More Doors

Doors

There is no other place on the planet like Israel. It is set apart by many distinctives. One of its unusual but probably mostly unnoticed distinctives is its doors. As an amateur photographer that is constantly on the lookout for something out-of-the-ordinary, I noticed them and photographed them from Rosh Pinnah in the North to Jerusalem's Old City.

 

 

 

Grapes

Ancient grape presses are not uncommon throughout the Holy Land. At Tel Mar Elias in Jordan, I decided to climb inside one for fun. This gives you an idea of their size. 

Figs

In Bible days, dried figs were often pressed into cakes or threaded on long strings, making them a convenient food for traveling. Bethphage, a town on the Mount of Olives, was famous for its figs; Bethphage means “house of unripe figs.”

Figs come in varying shapes, sizes, and colors. The most common types of figs are Turkish figs, Adriatic figs, Black Mission figs, Calimyrna figs, and Kadota figs.

Dates

I love palm trees. I think they are beautiful and I like to hear the sound of wind brushing against the fronds.

I also like dates, which is fortunate since when we are in the Middle East dates are part and parcel of our diet.

One of my favorite sweet snacks is to simply slice open a date, remove the pit, and stuff the date halves with walnuts.

And dates are a biblical food. In fact, when the Bible refers to honey, in most cases it is referring to date syrup!

Remember Jerusalem

The Psalmist's love of Jerusalem is reflected in his impassioned words: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy" (Psalm 137:5-6).

Outside

This is a typical scene in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities. Little cafes with outdoor seating are common. Because of the diversity of people in Israel, if you enjoy people-watching, sitting outside one of these many cafes would provide you with a great deal of entertainment!

Israeli Italian

You might not associate Israel with Italian food. But Israel has a number of Italian restaurants. One that we visited is Spaghettim on Hillel Street in Jerusalem. It is good...really good. Using sweet potatoes is big in Israel and they are available in several dishes at Spaghettim. Definitely a nice departure from our more standard fare of economical falafels, vegetables from the shuk, and hummus!