A tale of two (Norwegian) cities

Tondheim was Norway's first capital but the capital was moved to Oslo or Christiana as it was then called in 1308. Norway's history is a bit confusing as for some 200 years it was part of Denmark and then it became part of Sweden and then after a long war it achieved independence in 1720. So yesterday we caught the train east across the mountains to Oslo. It was a very scenic 7 hour train trip, passing many snow-covered lakes, frozen waterfalls and big mountains. Oslo was covered in fog and it was a bit cold and gloomy wandering the streets. We had just enough time to visit the National Gallery where the famous "Scream" painting by Norwegian Edward Munch is located. Whether it was just the effect of the grey light but most of the pictures in the gallery seemed a bit depressing, many picturing young children either dying of consumption or being buried. Even the room of French Impressionists seemed without colour. Very odd.

We walked past the impressive Castle or Slott as it is called here and past the place where the Nobel Peace prize is awarded (the other prizes are awarded in Sweden). After many years of playing the board game Diplomacy it was fun to see Skagerrak, the sea between Norway, Sweden and Denmark, as we were always moving our navies around this spot. But it was too cold to linger outside as you can see from the photos, so we hurried to a cheerful Mexican restaurant to consume spicy food and sadly expensive red wine. But it was medicinal you understand.

Today I fly back home and Hugh continues on to England for another week. While not looking forward to the plane trip I will be glad to be going somewhere warmer. I don't think I am cut out for this cold weather and to make matters worse I have not seen an Aurora borealis as it has been too cloudy and/or we have not been far enough north or far enough away from light pollution. It is all Joanna Lummley's fault as she made it look easy on her documentary. I think you really have to wander around in the arctic circle for weeks in order to see one which is rather a trial by snow and frostbite when you think about it. Next travel blog will be from Indonesia in July where I daresay I will not be seeing snow!

The snow-covered land of the Vikings

Getting to the land of the Vikings was rather traumatic as we had to leave Jerusalem at 2am in oder to get a bus to Tel Aviv and have enough time to get through Israeli security to get our early morning flight to Norway. It was truly awful and by the time we got to Trondheim via Vienna and Oslo we were both fairly tired and in my case rather fragile. I beeped throught the security gate at Oslo which is odd as I hadn't had a peep through the many previous security gates and instead of going through it again, I got the full body frisk by a young security guy. Normally I probably would have been rather amused but with little sleep it rather shocked me I must say and they also confiscated our duty free alcohol so we were pretty grouchy about Norway when we finally got to bed in Trondheim.

However the view of the snow-covered landscape was so quaint in the morning and the hotel buffet so good, that I was soon restored to full strength and was itching to go outside and play in the snow. It was great fun although the layers of coats, hats, scarves and gloves takes a little bit of getting used to. Trondheim is a very pretty town on the mouth of the river Nid and at present looks just like a Christmas card scene but obviously without baby Jesus and the stable. It is famous for having the most northerly cathedral in the world which is also a pilgrims destination due to the matrydom here of St Olav, who tried to introduce Christianity in the 11th century. He had a lot of trouble as most people preferred to continue their drinking and toasts to the God Thor. Who can blame them in this climate?

We are very lucky to have a private organ recital in the beautiful cathedral later that night and a most interesting talk by the female acting Dean of the Cathedral. The organ is one of the earliest Baroque insruments still in use in Europe and it is very moving to hear Bach's famous toccata and fugue for the organ played here. However it is quite terrifying making our way back to the hotel along all the slippery,icy roads and I'm glad my feet are in better working order than they were last year. The conference is full of famous eccologists and it is a treat to meet so many interesting people.

Trondheim has lots of colourful restored buildings and some lovely shops but as everything is precisely twice the price of things at home it is a little depressing. So I use the chance to catch up on my writing and my studies on Ancient Greek and go only to the supermarket for food instead of to expensive cafes. See I can be frugal! Luckily our hotel is a groovy modern building built over the river with a wonderful view of the town from our window so it is quite nice to be all snug and warm, drink hot chocolate and watch the snow falling outside. Rather different from Israel and certainly different from home.

Exploring the Old City of Jerusalem

I am very excited to be dragging my suitcase up the hill towards the Jaffa gate, one of the eight gates into the Old City of Jerusalem, next to the citadel of David. Our guesthouse, which used to be the original British Consulate building, is fortunately located near to this gate, so can leave our luggage there and begin our exploration of the Old City without too much trouble. We decide to go straight onto the ramparts which encircle the city and walk towards the Jewish quarter and the Wailing Wall. The views over the City and surrounding areas are fantastic with the gold and blue Dome of the Rock looking magnificent in the bright sun. We explore the archeological park next to the wailing wall which has revealed a Herodian Jewish street complete with shops and ritual baths that would have led to the Second Temple.

