcoves and altars.

Just outside the church is the site of the  old Beheseda pools (now dry), which many throughout history believed had curative powers. In fact, it is on this place that it was said that Christ healed a lame man. Though the more dangerous bits were cordoned off, there was still quite a lot to wander about freely, poking our heads into cisterns and under arches. The wild poppies were still blooming and their little blobs of red provided a beautiful contrast to the cream sandstone and green grass.

Delighted with our 2nd surprise church of the day, we headed back to the start of the Via Dolorosa and the original stations of the cross. Stations I & II are at the twin churches of the Condemnation & Flagellation, also set back in a little courtyard (with attendant monastery). The stained glass in the Church of the Flagellation were spectacular. Both were quite small churches and one wonders how often that masses are said in them. They felt a bit more "passed over" than many of the others we had seen that day, but still very tender spots in their own right.

From there, we continued down the Dolorosa, which had the feel of a bazaar rather than any place sacred with the usual hustle and bustle of shopping and residents on their way. I'm not sure if it was our own fatigue or the difficulty in focusing on the spiritual in the middle of the daily grind of residents, but we were definitely starting to flag. Still, close to our goal, we pressed on.

Our next (brief) stop was to peer into the, sadly closed, Ecce Homo Church, through which you could see remnants of the triumphal arch built by Emperor Hadrian. It seemed a bit of a bizarre place for a church, particularly given the Roman link to the Christian passion, but in Jerusalem you quickly learn that logic has very little to do with it. However, since the church was closed, really the only thing we could do was peer through the glass doors.

Unfortunately for us, many of the small chapels at the various stations were closed, but we did get a chance to explore the rather bizarre, yet fascinating Orthodox chapel set on top of another early Roman prison. They allege this is where the two thieves crucified alongside Christ were held the night before their execution. 

The only other two churches that were open that day were at the site of station 4 (where Christ met his mother, run by an order of Armenian sisters) and station 6 (where Veronica wiped the face of Jesus, run by the sisters). Both were very simple affairs, mere chapels really, more places of contemplation and silent prayer than a centre of systemic community worship. 

After running up against another dead end at station 9 and knowing the remainder were in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we decided that 14 churches were more than enough for one day and so we wound our way back through the alleys and back to the Jaffa gate. We sat just outside the walls, watching the crowds pass and sipping pomegranate juice (yes, out of season, but still tasty!) and wondering what we would do for dinner. Delving back into the guidebook for ideas, we chose Barood, which was billed as specialising in Sephardic cuisine. Given, the menu, that looked unlikely, but still it was extremely tasty with Branson pronouncing his main of "ossu buco" (braised, bone-in pork shank) to be one of his favourite moments of the whole trip. My paprikash main was also excellent and matched beautifully with a glass of a local wine, "Adom" blend (40% Syrah, 40% Carignan, 10% Malbec and 10%Mourvèdre, if this website can be trusted) from the Somek winery near Zikhron Ya'akov. 

Well fed and watered, we took a leisurely stroll back to our hotel and made an early night of it, considering the next morning would be very early indeed.

Israel Take 2 - Day 8

The morning of our first full day in Jerusalem started off with the first of several fantastic breakfasts in the hotel's restaurant. Not only did they have a full range of "continental" breakfast foods, but also had a great selection of Israeli salads and dairy treats (I think Israel might be second only to France in the wonderful dairy options). It was also on this day that I discovered the amazing fusion that is oatmeal/porridge with halva and silan - a type of date syrup that I'd never had before and a culinary oversight Branson made sure was fixed. Needless to say, a bottle of that definitely needed to come home with us and we had another item on our "to find in London" list.

After a such a fortifying breakfast, we were off to brave the elements. The weather had taken a distinctive turn for the stormy and so, with a forecast of rain that morning, we decided a museum was in order. Being in the new town already, the Israel Museum seemed a natural choice. Our stroll tools us through the Sir Charles Clore park and even though it wasn't perhaps the most direct route, it was worth it to get a feel for this part of modern Jerusalem.

The Israel museum is extremely well planned out and covers quite a lot of ground. We decided to focus our four hours in 3 different areas: the archeology wing (focusing on artefacts from ancient history of the region), the deservedly much acclaimed Shrine of the Book and the very impressive model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period.

Having been to many of the main archeological sites either on our previous trip or in the preceding days, the archeology wing was something of a no brainer and held many of the more precious or sensitive objects that couldn't continue to be exposed to the elements in their original site. It also really helped us synthesise much of what we had seen into the larger historical context. Unfortunately (and perhaps not surprisingly) many of the curatorial notes were rather heavy handed with the nationalism, much of which felt more than a bit desperate, but this was easily "filtered out" as it were and didn't ruin our enjoyment of the outstanding collection. Still, a more even handed treatment of history would certainly help. 

The Shrine of the Book was just as impressive as its reputation made it out to be, both in terms of architecture (being custom built to display the Dead Sea Scrolls & the Aleppo Codex) and in terms of curation - great development of the historical context with only minor nationalistic side tracks. The only disappointing feature was that the main event - a sample of the Scrolls - was a replica rather than the real thing. Still neat, but significantly less cool than seeing an original. I kind of wish this had been made clear at the beginning. The basement inclusion of the Aleppo Codex, on the other hand, was a surprise treat and included many original samples. I could have used more explanations and in-depth treatment of its history, but for the space available I thought they did a great job.

Tucked in behind the Shrine of the Book, is the amazing and HUGE model of what Jerusalem might have looked like during the Second Temple Period, which according to many is the height of classical Jewish culture. The level of detail was incredible and I was glad to have had that as a background before spending time in the present day version of the city with its many layered history and numerous excavations. 

