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Jericho, Hisham’s Palace – Monday 3rd August
After a few jobs in town, took the bus for Jericho (Arikha) and got off at Ein Qelt with a Dutch and a Scottish girl. Was walking happily in completely the wrong direction when picked up by Brits/Ozzies in a taxi. So much for the lone trek. Waded up the wadi to one spring (24…
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Kibbutz Ramat Rahel – Sunday 2nd August
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…
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Kibbutz Ramat Rahel – Shabat 1st August
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…
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Old City international Youth Hostel – Friday 31st July
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…
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Arkia Airlines 757 Thursday 30th July
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…
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Ronit’s house, Elazar, Friday 21st August 1992
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,…
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Ein Karem, Tuesday 25th August 1992
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…
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The Knights Templar
Formed to protect visitors to holy land after first crusade, based at Al Aqsa mosque – hence “knights of the temple of Solomon”, then Templar. Warrior monks, with a code that shunned ostentation, vows of poverty and celibacy. Attracted funding from across Europe and candidates from the lower order of rich families’ sons. Over 200…
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English is an African language
A post I came across which Languagehat enjoyed too when I sent it on to him, it concerns the debate about African writers writing in English, and whether this is an unwanted remnant of colonialism. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is the writer who has really backed this argument. But Biodun Jeyifo, a scholar of African studies and…
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The Basque Country
So had a Scottish/Basque family in clinic -cue ignorance! Area of northern Spain, main city is Bilbao. Autonomous region. Basque culture extends into Navarre (also Spain) plus over Pyrenees into France. Language is unrelated to any other! Ibendrola, the power company, is based in Bilbao. Ignatius of Loyola, Paco Rabanne, Cristobal Balenciaga are famous Basque…