by Susan Jagannath | Mar 17, 2009 | Faith, Travel, Walks
Luke 18:22 When I knew that I was visiting Israel, and had only three days free to do non-work related activities, I started investigating tours, and itineraries. Looking at it now, I began in Nazareth at the Church of the Annunciation, and ended in Jerusalem at the...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 16, 2009 | Places
Jerusalem would also be a boy’s delight. I missed my boys, big and small, as I thought of how much they would love the feel of a real castle, complete with towers, ramparts and the occasional knight. I had to abandon my rampart walk, as it began raining, and the...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 15, 2009 | Churches, Places
On Friday, I saw three nuns from Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, racing up a flight of stairs with most un-nunnish speed, and calling to each other. I decided to follow them and looked out towards this – the closest view I ever had of the Dome of...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 14, 2009 | Faith, Uncategorized
Jerusalem is the perfect place to say prayers as it were, in situ. Use the frequent calls to prayer from the many mosques, to remind yourself to pray your own prayers. Here’s a record of mine, that I did sort of pre-plan, or I’d have forgotten in the...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 14, 2009 | Churches, Travel, Walks
At 3 pm on Fridays, a group of priests lead the Stations of the Cross over the twisting, cobbles worn smooth by thousands of years of foot traffic. I waited in the 2nd station, where there are two chapels, and the chapel of the flagellation was unearthly cold –...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 13, 2009 | Churches, Travel, Walks
With instructions like that is it any surprise that I got lost? At first I walked in a perfect square and landed up back at Jaffa Gate? But I finally found the Hospice, that is a haven of calm in the City, off the via Dolorosa. I also got lost in the heaving crowd...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 13, 2009 | Places, Women
There are other reasons to visit Bethlehem too. There is the tomb of Rachel outside the town – couldnt get there. Rachel, the wife of Jacob, the mother of Joseph – him of the amazing technicolor dreamcoat? We saw the ruins of a tower that was built in...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 13, 2009 | Churches, Places
As that’s the only way to get into the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square. You can see the three doors shrinking with each destruction, and the final one is to prevent Muslim invaders from riding their horses into the church. In the square a mosque and the...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 12, 2009 | Places
On the way to Nazareth we drove across the coastal plain that used to be mostly swamp and sand dunes. The swamps have been drained by about a hundred years of planting gums – apparently in the early part of the 20th century, someone saw the Turks planting gums...
by Susan Jagannath | Mar 11, 2009 | Travel
Who should I see in Nazareth? In the Basilica atrium, the guide told us to go and look for the Madonna from China as her crown was pure gold. I went along, and who should I find waiting for me but our very own Lady of Vellankani. This statue was a bit more resplendent...