Pretty chilled from being buffeted about by the winds in our short period outdoors, we opted for a late lunch in the museum cafe before the journey back into the old city. Our walking route conveniently took us past the Knesset with attendant rose garden & new shiny Supreme Court building before coming to the light rail line to take us back into town. I've heard a lot of controversy around the light rail line, but I found it to be extremely clean, efficient and used by pretty much all members of society, Jews & Arabs alike. One of the only times, actually, I saw a representative cross section of the city's population literally rubbing shoulders with one another.

Dropping us off only a short walk from the Jaffa Gate, we headed back to finish exploring the Armenian Quarter, where we had left off the night before. Having been warned by our guidebook that many of the Armenian churches were normally closed to visitors, it was with much surprise that in wandering past their cathedral, St. James, that we saw the doors open. Stepping into the court yard and then into the church itself, we stumbled upon a service in progress! Never having attended an Armenian service before, a quick look at the boys confirmed they were just as interested in observing, so we slipped quietly onto one of the benches at the back and watched with keen attention. I'm not sure how to describe the service other than a fascinating blend of what I grew up with in the Catholic church and my experiences with the Russian Orthodox. I wish I had understood more of what I was seeing, but it was probably one of our most memorable moments in Jerusalem.

Full of awe, we wandered a bit aimlessly until we found ourselves in the Jewish Quarter and more specifically overlooking the old Roman Cardo, which led underground to view some of the remains discovered and partially exposed in a tunnel under the street. It was quite a cool place to explore, peering down viewing holes, over railings and into other caves. Byzantine ruins, piled on or jumbled up with Roman, Second Temple and even First Temple period ruins. Layer upon layer of history.

This led us out not far from the square in front of the citadel where we stopped into one of the pilgrimage refuge cafe's for some warming beverages and a rather nice piece of chocolate cake. Thus revived, it was then time to head off to the Western Wall to watch sun down and the Jewish community's start of Shabbat. I'd been told by a coworker that this was an event "not to be missed", and so we'd been really looking forward to it. Arriving, early we went down into the plaza to see up close to the wall itself and each spent a little time in reflection before heading back up to one of the streets above the plaza to watch the approach of sunset and the different Jewish communities celebrate the start of their holy day.

Out of respect for the Shabbat prohibitions, I didn't take any pictures, but it was interesting watching the different sections interact (or not) and the different yet still similar rituals each followed. Between watching the start of Shabbat and our experience at the Armenian Cathedral, this would prove to set the tone for much of our time in Jerusalem - different traditions practicing their own way, simultaneously trying to pretend they are in a bubble and yet not quite managing it.

After awhile we started to get hungry again and then realised that, because it was Shabbat (as well as the end of the Muslim holy day), we were probably going to be rather challenged in finding dinner. Not knowing quite what else to do, we turned to my guidebook (not for the last time!) and picked one of their recommendations back in the modern city - Shanty. And though a little challenging to find (down a side street from a side street, across someone's back garden and into an alley), it proved to be super tasty - the dishes themselves weren't particularly remarkable, but were well-cooked, homestyle and plenty of it. I was rather impressed because despite being a huge fan of the DK guidebooks, I had previously found the restaurant recommendations to be at best "safe" and at worse, overly touristy. Fortunately, this one bucked the trend and would guide us to some other real gems in a city where the food can be quite mediocre and over priced. 

All that was left after our very tasty, filling supper was another very chilly walk back to the hotel to warm up and prepare for the festival of churches that was the plan for the following day.

Israel Take 2 - Day 7

Sadly, our time in the Galilee was at and end and with much reluctance we ate our final breakfast on the cabin patio, packed the car and headed for Jerusalem.

On the way, we passed through Haifa to drop off some of Branson's things (including a much appreciated cooler!) and Tel-Aviv to pick up a few things we had forgotten at our previous hotel before heading over to the airport to drop off our car, by now lovingly nicknamed Slow-mo, due to being rather underpowered and so slow going up the many hills. After a bit of confusion (drop off at the central car return place or the terminal itself?) due to not a little misinformation (suggest avoid renting from Avis in Israel), we finally got little Slow-mo successfully returned. 

Since it was still rather early in the day, we decided on the scenic if somewhat longer option of taking the train, which in part still runs on the route established by the British Mandate. Weaving back through the hills after leaving Bet Shamesh, it was a beautiful ride and gave us a feel for the terrain upon which Jerusalem is set.

Unfortunately, the train station in Jerusalem is somewhat of a trek from the rest of town, but, being a train station, taxis were easy to come by and a short while later we found ourselves on the plaza in front of the externally impressive Jerusalem International YMCA, nicknamed "The Three Arches". Impressive and majestic on the outside, it was to prove an excellent launch pad for the next couple of days - close enough to easily walk to the Old City and yet also an easy walk to the more interesting areas of the New City. What makes it affordable, however, is that the room interiors could generously be described as "shabby chic" and have definitely seen better days (the bathrooms had clearly not seen enough bleach). Still, it was clean enough and as we would find out over subsequent days had an amazing breakfast buffet included in the room rate. 

After settling into our "shabby chic" triple room, it was off to do a bit of pre-sunset exploring. First taking in the Montefiore windmill set in the beautiful Bloomfield gardens to get a bit of perspective on the city. From there, we walked over to the Jaffa Gate and so into the Christian Quarter of the Old City. The sun having just set we decided it might be a good time to catch the much storied Church of the Holy Sepulchre without enormous crowds. I was completely blown away. At once warren like with all the different chapels and alcoves dedicated to Christ's last moments on earth and first few moments of his resurrection, it simultaneously has a sense of grandeur and ceremony that I haven't experienced anywhere else. Standing under the central dome looking at the diminutive chapel housing the spot St. Helena best guessed held the tomb of Christ, I couldn't help but feel the awe and humility of literally a thousand years of pilgrim hopes and tears. The twinkling candies in the fading daylight felt almost magical. 

