Israel, Palestine, Jordan

Breakfast: Fresh pomegranate juice and ... hummus?
Lining the cobblestone streets, the family- owned restaurants are true diamonds in the rough. That is, if you can compare chick peas to diamonds. Never before have I tasted such creamy and full-bodied versions of hummus, as I did in Jerusalem. Their secret, according to one local restaurant owner, is egg yolks. Folded with finesse into an olive oil oozing sesame-seeded garbanzo bonanza, the egg yolks add a seductive smoothness to this traditional staple. The dish was always served with local olive oil and adorned with whole chick peas. I was in "homus" heaven morning, lunch and dinner.

While Jerusalem's religious diversity is truly awe-inspiring, it was often eclipsed by the political tension between the Palestiniens and Israelians. Never have I been to a place where religious fervor is so concentrated, and political conviction so unyielding.

CUSTOMS CAUTION Many Arab countries refuse to recognize Israel as a separate nation, so traveling beyond her borders requires some precautions. Yannick made sure that my Israeli stamp was attached to a separate piece of paper.

The wailing wall. Men and women are separated. Directly on the other side, hundreds of Muslims worship in the mosque.
With the Dead Sea but an hour and a half away from Jerusalem, it was worth renting a car to spend a day by the beach. Because we went in the "winter" months, the temperature was much lower, but at least we didn't have to fight the tourists! The surrounding town, however, is rather commercialized, and not worth planning into our excursion.

I wouldn't have gone in if not for Julien's paternal instincts. "Mais il fait trop froid!" But Julien, unwilling to let me come this far without swimming, wouldn't take my feable excuse and threatened to throw me in if I didn't enter on my own accord. With Cedric ready to prevent any attempt to flee and Julien guarding me from behind, I slowly waded in. I must admit that despite the cold, I was ultimately pleased to have taken the dead- sea "dive" ...

After having visited the main attractions within the walls of Jerusalem, our menagerie traipsed to the outskirts of the town to pay a visit to the convent. It serves as a haven for religious pilgrims that travel from all over the Middle East and Europe to visit the holy terrain of the Promised Land. While there, I enjoyed a wonderful conversation with the priest and sat down and relaxed over tea with one of the sisters.

Where Christ placed his hand as he stumbled under the weight of the cross. You can see that the rock has worn in from the contact of thousands of others since then.

A few of the friends I went with.

While guns are common place in Israel, I was especially appreciative of this shot. Located right outside the world's largest Holocaust Museum, I found it all too ironic that an Israeli soldier would be so casually displaying his "man"power at the very establishment which commemorates their people's own subjugation.

With Jordan next door, it is well worth taking time to explore Petra. Most Americans unknowingly catch a virtual glimpse of the city in scenes from the Indiana Jones movies. I marveled at the capacity of humans to carve an ancient town from the face of a mountain, centuries before Christ was born.

The President of Palestine: the man with the beam of light on his head, directly to the left of the cross. This church was constructed over the manger where Christ was born. Yannick and I made it to Bethlehem in time for the anniversary of the three kings arrival. After a grueling two hours of old, aggressive Russians, Yannick and I managed to get two of the best spots in the church. Petra continued ...

Cow tongue, anyone? The Palestinian territory of Hebron. Once a bustling market place. Now rather barren because of the specific political make-up of the town. As a general rule, the Palestinians live on the bottom floors of the buildings, while the Israeli's live on top. A decrepit, barbed wire separates the two stories, which doesn't impede 2nd-story dwellers from throwing ( and pouring ) various trash items and waste products (including human excrement) down below. The Palestinians, to say the least, aren't very receptive to this creative form of neighborly love. Israeli soldiers sat high up in watch towers; I could feel their eyes both me and our small group as we walked through the town.

The Dead Sea.
Where Christ was buried ...

A Palestinian territory. The water tanks are kept as reserves since the Israelis have an inconvenient habit of cutting off their water supply ...