Easter Weekend

Easter came upon us rather quickly.  I must admit that, as a Christian there was something of a different feel to the liturgical season being out in the Holy Land.  Two of the lads from Transport, one of the male Supply Techs, Lil and I signed out a vehicle and drove into Tel Aviv for the long weekend.  Lil was scheduled to pull the afternoon duty shift on Base on Sunday, so we only got the Friday afternoon and Saturday in Israel.

When we arrived at Dan Panorama Hotel Lil and I noticed a Day-Trip Tour desk in the lobby.  After some discussion in our hotel room, we decided to call the Canadian Embassy for an update on security in the trouble sector.  Up to our departure from Base we had been informed that Bethlehem, Jerusalem and their immediate surrounding areas were closed to all MFO personnel, except those with special permits.  However a call to the Embassy revealed the sector was now open.  Lil and I went to talk to the lads.  They waffled, saying they would rather not risk it.  We, on the other hand, took off downstairs and booked the last two seats on the Jerusalem/Bethlehem Tour for the Saturday.

We left early.  Things might be close together in the Holy Land compared to North America, but speeds are slower and there are a lot of checkpoints to navigate.  We arrived in Jerusalem first and commenced the walking tour by entering through the Dung Gate.  This included the Wailing Wall (we were asked not to take pictures at that time because a Jewish service was in progress), surmounted the wall and checked out the El-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. These are directly across from one another:  El-Aqsa has an iron coloured dome while the Dome of the Rock is gilt.  From there we wound along the Via Dolorosa, passing the Stations of the Cross and climbing the deep steps between merchant stalls to the Church of the Holy Sepulcre.

When you reach the Church you actually arrive on the roof.  Here there is a Station of the Cross, with two more in the chapels to the left.  Climbing down through these chapels you emerge in a cobblestone courtyard that is surrounded on three sides by towering stonewalls.  Turning left you enter through a small door into the massive Church of the Holy Sepulcre.  There we paused at the impressive chapels atop what is reputed to be Golgotha and knelt beside the slab where Christ was said to have been laid out while he was wrapped in linen for burial before passing around the corner to the final Station.  A giant marble mausoleum protects the place where it is maintained Christ was buried.  More recent investigations have revealed the structure is actually four chapels, one constructed over and around the inner existing one.

Leaving the Church we tramped through the streets to view Roman ruins from the time of Emperor Hadrian.  Loaded back on the bus we roared off down the road to Bethlehem.  On the town outskirts we encountered a serious set of soldiers who spoke at length with our bus driver and tour guide before we were allowed into the town.

The most fascinating thing about the Church of the Nativity is its entrance.  Throughout its early history it has been repeatedly ravaged by, not necessary in this order; the locals, the Arabs and the Crusaders (I thought they were there to liberate the land, not the church’s belongings).  Consequently its entrance went from two horse height and wide, to standard double doors and then, finally to its present entrance.  This is so small you have to duck your head and step over a raised sill to enter the building.

You progress down a long aisle, passing two portions of floor where trapdoors stand open to display the stone murals of the original building.  The Church of the Nativity is actually a church within a church: the first one was raised under the direction of Constantine’s mother) I was struck with how tiny it was.  Except for a narrow staircase leading down to the interior the cave entrance has been completely blocked.  I was immediately struck by how small the space was, and that it was a larger cavern with a smaller cave to the rear (or left as you enter).  Inside we encountered a group of American tourists singing Christmas carols.  We visited the neighbouring monastery and were given a bit of history on Heroditous, an early Christian convert.  Then it was off to do some shopping.  I picked up an olive wood rosary for Mom and a silver cross for Maria.

Before returning to Tel Aviv we made one more stop in Jerusalem.  This time we visited the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley with its olive groves, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations.  In the Garden is a time-ravaged, gnarled old olive tree.  A core sample taken from its roots have dated the tree from the time of Christ.  Since Emperor Hadrian ordered all of the trees raised and burnt to frustrate the early Christians, this particular tree plainly grew back.

At long last we returned to Tel Aviv.  Lil and I immediately went to tell the guys about our trip, only to discover the silly what-nots had taken the MFO vehicle into Jerusalem.  They had sensibly parked it at the International Hotel on the Ascension Mount, but because they had not taken a guided tour they had missed a lot and never got to Bethlehem.

In the morning we drove over to Tel Aviv's old district.  Jaffa has the ubiquitous cobblestone streets.  After shooting a couple of pictures we ran for the border, which opened at noon on Sundays.  That gave us barely half an hour to get Lil back to Base so she could change into her uniform and report for her shift at Supply.

Thus endith the Easter weekend narrative.  On a footnote, I wound up attending the

Colombian's Easter service because I couldn't get to church in Israel.  They only had a

five in the afternoon service!  Go figure, and my Spanish is nil to non-existent.