If It Was Today...

Weekly Photo Challenge (Broken)

Posted on May 25, 2015 by If It Was Today

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Broken.” here is a photo from our “ghost town tour” of the Canadian prairies in 2012.

You find beauty in the strangest places.

Posted in Travel | 6 Comments

Shabbat

Posted on May 22, 2015 by If It Was Today

When I was growing up we would often talk about celebrating mass, but it never really felt like a “celebration” in the normal sense of the word. But the mood at the Western Wall at sunset on Friday was very much one of celebration. It seemed to bring together all elements of Israeli society.

In the center everything converged, yet not far away a concentration of orthodox Jews worshiped at the Western Wall…

…while others pushed a baby stroller toward the celebration.

Meanwhile, young soldiers on a break were busy checking their smart phones, as young soldiers everywhere are inclined to do.

It was unlike anything else I have ever seen. And all of this was happening in an area barely the size of a football field.

What made it even stranger still, was realizing this was only one facet of Jerusalem. There is also a significant Christian presence.

Not to mention Muslim.

And of course all these elements coexist, uneasily, reluctantly, within a stones throw of each other.

Quite literally, “within a stones throw”. And I guess that’s part of the problem.

But I still highly recommend a visit if you ever have the chance.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Israel, Jerusalem, Photography, Shabbat, Travel | 9 Comments

Bethlehem

Posted on May 15, 2015 by If It Was Today

Masada is not a huge site (as these things go), but we have a bit of a reputation for wanting to “count every last stone” so it was several hours before we finally managed to tear ourselves away. We had a firm deadline to be back in Jerusalem well before sunset, and we wanted to stop in Bethlehem along the way.

Of course, the major draw for Bethlehem is the church built on the site where Jesus was born, so we had to include it on our brief itinerary. It is interesting, but not exactly photogenic, so instead I will offer an image from outside.

This is also the site where St. Jerome spent the bulk of his life translating the bible into latin. I have to say that he looks exactly like I imagine someone would look after undertaking such a monumental task.

And of course, in the middle of the city, we saw an orange tree, with ripe oranges. Call me “easily amused” but coming from a cold climate, there is something about it that I find endlessly fascinating.

No visit to Bethlehem would be complete without seeing “the wall”. Pictures simply cannot capture the essence of the wall, so I’m not even going to try. Instead, I will leave you with two images. The first is an example of graffiti on the wall. It speaks for itself.

The second illustrates the industriousness of many Palestinians I have seen in Jordan, and their willingness to make the best of a bad situation.

Another example of this ingenuity is the “Stars & Bucks” coffee shop with a logo that looks strangely familiar. I can only speculate about the quirk of international law that must be protecting them from lawsuits.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Bethlehem, Israel, Photography, Travel, Wall | 6 Comments

Masada

Posted on May 11, 2015 by If It Was Today

We booked a taxi for the day and headed out of Jerusalem. On this post I’ll just cover our first stop – Masada. I’m going to apologize up front. This blog post has far too many pictures because, frankly, I have far too many pictures. But I will do my best to keep it brief-ish.

The drive to Masada took a little over an hour through countryside that was mostly barren rock. When we arrived at Masada we were greeted with, you guessed it, more barren rock.

But of course, the thing about Masada is that it is barren rock, surrounded by sheer rock cliffs on all sides. Being a fortress, that was exactly the point.

This created an incredibly secure fortress, but also provided stunning views over the surrounding countryside. It turns out that was also the point. King Herod built a palace into the north-facing cliff. It provided cool breezes, stunning views over the Dead Sea, and was protected by the impregnable fortress.

Well, not completely impregnable – on the far right of the above picture you can still see the outlines of one of the forts the Romans built when they laid siege to Masada.

To be completely honest, the site was not as rich as many in Jordan, and you were often restricted in where you could go and what you could touch, but it still provided interesting glimpses of everyday life 2000 years ago.

It also provided fascinating examples of the ingenuity of ancient people. In this case, they built a special tower inside the fortress that provided a roost to keep pigeons safe from predators at night . But of course it didn’t keep them safe from humans, which provided the inhabitants with a steady supply of free meat that could not be stopped by the enemy blockade. A simple but effective way to supplement supplies.

To get to the site you can hike up a very steep path (300 metre elevation gain) or you can take the cable car, which is an adventure in itself. This time we opted for the cable car. Maybe next time we will try the hike.

If you ever have the chance, I would highly recommend a visit.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Israel, Masada, Photography, Travel | 9 Comments

So Close and Yet, So Far…

Posted on May 7, 2015 by If It Was Today

We spent the day in Old Jerusalem. It was a fascinating study in contrasts, between different cultures, religions and times. It’s really difficult to get your head around cultures that are so close physically, and yet separated by such fundamental divides. I’m not sure I will ever be able to fully explain it, even to myself, but I certainly can’t after a few short days. So I’m not even going to try. Instead, I’m going to leave you with a few pictures, and the impressions they leave.

