Touring with Madeleine: Winter Wonderland Jerusalem, December 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"

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Winter Wonderland Jerusalem, December 2013

Even though snow is not a rare occurence in this city, this morning Jerusalem experienced its heaviest December snowfall since 1953. Schools have closed and public transport is at a standstill as Jerusalem's residents stay at home and keep warm.

Coming fast on the tail of an unusually warm November, Jerusalemites have been suprised by the sudden freezing temperatures which are affecting much of the Middle East. Snow is always a cause for great celebration especially among the children who look forward to building snowmen and generally having fun.

The snow storm was the fiercest in over 100 years cutting off roads to the city and electricity to many households. The sun is finally coming out and melting the snow but a huge amount of damage has been caused to infrastructure which will take some time to repair.