Then we wander through the city, along the original flagstones of the Roman road or Cardo as it is called here and past all the covered souks. My aim is to buy a Roman coin as they are apparently plentiful here, so we visit a few antique shops and jewellry stores much to Hugh's alarm. I decide to return another time alone and then I buy a lovely coral and lapis lazuli necklace with a roman coin that you see pictured. We walk along the Via Dolorosa, believed to be the route taken by Jesus to his execution. There are about fourteen stations of the cross along this route commemorating the gospel events. There are a lot of people who appear out of chapels along the route carrying crosses and singing songs to recreate the cruxifiction. Along with the shop keepers who try and lure you into their stores, it makes for a noisy and crowded spectacle.

Later in the afternoon we visit the Church of the Holy Sepuchre which has a long queue of people who want to kiss the spot where Jesus was allegedly crucified and buried. We are more interested in observing the frosty relations which plague this holiest spot in Christendom as the Church is shared between six Christian communities - the Latins (Roman Catholics), Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Ethiopians and Copts. No-one can agree on anything including repairs which can take up to fifty years to happen, and there is often actual violence between the sects over territory and imagined or real insults. It is rather funny I think. We have a lovely dinner on a roof top terrace overlooking the blue domes of the Church and the City and I have fun lecturing Hugh on the origins of Christianity, my special subject. He is quite a good listener I must say.

On our last day in Jerusalem we walk along the Northern section of the ramparts passing the beautiful Damascus gate and enter the Moslem quarter. We notice a great increase in security in this area and are slightly concerned to see police with riot shields. None of the residents seem terribly alarmed so we press on to the Lion's gate where we exit the Old City to visit the Rockefeller Museum, home to the famous Megiddo ivories and other wonderful archeological finds. Hugh's interest in ancient things is waning but I am ruthless, so we finish by visiting the Tower of David or Citadel which has an excellent display on the history of the City and more wonderful views. We enjoy a meal in the Armenian quarter near our guesthouse tired but, at least in my case, reasonably satisfied with out short visit to the heart of the world.

Floating on the Dead Sea and marching around Massada

Yesterday we spent the morning at Ramat Hanadiv, the memorial gardens dedicated to the memory of Baron Rothschild and the site of Hugh's workshop which is ten minutes drive from Zichron-Ya'acov. At the heart of the gardens lies the crypt of the Baron and his wife and there is a theatre where you are able to watch original footage of the Baron's many visits to Israel in the 1920's. It is quite fascinating. After a spot of bird-watching at a nearby kibbutz's fish farm, we make the much awaited drive to what some people consider to be the heart of the world - Jerusalem. Our hotel is just outside the city walls and we have a fabulous view of the ramparts and the citadel all lit up. We are lucky to have Eric, a knowledgeable member of our group, who points out many of the landmarks to us. But it will be a few days until we are able to explore the holy city ourselves.

As today we are up early for a big drive through the Judean desert to the Dead Sea and the histric fort of Massada. It is unseasonably hot so I am very relieved that the big hike to the top of Ein Gedi nature reserve has been modified. It is very strange to be 400m below sea level yet be surrounded by towering cliffs. The reserve is home to many animals such as the leopard, ibex and a funny guinea pig like creature called the rock hyrax. There are several springs that provide much needed coolness and shade in this harsh environment. The place is packed with many school groups and devout Hassidic Jews dressed in black with distictive head-gear and sidelocks. It is a sacred biblical site as David fled here after felling Golliath with his sling shot. On the way here we pass the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found.

Finally we reach the Dead Sea, only to be dismayed by learning that the sea is in fact disappearing as not enough water is flowing through the Jordan river (a sadly familiar tale to the Murray river in Australia), which is the source for the Dead Sea. So you have to walk a fair way out now to reach the shore and the area is becoming quite dangerous with the appearance of many sink-holes. We all rush to get into our bathers to get into the water. At first the water feels quite normal but once up above your knees you sink to your back and your feet bob up above the water. It is funny at first but quite disturbing if you try to put your feet down under the water because you can't. After five minutes of fighting the water I decide to swim back and am very relieved when my feet can touch the ground again. You have to wash the water off quite quickly as it can sting and your skin feels rather oily.

The real highlight of the day for me is the visit to the spectacular world heritage listed hill-top fortress of Massada. I should perhaps explain here that I am an obsessive seeker of world heritage sites and I am pleased that this visit to Israel is giving me numerous opportunities to add to my list. The landscape is almost unbelievable with miles of desolate cliffs and wadis as far as the eye can see, not unlike a mini grand canyon but without the cacti. We ride an amazing cable car to the top and spend the next couple of hours wandering around ruined palaces, bath houses and religious buildings. Massada is of course famous for being the stronghold of Jewish rebels who made their last stand against the Romans here in 66-70 AD. It is a really wonderful site and a great end to our day.

Armageddon and the Sea of Galilee

There are so many places that sound so familiar in Israel that a sightseeing frenzy threatens to overtake me and I have to choose to visit only a few sites and save others for another time. So Darryl (a fellow workshop partner) and I borrow a car and bravely go adventuring around biblical and historical sites that are reasonably close to our hotel. Our first stop is the Unesco World Heritage site of Tel Megiddo otherwie known as Armaggeddon. Yes, this is the place mentioned in Revelations 16:14 where the battle at the end of days will take place. It isn't much to look at now but this site has been inhabited since the neolithic period and its location allowed it to control the ancient trade routes. As it also had springs and fertile land it was the scene of many battles between the rival empires of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Canaan. It is a facsinating site and one which I have long wanted to explore.