The boys however, kindly reminded me that unless I wanted to spend the night locked inside the church, it was probably best to move on. Now properly evening, our bellies spoke up to remind us that more earthly needs should be seen to. And so we made the shot jog into the Armenian Quarter to the justifiably popular Armenian Tavern for dinner. Stephen and I had never had Armenian food before and our taste buds were in for quite the treat! At once a fantastic fusion of flavours we'd had in other cuisines and yet wholly its own thing, we loved every bite. We shared a mezzo like plater for starters and then spent quite a while relishing our mains (I had a vine leaf & beef soup that was to die for) paired with a really rather excellent Pinot Noir made by Trappist monks just outside of Jerusalem at Latroun (itself of significance in modern Israeli history). I'm definitely going to need to find both the wine & an Armenian restaurant when we get back to London. Simply too good not to have in my life regularly.

From there it was an easy if rather cold stroll through the Jaffa gate and back to our hotel to plan the next day's adventures. It was also when we started seriously assessing the situation in the West Bank and reluctantly came to the conclusion that it was probably not a good plan at this point in time and unlikely to significantly improve before Sunday. Despite my disappointment, it did mean we had another full day to devote to Jerusalem, and so we re-arranged our plans accordingly.

Israel Take 2 - Day 6

For our last day in the Galilee, we decided to undertake something of a grand tour of history, starting at nearly the southern most point and for the earliest of the historical sites we'd visit and ending up back closer to our Zimmer for a fusion of modern and ancient. 

We started our day at Beit Shean, an enormous site of Roman ruins. I've truly never seen anything like it. They think that the original town covered some 2 acres and was home to nearly 40,000 people. Even in ruins the site is impressive. It includes a surprisingly well kept theatre (that originally would have seated 7,000), 2 bathhouses, a huge colonnaded main thoroughfare with a religious complex to the left and market area to the right, a bridge across the valley, myriad original mosaics everywhere, and a path up the "tel" where the remains of an Egyptian house can even be seen. We were there for neigh on 3 hours and probably only saw three-quarters of what there was to see. Given the pace and scale of the excavations still underway, no doubt each year there will be more and more to see. To say it set a very high bar for the rest of the day would be an understatement!

The next stop, after winding up through the Jordan valley was Belvoir Castle, an old ruined Crusader fortress, built originally by the Knights Hospitaliers. The road up the mountain to the castle was a little hair raising - one lane wide and possibly in the worst condition of anything we've yet encountered in Israel, the Scorpion's Ascent included. Once we finally got to the top, however, the views were amazing. The ruined citadel itself wasn't quite as impressive as the Nimrod Fortress from the previous day, but it was still pretty cool regardless. Much larger and more spacious than any of the other crusader castles we'd previously seen. Also, filled with centipedes, which was surprising in the heat.

By the time we finished with the castle it was already pushing 1pm and we still had 3 churches on our list with restricted closing times. So instead of the previously planned leisurely lunch in central Tiberias (and with it, sadly, went our last real option for a local fish supper), we stopped for a quick falafel pita & ice cream just outside of Tiberias on our way up the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Not the most gourmet of meals, but it was as tasty as it needed to be and quick. 

After finishing off our ice cream (halva & pistachio for Stephen, white chocolate & lychee for me, and coffee & maple syrup for Branson), it was back on the road again for our first still complete church of the day: The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves & Fishes just outside of Capernaum. Another modern church built on the remains of many older versions, it still featured some of the original mosaics from the previous Byzantine church. These were definitely the highlight and it was nice to be able to take our time to wander about the small sanctuary. 

This was to turn into something of a theme as our plans began to coincide with that of many other groups on organised tours. While no doubt they benefited from not having to worry with the logistics of getting to each site (a challenge to be sure) and dedicated guides to provide the historical/relgious context, we had the advantage of being able to linger (or not) at each site as much as we liked, or to avoid the worst of the crowds or to talk with the volunteers/monks/nuns/priests/caretakers at each site. I'm glad that my first visit to this very holy land was in a less corralled fashion to let some of the significance of what we saw soak in. That said, I think for the next trip I would choose to have a guide for some of these to get a better insight into the finer points of architecture, history and theology.

Then it was just up the road to Capernaum itself for the surreally space-ship like church of St. Peter. It was a rather innovative and certainly interesting way of "hovering" a fairly large church over archeological ruins while still preserving the accessibility to the ruins themselves. A conundrum that almost every church we had yet and would yet visit had to contend with. St. Peter's certainly also had some of the most beautiful gardens yet of any of the churches we visited with a myriad flowers in bloom and plenty of green framing and providing a welcome refuge. Just next door was a very interesting ruined synagogue. Built more classically (not surprisingly) and out of a coppery, creamy sandstone it was a pleasant and grounding contrast to the modern church. Being surrounded by ruins of the local village, it made the church feel like a lonely outpost in an otherwise abandoned site.

Another jaunt up the road brought us to our first proper Orthodox church, dedicated to the 12 apostles. It was rather refreshing after all the modern churches with clean lines and uncluttered interiors to enter a much older and smaller building. Also, I have such a soft spot in my heart for the architecture and symbology in Orthodox churches, so it was nice to spend some quiet time among the icons and incense. I think the nicest touch of this church (aside from the peacocks roaming the olive grove) was the baptismal path that led from the church out to the Sea of Galilee where initiates could be baptised directly in the sea so closely associated to Christ's ministry. Sitting on the steps of this wild baptistry with the water lapping at my feet, it made much more clear what the calling of the apostles from the sea to be very different sorts of fishermen must have been like. 

