Touring with Madeleine: December 2021

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"

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Christmas in Jerusalem 2021

Sadly there are no overseas tourists visiting Jerusalem this Christmas. However plenty of locals were out and about last Saturday evening when I joined a friend to check out the Christmas lights at this holiday time. We weren't disappointed. Walking from the Russian Compound we popped into the Holy Trinity Church where we were enchanted by the heavenly singing.

From there we wandered through the City Hall complex to the Notre Dame Pilgrim Guesthouse. Opened at the end of the 19th century, this magnificent building faces New Gate where a local Christmas Market was in full flow. The view from the roof is spectacular. I was surprised to discover this gem after almost 40 years of living in the city. The spectacular views from the roof show the Chritmas tree in the courtyard below and the Christmas market just inside the New Gate across the road.

After tasting some of the delcacies on offer in the market, we continued through the alleyways of the Christian Quarter to the home of Jerusalem's Santa Claus Issah Kassisieh, who has turned his family home into a Christmas wonderland. We didn't visit this time but many others waited patiently for their special visit.