Then we went further afield passing the towns of Nazareth and Cana before getting a little lost in Tiberias. It was a very hazy day unfortunately so we didn't have a great view of the Sea of Galillee which rather sneaked up on us. We pass Tabga, the place where Jesus allegedly fed the five thousand with bread and fishes. It is such a desolate place with hardly any towns or people around other than tourist buses, that I find it hard to believe that there were ever five thousand people here! Capernaum, an oft mentioned place in the the New Testament, has a pretty good ruined synagogue and as I look over the sea, I try to imagine Jesus walking on the water. It doesn't look that deep. Lots of his best miracles were performed here and there are a lot of devout followers paddling in the holy water. We have a wonderful lunch with yummy hummous and press on across the hills back to the Mediterranean crusader town of Acre or Akko as it is now called.

Again we got a little lost and as we were without a decent map, we wandered rather aimlessly through the Unesco world heritage listed old town which is very atmospheric if a little smelly. Luckily we eventually found the citadel and visited the knight's hall and refectory. This was another strategically important city and the site of many sieges, the most famous being that of Richard the Lion heart in 1191. In 1229 it was placed under the control of the Knights Hospitaller otherwise known as the Order of St John or the Knights of Malta. You could easily spend a whole day wandering around the windy streets and climbing the ramparts and it was a pity we had only a few hours. We were very worried about getting out of the city but followed a tour bus which we hoped was going in the right direction. Luckily it was and we made it back home through the rather dense traffic and congested roads, tired but satisfied.

We had a lovely meal with much red wine in one of the historic hostelries in Zichron-Ya'acov although I am surprised that the food is mostly European rather than middle-eastern here in this part of Israel. Salit organised an interesting local guide to take us on a walk through the village. It is one of the oldest of its kind in Israel and is different from a kibbutz as it is modelled on a European village. The life of the jewish founders was incredibly hard as they battled diseases, starvation and harassment from Turkish officials. They were helped by Baron Rothschild, known here simply as 'the Baron' who funded many different sorts of agricultural ventures. However due to the soil fertility the crops that grew best were the ancient crops of wheat, olives, wine and oil. It has a great view of the surrounding area including the Mediterranean coast. It is a very pleasant place to visit.

Shrines and Caesarea

On Friday Hugh and I left Australia for a few weeks in Europe via Bangkok. As it happens I have never been to Thailand so I was keen to see the city of Bangkok for a day. I wanted to visit the Emerald Buddha temple in the Grand Palace complex so after admiring the elephant shrine surrounded by offerings in the front of our hotel, we jumped into a little tuc intending to go straight there nice and early. Our driver had other ideas though and managed to convince us against our will to go into shops in order to get him fuel coupons before leaving us at the Golden Budha temple. It was a very nice temple but not the one we wanted so we were a little firmer with the next driver who in the end did drop us at the Palace complex although he tried to tell us it was closed until the afternoon. The Lonely Planet guide no doubt warns you about this sort of thing but I foolishly didn't buy one. That will teach me.

Of course it was open and quite crowded by then and although a bit numb from all the noise and exhaust fumes, I went in to see the Emerald Buddha alone as Hugh was wearing shorts and not allowed in. He is not as keen as me on temples anyway and was happy to sit and bird watch. I found quite a small green Buddha housed in an incredibly elaborate structure surrounded by other very ornate and sparkly temples. Quite amazing and over the top. After this, we took a boat cruise along the river and saw the large reclining Buddha temple which was very impressive.

In the afternoon I decided to seek out some more shrines around the hotel by myself as Hugh was over temples by now for some reason and I stumbled across a lovely shrine to Ganesh, my favourite God. Although I'm an atheist, I think there is something very appealing about Ganesh. I bought some incense, a yellow candle and a lovely yellow garland to place on his shrine which was much nicer in my opinion than the neighbouring shrine to Lord Trimuti which is more famous. The shrines, like the nearby four-headed Brahma shrine, are situated in front of very modern buildings and the contrast is very startling.

After enduring another long flight we arrived in Tel Aviv for Hugh's workshop. After settling in, we wandered around the town of Zichron-Ya'acov which was established by Jewish settlers in the late 19th Century and had a lovely lunch of roasted peppers, a yummy sort of rye bread and a wonderful soft cheese called Labane'. Quite delicious. Luckily for my ancient Roman obsession, Salit had organised a wonderful tour of Caesarea, a nearby Roman town. The Romans sure knew where to build, as it is right on the sea and is a very extensive site with a nearby aqueduct, nice mosiacs and an amphitheatre. Hugh and I are pictured having fun on an ancient Roman communal toilet. Just the place to forget about my jet-lag! I am very happy to be back in the Mediterranean, my spiritual homeland. We had a wonderful dinner with lovely Israeli wine and great company. Ah, it's a hard life.