The sun, however, was setting and we had one more item on our agenda for the day. So I reluctantly drew myself away and back into the car. While Branson was rerouting us, I flipped through the guidebook again and realised that the proposed drive would take us right past the Mount of the Beatitudes! Given it was late in the day, we figured it would be closed, but we headed up anyway and sure enough a closed gate met us. But the little lookout behind the church was still open, so with one more quick view of the Sea we headed off again.

This time our drive would take us not to a Christian holy place, but to a Jewish one, the city of צְפַת - spelled either Safed, Zefat, or Ts'fat, the latter being the closest to the Hebrew pronunciation, I'm given to believe. We arrived an hour or so before sunset and strolled through the extremely picturesque artists colony, the sephardic community and up through the Old Town to the ruined citadel with its monument (no doubt controversial) to the taking of the town by the IDF during the War for Israeli Independence. From here we watched the sun dip behind Mount Tabor, and reflected over our day. As the blue haze of twilight replaced the golden light of sunset, it was back to our car and the kibbutz for our own sort of last meal. The next morning would see us drive to Jerusalem and start the last phase of our trip.

 

 

Israel Take 2 - Quick Update on our plans

A quick interruption to your scheduled daily narrative to let everyone know that due to the ongoing unrest in the West Bank and the scheduled appearance of a certain US diplomatic heavy weight, we have cancelled our planned visit to Ramallah on Sunday and will instead spend the day in Jerusalem. We arrive in Jerusalem this morning and had a beautiful walk through the Christian Quarter and dinner at a fantastic little place in the Armenian Quarter. So far, nothing is out of the ordinary here.

While I'm very disappointed (and the boys are rather relieved), I think this is probably for the best. 

But yes, very disappointed and my prayers go out to those living through the violence. It's quite surreal to look out over the city from our hotel and see the relative quiet knowing that only a few dozen miles away it is chaos. Wish that I could do more than pray and light a candle for peace.

Israel Take 2 - Day 5

I can't believe our trip is nearly halfway done already! One the one hand, it feels like we've had a very leisurely time of it, on the other that we've done a ton! It's hard to say which is more true, but our plans for the day would make up for some of our perceived (at least) previously easy pace.

After a much earlier breakfast, served right outside our cabin at the kibbutz, we headed off around 09:30 for the Nahal Yahudiah nature preserve for our first Galilee hike. Spoiled for choice, we decided on a route that would take us past both swimming spots & some waterfalls, for which the area is well known.

The weather was stunning: warm, but not too hot and with the sand storm out of the way, much much clearer.

Below is an overview of our route for those of you who want to see the details.

 

The best bit was definitely back through the ravines or nahals where the waterfalls and clear pools that form from the snow melt from Mount Ermon. It was short (just shy of 6 miles), but was a nice combination of different  types of terrain.

 

We had previously planned to do a hike into the other nahal, but given that by the time we finished it was already past 1pm and there were other things we still wanted to see so we nixed the second hike and made our way deeper into the Golan.

 

Our next stop was Mount Bental just inside the Syrian border. An extinct volcano, the drive through the caldera where the Kibbutz Golan has their cherry trees (just finishing blooming) and their vines (not quite out of dormancy) was spectacular. Fortunately, the road up to the summit had been recently repaved and was (just) wide enough for two cars to pass.

 

Once up to the summit, the views were incredible. . and haunting. While I know intellectually that this area is very close to both Syria and Lebanon, being able to look directly into a war zone literally sent chills down my spine. Travelling to contested places isn't part of my usual M.O. but it was a little disturbing to see the dismantled, bombed out former village and only a few kilometres away (on the opposite side of the new border) the new village. On top, then, to know the civil war waging in Syria is but a mere 10 miles away was a real shock. Of course, I was also standing on a decommissioned army bunker, the whole experience was sobering to say the least.

 

So we went into the coffee shop (Coffee Annan, couldn't decide if it was a horrible pun or funny) for a rest and a bite to eat (realising that none of us had eaten lunch yet). Then after some fun dinosaur pictures (pending), we were off again, this time for Nimrod Fortress.

 

Another stunning drive, saw us arriving at the lower gates about 75 minutes to closing time. 75 minutes to explore a ruined castle. Anyone who has done castles with Stephen and I know that we can easily kill 4 hours at a decently sized castle, so 75 minutes, while better than nothing, was going to be a challenge, But we were up for a challenge and with Branson to keep us on track, the race was on. 

 

And it is a spectacular castle. It was interesting to compare it with the crusader fortress in Akko that we saw last year. Even in a ruined state it was impressive. . . and enormous. We did get through most of it, despite the quickened pace, including the highest tower with magnificent views and secret tunnel back to the moat/car park. Pictures to be posted as soon as we get back to London.

 

We came back down the mountain with about 10 minutes to spare, and no doubt the park ranger was very grateful. From there we didn't really have enough daylight to do another hike and all the other sights were closed, so we didn't have many other options than to drive back to the Kibbutz, though we did take the scenic route near the Lebanese hills (another not too friendly border for us to skirt). From there all that was left was to grill up another tasty meal (thank you, Branson!)

 

Despite a great day, we were starting to get a bit worried as to what was left on our "to do" list, so the next day was shaping up to be rather epic. Stay tuned. . .

Israel Take 2 - Day 4

Yesterday was our first full day in the Galilee and our second day of a sand storm. We woke up to sunshine and haze the colour that only sand can make. Not very nice. It was also the last day of passover so the plan was to head to Nazareth, an Arab town, where most of the sights would still be open.