In such a densely populated country, in the middle of an ancient, highly contested city like Old Jerusalem, it’s strange to see a completely empty street. We started early, but not that early, and yet for the first hour it almost felt like we had the city to ourselves.

The architecture was stunning and in some ways, almost claustrophobic, and yet there were still signs of nature in the middle of the city.

There were also plenty of fascinating architectural details hidden in plain sight, like this “arch” built into a wall. I’m sure there is a story here, but I have no idea what it might be.

We also visited the Dome of the Rock, with a juxtaposition of architectures dating back well over a thousand years. I could give many examples, but I will leave you with just this one.

I found the Western Wall equally fascinating. It is one of the holiest of Jewish sites, and yet it is effectively the retaining wall for the plaza that holds the Dome of the Rock. The proximity is both fascinating and terrifying.

Given the mixture of cultures, the tension isn’t surprising. I hesitate to say “clash of cultures” but in this case it might just be an appropriate term.

Our final stop gave us a stunning view over all of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock. It was well worth the nearly 200 steps we climbed to reach it.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Israel, Photography, Travel | 7 Comments

One Word Photo Challenge: Sun

Posted on May 1, 2015 by If It Was Today

Sunset in Wadi Rum, Jordan, after a full day of fun in the sun.

Posted in Jordan, Photography, Travel | Tagged One Word Photo Challenge | 4 Comments

Al Karak

Posted on April 29, 2015 by If It Was Today

Karak Castle, dates back to the crusades, and is one of many interesting sites in Jordan well worth a visit. We stopped there briefly on our way to Jerusalem. I suppose in a way this is apropos, given that the crusaders also stopped here on their way to Jerusalem.

When I say “brief” I really do mean brief. We have a bit of a reputation when it comes to touring ancient ruins. On a “short” visit, we are often accused of counting every stone at the site. It has been said that a “normal” tour involves also measuring the exact dimensions of each stone, while by the end of an “extended” tour, we have drawn up a complete set of plans to reconstruct the entire site. I am, of course, exaggerating, but not by nearly as much as you might think.

This time the entire tour of Karak Castle – door to door – took 16 minutes and 35 seconds. This counts as a new personal best – or worst – depending on your perspective.

I have no intention of making a habit of this sort of “flying visit”, but we still had enough time to get a few interesting photos.

To get to Jerusalem, we had to cross the Jordan – Israel border, an experience that was interesting, to say the least. I have crossed many borders over the years, but I can honestly say that I have never experienced anything even remotely like this. Everything was business-like, but in a passive-aggressive (or perhaps aggressive-passive?) sort of way. Thinking back on it, ironically, in many ways the experience reminded me of Disneyland, where every time you think you are finally at the end of the line, you discovered there is yet another step you need to complete. However, in this case there is an “edge” when you realize these are real bullets with real consequences. Let me just say the experience was illuminating, and if this is what “peace in the Middle East” feels like, I have no desire to experience conflict.

After 3 hours, and more steps than I could have ever imagined possible, we successfully navigated the system and emerged unscathed in Israel. A relatively short taxi ride brought us to our hotel and a wonderful dinner. Next up, is Old Jerusalem.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Jordan, Photography, Travel | 8 Comments

Headed Home

Posted on April 26, 2015 by If It Was Today

For the past two weeks I have been visiting Jordan and Israel. Time and wifi access have limited my ability to blog, but now I’m headed home. Over the next few weeks I will try to share some of my experiences and photographs.

The trip began in Amman, so I’ll start with an image of the Amman Citadel.

We visited downtown Amman, but we also managed to have a drive in the countryside. Before I visited Jordan, I thought it was mostly desert. While this is true in some areas, I am always amazed at the amount of green. This is pretty standard for spring, as a result of the winter rains. We did see signs that perhaps the rain was not quite over yet.

There were signs of growth everywhere.

And of course, where things are growing, you will find goats and sheep.

But probably the thing I like most about Jordan are the sunsets, so that is how I will close this post.

Posted in Jordan, Photography, Travel | Tagged Jordan, Photography, Travel | 8 Comments

Under Blue Skies

Posted on April 23, 2015 by If It Was Today

Half way through my vacation, and I haven’t had time (or Internet access) to provide regular updates, but I am taking lots of pictures. Once I’m home I’ll get back to blogging and share some of the pictures.

Posted in Photography, Travel | Tagged Photography, Travel | 1 Comment

Please Call Again

Posted on April 13, 2015 by If It Was Today

In this case, I suspect they were closed for good, and that it would be a waste of time to “call again” – ever.

In my case, I will be back in two weeks, but until then I will be traveling and probably won’t have time to blog. But rest assured, I will be taking pictures. Lots of pictures. That may be good news, or it may be bad news…