Taking the bus into town, I realized the reason I got lost yesterday (and had to tramp across a wadi) was that there is no longer open ground between Ramat Rahel and the rest of the city. Houses all the way. Walked around Mea Shearim, trying to get pictures, but difficult and awkward. At that…

I remember that sleeping in Neve Yaakov was as simple as taking your clothes off and pulling a sheet over you. Last night it didn’t work quite as well because the window next to my bed let in a stiff, chill breeze. Didn’t hear any muezzin either. Went to the Holy Sepulchre, and followed a…

The clamour as we walked out of customs, the crowds glimpsed through the bars and the glaring lights aaginst the night sky were a memory jerker. Only this time there was no one to greet me, or a group to join. Had to wait over 2 hours for the first bus, and though desperately tired…

Packing things in Sheffield didn’t make me nervous. Of course, the fact that I didn’t go to bed at all that night may have been a sign of my excitement,. But getting ready to catch the train to London did make me feel nauseated, which surprised me because it’s not as if I’m going somewhere…

Forgot to mention an incident yesterday. Coming out of Jenin in the service taxi, we came to a checkpoint. As usual, there wasn’t a barrier across the road, but the soldier lounging on the bonnet of a parked van pulled us over, and called the driver out. After he had talked for a few minutes,…

Caught an early service with Catherine to Gaza. You have to pass a sort of border control, with lanes and booths, then the road becomes very dusty and sandy, you pass between orchards and palm trees before the city sprawls out beneath you. The roads are narrow, traffic (mostly old white Peugeots, it seems) heavy…