We arrived in Nazareth about mid-morning, though not first without driving through the small town of Cana, where unfortunately the church commemorating the wedding feast miracle was closed. Sad fish.  In Nazareth itself,  we parked just outside of the main bazaar (where Stephen almost failed in taking directions from the elderly, but very patient, parking attendant). Inside Nazareth, you'd never know it was anything other than a normal working day, which was good news for us even despite the storm. We headed through the first section of the bazaar before coming to the Basilica of the Annunciation. After Branson had to don sarong (due to wearing shorts and that in and of itself was something of a to-do), we headed into the main church itself.

A beautiful, rebuilt 1960s church that replaced both a Byzantine and Crusader church, it's probably one of the most striking churches that we've ever seen. In some ways it's a shame that more of the Byzantine structures weren't preserved, but they've kept some of that spirit alive by having many different countries and diocese contribute mosaics to the outside wall and inside the main worship space.

The church is built in 3 "layers" - the main floor with a few small altars, the grotto underneath the main floor where the annunciation itself was said to have taken place, and a second floor above these two where the main church is housed. It's amazing how different and yet complementary the two spaces are. Definitely one of my favourite churches ever.

Around the corner from the basilica is the much smaller church of St. Joseph's, built on the site of where they think either Joseph's workshop used to be or the family home (or, not any less unlikely, both). It's a much more traditional church with some beautiful stained glass, also set above the original foundations where the workshop/house used to be. However, with the way the church is arranged, it's hard to see much of the original structures, but the spirit is readily apparent if not the actual thing itself. I get the impression that this church is much more often used for services for the Franciscans who are responsible for both this little church & the grand basilica. it had very much the feel of a local, parish church. A lovely little church, if rather overshadowed by it's more elegant and impressive neighbour.

From there, we headed back through the bazaar, poking our heads around the various corners, and in doing so discovered the tiny "Synagogue Church" nestled in behind the bazaar under one of the arches supporting another street above. Thanking the doorman on the way out, he asked us where we were from and hearing that we were Americans, took us next door to an unassuming building, but which turned out to be the seat of the Greek Catholic community! What stunning moment! Much more elaborate and finely worked than is usual in Catholic churches, but complete with an iconostasis more common in Orthodox churches. A really interesting blend of eastern and western elements. Another intense thank you and back out into the bazaar we went. 

Coming around another corner we spotted the White Mosque and were just about the head inside when the noon call to prayer sounded. I really love the sound of muslims being called to prayer - its somehow more personal than bells and certainly very effective! As the call to prayer sounded, many merchants closed up their shops temporarily and hurried inside. We stepped out of the way to sit out of the sun with some fresh squeeze juices and consider where to have our lunch since it would probably be a goodly while until the mosque was open again (and we had no wish to disturb their services). 

Branson had a friend who had recommend a place on the other side of town, nearly to the new Jewish settlement above the main town, and so we headed off in search of that for lunch. It proved a little challenging not being found on google maps and only very hazily on bing, not helped by an extremely complex road network. A few calls and almost an hour later, we finally found it. . .only for it to be closed. Fortunately a little further up the road was a town where Branson knew of a good steak restaurant, so that direction we went saying good-bye to Nazareth. 

Our original plans also included either a hike in the hills overlooking Nazareth (put paid to by the ongoing dust storm, which only seemed to get worse as the day went on) or heading to Tsipori for some additional historical sightseeing. Unfortuntely, due to the combination of holiday hours (meaning everything closed early) and our very late lunch, that too was out. So instead we headed to Tiberias where we hoped more might be open and perhaps low enough (200 meters below sea level) that the dust storm might be less obtrusive (poor Stephen's asthma was really starting to act up). Unfortuntely, not much at all was open, but the air quality was a little better, so we enjoyed a stroll along the water front of the Sea of Galilee before grabbing some wine to go with our dinner and heading back to the Kibbutz before sunset. With the visibility was so bad, we didn't fancy driving after dark if we could help it.

So not quite the day we planned, but pleasant enough. Fortunately, the falling temperatures and sharp winds from the south would finish off the dust storm over night, just in time for our hiking day.

Israel Take 2 - Day 3

After our two exciting days in Tel Aviv, it was time to make our transition to the Galilee. The original plan was for some beach time, but it quickly became apparent that the air quality was going to be against us. A dust storm decided to roll in from Libya and the resulting dust made things very icky indeed.

So we scrapped the idea of the beach, and decided instead to get some advanced provisions from Haifa while picking up the rest of Branson's things on our way north.

This proved to be a spectacular plan. We got to nose around Branson's local supermarket for meat & dairy and his very excellent vegetable store, picking up green garlic (OMG green garlic), eggplant/aubergines, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, cilantro, plus a bag of unexpected groceries (long story). 

From there, we dropped the groceries off at this place then headed up the street and around the corner to Shwarma Hazan, one of Stephen's must-do's, which turned out to be very tasty indeed - lamb wrap with all the tasty additions (hummus, chilli, salads, tahini) plus a bowl each of pickles & fries/chips. As a surprise, we were joined by Branson's roommate, Ben, who kindly kept us company despite the shwarma being not only not kosher, but most definitely not passover kosher. 

After parting company with Ben, it was time to head into the Arab quarter to pick up normal bread, some spices and to make the all important baklava pilgrimage. This turned out to be wildly successful. The spice store was amazing. We managed to get both the zatar and the sumac as well as impromptu purchases of dried papaya and mango. 

