Israel digested

Erratum: for LSA in the last blog please read "technician". The real LSA is now working full time and the two are not to be confused. Also there have been complaints from the lady who walks three feet off the ground due to a misunderstanding about the origins of her nom de plume. Please be assured it has nothing to do with S, rather an incident in church - now that has got you wondering.
What can be said about our pilgrimage to the Holy Land? It was all that we wanted it to be and more I think. We had a complete range of emotions from frustration and a little fear at the border crossing, great sadness at what has become of Bethlehem, a wonderful sense of peace on Galilee, hope and blessing at the empty tomb in the garden at Golgotha and elation and wonder in Petra. Thousands of years of history, not just the history of man but the story of God's intervention in the lives of men. From the heat and salt half a mile below sea level to the breeze, sun and cool of half a mile above sea level at Masada.
There is a T shirt that says "Med Dead Red" indicating the three seas that border the country of Israel. The Med as we saw it in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa and Acre (Akko to those who prefer the original) was wild and rough with big waves breaking over the harbour walls. Definitely not what we are more used to seeing from France or spain or from the Spanish or Greek islands. Rain and lack of time thwarted any thoughts we might have had of dipping a toe. Dead - sparkling and inviting but striking cold to the first touch and once in everything that Halliwick would expect it to be. (if you want to know more about that remark try out www.halliwick.org.uk). It has to be said that the lady who walks three feet off the ground presented classic rotation patterns reflecting the changes experienced in the metacentric effects. She may take heart that she is now entered in the Halliwick archives as a classic demonstration for new therapists. We also have the vision of my favourite retired teacher holding the technican's toe and shading her eyes against the sun. The funny thing about going into cold water is that when you come out it feels warm and you are happy to go back as if you were climbing back into a bath. The same can be said of Red. Santa knows as he was the only one of the party to try the sea against the pool. Interesting companions in the Red including some fish and several sea urchins. Then of course there were the sulphur baths which I believe I have mentioned before. HOT and smelly whereas the showers were icy cold like needles hitting the skin.
So that deals with the first full day and the last full day and you will have to wait to know what came in between. We have yet to meet the talker, the soldier and the prince