Touring with Madeleine: October 2013

Comments from Recent Visitors

"Madeleine is refreshingly quirky and that is a wonderful quality. That is in addition to her extraordinary wealth of knowledge and openness."

"Madeleine gave us an objective view of the people and places we see on the news."

"Madeleine kept our children, 10, 13, 15 yrs interested and engaged (as only a former teacher can), and her depth of knowledge was welcome by the adults in the group."

"Madeleine gracefully navigated complex issues of faith and culture and we came away with a much better perspective of Jerusalem through 3,000 years of history"

"Madeleine has a talent for listening to what we're interested in and crafting an itinerary that when experienced, flows perfectly while she is open to being flexible and the serendipity of discovery"

"Madeleine was incredible - a huge wealth of information,

"We were a diverse group - different ages, religions, athletic abilities - and Madeleine managed to accommodate us all."

Madeleine was extremely professional with a wonderful sense of humour"

Sunday, October 27, 2013

A Shabbat Morning Stroll in Jerusalem

This month marks my 30th year in Israel! When I first moved to Jerusalem there was very little to do on Saturday for entertainment in the west part of the city. Certainly no restaurants or movies. The situation is very different today.

It was a beautiful autumnal day with bright sunshine and blue skies. I took a walk with a friend to the First Station and this is what we found along the way.

The beautiful Armenian mosaic by David Ohannessian at the Jerusalem House of Quality on the Hebron Road - formerly the St. John's Opthalmic Hospital.

We continued to the charming St. Andrew's Scottish Church where we ate brunch and, on exiting, crossed to the Lions' Fountain in the park opposite where an Ethiopian wedding celebration was taking place.

The Happy Couple

Then onto the First Station which opened in May this year and has quickly become a popular hub of entertainment. The place was filled with people walking, cycling, eating, shopping and watching an open-air jazz concert. What did we do before this place opened??

Jerusalem is alive and well, even on Saturday!