The bread store ("really good pita on Khouri") was life changing. Not only was it proper bread (passover, remember?), but they had the most amazing pita machine that was spitting fresh, hot pita breads out as quickly as the customers could buy it. The smells were stunning. And I managed to grab Stephen's camera (after picking my jaw up off the street) just in time to take a picture. Look forward to that!

From there it was probably my favourite baklava store on the planet. Did I mention last time that they sell it by the kilo? They sell it by the kilo. Super yummy. Beyond yummy. And have some we did. As much as we could fit into the medium sized box.

Then, suitably provisioned, it was time to pack up the car and drive north. The drive was pretty uneventful, but through some lovely countryside. We got to Kibbutz Moran around 5, in time to check in before everything closed for the final passover celebration and for us to make dinner.

It's a lovely location, smack dab in the middle of the Galil. Remote enough to be very relaxing, but an easy driving distance from just about everywhere. This is our base for the next four days while we explore the north of Israel. The people here are incredibly nice and have gone out of their way to help us with forgotten items (cork screws & matches) and also just to chat and be sociable. A very nice spot indeed.

After cooking the first round of provisions out on the grill, it was time for bed before our first day of real sightseeing.

 

Israel Take 2 - Day 2

So after our very late night out, we enjoyed a late morning. Being Shabbat and towards the end of Passover, we knew that our options would be fairly limited, but museums you can almost always count on. So we headed off to the Tel Aviv Modern Art Museum. We spent almost all of our time in the new wing where there were a series of rather cool exhibitions:

• Roger Ballen - Documentary Fiction
(photography)

• The Museum Presents Itself

• Fashioning the object: Bless, Boudicca & Buckland
 

• Cristobal Balenciaga

among others, but these were the ones where we spent most of our time. I was very surprised at the breadth and depth of the curation. It is definitely a top notch museum.

While taking a tea break, Stephen combed through the event listing and lighted upon an exhibit called Irises, Daffodils, Dragonflies and Butterflies which was being shown in the Helena Rubenstein Pavilion, which though part of the museum was a short walk away. Wanting to get back out in the sunshine for a little bit, we all decided this was a great plan. So over we went. Turned out that the intended exhibit was actually a side show to another exhibit featuring an Israeli-French artist called Absalon who was a sculptor/designer who was very much in the same line, albeit more radical, as the Bauhaus movement. The work was stunning.

The Irises and Daffodils, Dragonflies and Butterflies exhibit of the glassware of Emile Galle was a bit of a shock to the system after the minimalism in the Absalon exhibit, but it was beautiful in its own way - more classically so, but no less for that. A good reminder that "modern art" spans a huge time frame and an incredibly diverse body of work. I'm wondering how long it will be until some of the older work (turn of the century through the pre-WWI years) will get reclassified out of the "modern" genre, but for now it's always interesting to see what gets lumped in under that heading.

By now, it was well past lunch time and we were all rather hungry, so down the Sderot Rothschild to find ourselves some food. We landed on a little local burger chain called Moses and had some very good hamburgers indeed! 

A quick stop back to the hotel, ostensibly for my cardigan, I made the mistake of laying down and closing my eyes "just for a minute" while the boys checked on something and the next thing I knew it was 2 hours later. I was still exhausted so opted to stay in and finish catching up on my sleep while the boys took a walk. I felt a little bad, but I figured if I was going to crash, doing it at this end of the trip rather than later was probably the better option. This also allowed the boys to get some time to catch up just the two of them, which is good for their friendship.

No harm done in the end and a low key way to end the first phase of our trip. Next up, transitioning to our base in Galilee.

Israel Take 2 - Day 1

Our flight landed bang on time early Friday morning and Branson was there to waiting for us as we came out of immigration/customs. Big hugs and excitement all around. This time we took the train into Tel Aviv and a taxi to our hotel, The Embassy Hotel, about 2 blocks from the beach.

The day was already sunny and beautiful, despite the early hour. Our room wasn't quite ready yet (no surprise), so we dropped bags, changed clothes (swapping jumpers/sweaters and jeans for light linen trousers & t-shirts, yes!), and headed back out into town.

First on our agenda was the morning architecture tour run by the Bauhaus Centre (after a rather tasty breakfast across the street at the Landwers cafe). Unfortunately, I didn't catch the name of our lovely lady guide, but it was a really great tour. She clearly had a love of the city and a deep knowledge that she was all too happy to share with the group. It was a medium sized group - about 20 that dwindled as the tour went along to about 12 by the end. Although it didn't cover a lot of distance (just shy of a mile) the 2 hour walking tour took in some key highlights and let us compare and contrast the different stylistic elements. It was a really great introduction to the city and I would highly recommend others take it when in the area.

From there we took a meander over to the Carmel Market, where the preparations for Shabbat were well under way - cue jostling crowds, bargaining, and lots of tasty wares on sale. Since we didn't have any cooking space, we settled on a sole purchase of extremely tasty fresh dates. 

By then it was time to check into our hotel, so we meandered that way, got settled in and. . .took a nap. Considering the over night (short) flight and the plans for a late evening, it seemed wise to take it a bit easy during the heat of the afternoon. Also, we are on holiday after all! 

We woke up just in time to get ready for dinner at a little pub Branson knew called The Minzar. To get there, we walked through the Yemenite quarter. Very different than the part of Tel Aviv we explored that morning: winding streets, colourful buildings with small windows, and tons of trees in pots. As it was also sunset on a Friday evening, our walk also coincided with many in that quarter starting their Shabbat celebrations with song. Hauntingly beautiful and a great reminder that despite being in a very secular city, deep religious belief was just under the surface.

A traditional religious meal was not our destination, however. The Minzar is known mostly for it's pork dishes and we arrived smack dab in the middle of Happy Hour (oh darn). A very informal place and quite small, regardless, we found a table (after going on a bit of a scavenger hunt for chairs), ordered some beers and selected our dinner: Stephen had the veal sausages with mashed potatoes, Branson had roasted pork neck with sauerkraut and I had the ribs with cole slaw. The ribs still had chunks of pork belly attached and were super yum. Actually all of our food disappeared at a surprising rate. We hung around for another round of beers, content with people watching and catching up on all that has been going on in our lives.

From there we took a stroll and picked up a bottle of bubbly to take back to the hotel to get ready for our night out dancing. Branson had managed to get us onto the list for FFF Haoman's Passover themed evening. It had a been a long, long time since Stephen and I had been out clubbing, so it was fun to play the young kids again and also to have someone to actually dance with me!

While we didn't quite dance until dawn, it was a close run thing. We aren't 20 after all  anymore, but we considered seeing 4am a perfectly reasonable run. 

Not too shabby for our first day! And we certainly got to experience a good cross-section of the city. Needless to say the next day we would sleep in. . .

Next Trip: Israel Take 2

When planning our trip to Israel last year, we made a conscious decision to focus on the South and lesser travelled Negev Desert and leave to next time most of the more typical tourist spots.


Us at Masada with the Dead Sea behind us. Read all about our previous trip or see the pictures

Well, on Thursday night we leave for the second trip (gotta squeeze it in before Branson repatriates!) and as promised we're all set up for a slightly more traditional visit to the country.

Our current itinerary looks like this:

• Day 1 - arrive early AM for Tel-Aviv. Hoping to catch an architecture walking tour & maybe some beach time before putting on our dancing shoes for a night out.
• Day 2 - second day in Tel-Aviv. Maybe catch one of the museums (Museum of Art or Eretz Israel) or do some historical sightseeing near the old port.
• Day 3 - drive to the Galilee via Haifa (maybe a second chance to tour the Bahai Gardens?) planning on a chilled evening at the kibbutz
• Day 4 - visit Nazareth
• Day 5 - Hiking in the Golan Heights
• Day 6 - visit Safed and perhaps Capernaum along with the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves & Fishes
• Day 7 - A mini hike in the AM and then drive to Jerusalem in the afternoon, first evening in Jerusalem. We may stop somewhere on the way instead of doing a morning hike. Will see how we feel
• Day 8 - sightseeing in Jerusalem (probably focusing on the old city)
• Day 9 - sightseeing in Jerusalem (probably focusing on the new city & the east)
• Day 10 - visit Ramallah or Bethlehem depending on the security situation
• Day 11 - morning in Jerusalem and then to the airport for our late afternoon flight back to London

It's pretty full, but should give us a nice cross section of some of the better known parts of Israel. No doubt we'll make substitutions and changes as we go depending on our moods and the situation on the ground. This is particularly true for Day 10 when we're hoping to see "the other side". I'm keen in particular to visit the Quaker Centre in Ramallah, but as with much in this region we'll just have to play this by ear.

We are super excited to be going back, not only to get to see the other half of the country, but also for the weather! London's winter has been beyond miserable, so the sunny, warm forecast for Israel is like something out of a dream. Sunshine and an exciting destination? Yes please!

We're using the same guidebook from before - our trusty DK Eyewitness Guide for Jerusalem, Israel, Petra & Sinai and Branson has a pretty complete collection of maps for our hikes. No doubt we'll pick up other bits while we're there, but this should provide us with a more than sufficient starting point.

In preparation for the trip, I've read (or am in the process of readng) a few non-fiction books:
Jerusalem, The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiori (excellent - highly recommended)
A History of Modern Israel by Colin Schindler (fair to middling, not convinced there isn't a better option)
The Arab-Israeli Reader edited by Walter Laquer & Barry Rubin (an enlightening read, but not good on its own. Much better if read in conjunction with a more traditional narrative history)

Also recommended past reads for those interested in a good laymen's understanding of the broader historical context:
The Middle Sea by John Julius Norwich
A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin

I'll be aiming to live blog the trip again this year, so keep your eye peeled this weekend for the next installment!

Another Weekend in Paris - Day 2

Another slow morning, started off this time by breakfast in the hotel (quite a nice buffet, but very noisy)  before checking out (which took forever) leaving our bags, and then we decided a good long walk was in order. We didn't have any particular place in mind and the only plans we had pre-arranged were for later in the afternoon. So we walked where our feet took us. 


In this part of Paris, it seems like almost all roads lead to the Arc de Triomphe

From there, we took a stroll down the mostly empty Champs-Élysées and wandered through one of the little mini shopping galleries that had an art exhibition on.


Most of the work was pretty dull, but this one was quite cool. Later on we got to the art gallery that was sponsoring the little exhibit and realised that it was hardly a one off, which was kind of a shame, but it was still pretty cool in that space.

From there we wandered down a few side streets, ending up in the Carré Marigny, a little park*. At that point, we stopped to consider our options. We had a good three hours left before we needed to be on the south side of the river for our tour, so what to do? It was a little too chilly for me and I suggested something indoors. Stephen then remembered a video he had seen on youtube (as you do) featuring some cool** experiments with fire & electricity and that it was filmed at the Palais de la Découverte (Palace of Discovery). "I wonder" he said "if it's anywhere nearby". Little did we know, it was literally around the corner! It seemed like fate, so over we went. 


Spotting the first sign, Stephen started getting really excited. The building itself is very impressive and reminded me quite a lot of the Natural History and Science Museums in London - grand buildings that had been repurposed for even grander public purposes.

 

The foyer. Amazing, no? 

 

As a museum, the layout was kind of chaotic, but they do a pretty good job with the space available. Still, it can be a little bit difficult to navigate the various exhibits if you're looking for something specific. For those with a decent fluency in French, I would highly recommend getting there early enough in the day to check out many of the very interesting gallery talks. Unfortunately, these were too technical for me, so I let Stephen go off on his own, while I wandered around a little more aimlessly. Eventually ending up in the cafe for lunch. Stephen was like a little kid in a candy shop and enjoyed the museum immensely. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more had I been slightly more awake.

One of the interactive exhibits in the electricity section.

Pretty cool and we both committed to coming back when we would have a full day to spend wandering around.

 

From there we hopped on the metro and arrived in the Saint Germain district with a few extra minutes to spare before our afternoon chocolate & pastry tour with Paris by Mouth. We were expecting to be part of a small group, but when our lovely guides Meg & Diane arrived, we discovered the other part of our group had cancelled so it was now just us! While I'm sure the other people would have been lovely, having 2 dedicated private guides was a treat indeed and a very pleasant surprise. After a short introduction to the area, we were off to our first visit: Patrick Rogier. A Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF), Mr. Rogier is known as much for his chocolate sculptures as he is for his finely worked bonbons

 

The window of his shop dressed for Easter.

 

Like many of the finer London chocatiers that I've been sampling over the years, Mr. Rogier also works with unique flavours pushing the edges of what is perceived as being appropriate for chocolate. The lovely hostess let us sample a few of the treats on offer, including a really beautiful Jasmine tea infused chocolate. After much hemming and hawing, we took away several of his genache bonbons (oat infusion, lemon & lemongrass, Szechuan pepper, & praline) to try as well as a few of his speciality imported bars (3 continents bar, Tongo, & one other I can't quite remember). Before we left, Meg stopped to show us his most popular easter creation, eggs filled with praline

 

Aren't they adorable?

 

As she pointed out, these would make beautiful hostess gifts. Part of me is a little sad we didn't spring for these, but alas, it was only the start of our tour and we had the rest of the afternoon to go!

 

From there we stopped by another MOF, Arnaud Larher

Only Mr. Larher's speciality is pastries. And his window featured not only 2 towers of glorious looking macarons, but also a number of variations on other well known French pastries.

 

mmmm macarons. . .

 

This, Meg, explained, were two examples of St. Honoré pastries - the one on the left is the more classic chocolate, with the right is a caramel version.

 

We chose two desserts to take away with us, and unfortunately not only did I not get a picture, I didn't write them down! Oof! One was a delightful concotion of fig & cream with I think passionfruit coulis. Divine. 

 

One more stop before we would do our half way tasting and this time was one of Paris's most well known caramerlier, Henri Le Roux

 

Credited as being the man who brought caramels au beurre salé (CBS) back into fashion, it isn't by far his only flavour. While we were there they had everything from the classic CBS to winter spices to plum and they came in more colours than I ever could have envisioned caramels having.

 

a few of the examples of the beautiful caramels on offer.

 

Of course if that wasn't enough, we also picked up a few of his more unique chocolates (a buckwheat, pepper, and one other for contrast with Mr. Rogier's wares) and fruit jellies (lychee and grapefruit, and 2 types of plums!). . . because it's not enough to just make caramels. Many of his confections had a unique Asian twist, apparently due to his extensive travels in Japan and China.

 

From there it was across the street to a delightful little wine shop (caviste), The Last Drop, for our mid-point tasting and discussion.

Always a little skeptical of pairing wine with chocolate, I was really surprised at the Banyuls which although a dessert wine went very well with the chocolate bars from Mr. Rogier. The bonbons and pastries we tasted on their own. The other lovely surprise was being joined by Polly the shopkeeper and a brief appearance from the proprietor himself. Wonderful people, and great conversation while discovering some truly incredible sweets. Can an afternoon in Paris get much better than this?

 

After our tasting and buying a bottle or two of wine (they had a Côtes du Rhône!), we headed off to our last stop of the day, the rather upscale yet still playful Hugo & Victor

 

 

The flavours of their pastries change daily and when they're out, they're out for good. Each primary flavour has 2 variants - a "classic" and an "exotic" Arriving late in the day, we had three choices remaining to us: passion fruit, pineapple and lemon. We chose lemon "classic" (a cheesecake) and passionfruit "exotic" (a jelly/cream dome thing). The flavours of both were intense, but the passion fruit one was like an electric shock! I've never tasted anything so aggressively passionfruit ever. Amazing. 

 

It's hard to think back on the day and try to choose a favourite, because each and every one was amazing and interesting in their own way. I think that's one of the things that's so wonderful about tasting food at this level of expertise is that it's all so very good that it's just explorations in the marvellous. You can't really go wrong. 

 

So definitely all places that we are keen to go back and explore at more leisure - you never know perhaps we shall base our next trip to Paris in the St. Germain!

 

We owe a huge thanks to Meg & Diane who were not only knowledgeable, but passionate and fun. I couldn't imagine a better afternoon getting to know the sweeter side of Paris, comparing and contrasting with the different places we've known. Although definitely not a cheap option, I can highly recommend their tours. You can find the full listing here.

 

From there our visit was pretty much at an end. All that was left was for us to go back to the hotel, pick up our bags and head to the train station. Our return journey was a quiet and easy one. Enough to give us some space to think about all we saw and savour the memories.

 

Happiness truly is a weekend in Paris.

 

* I say little, it seemed like it at the time, in actuality it's rather big! Especially considering its location smack in central Paris.

**cool being a relative term

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Read about the rest of the weekend. . .

Another Weekend in Paris - Day 1

Another Weekend in Paris - Dinner at L'Entredgeu

The rest of the pictures for our trip, as always, be found over on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157633014089503/