What a wonderful couple of days we had when Kathleen and John Lambert spent three nights in Jersualem on their trip to the Holy Land.
Originally we’d planned to see each other first on the Mount of Olives in the Augusta Victoria Hospital compound. Their itinerary had them scheduled to visit the church and tower of the Ascension Church which offers a panoramic view of Jerusalem. However, their guide changed the itinerary at the last moment, likely because Israelis are told it is too dangerous to enter East Jerusalem. What a shame as it was a beautiful day and the view would have been amazing.
However, we got together the next evening, meeting them at their hotel, The Renaissance at Rupert Bridge and Heizl St. in West Jerusalem, where we had a lovely visit and dinner together at their hotel. We also relieved them of the containers of maple syrup which they kindly brought for us, having lugged them around with them on their travels!
The next day we met each other around 1:00 p.m. in front of the Damascus Gate to the Old City and spent a delightful afternoon wandering up and down Sultan Suleiman and Salah al Din Streets in East Jerusalem. The weather was perfect, sunny skies, around 20 degrees.
Later, we treated them to the experience of riding a Palestinian bus up to our Guest House on the Mount of Olives. They got to see the Church of the Ascension and the tower from the outside at least—unfortunately it closes at 1:00 p.m. to visitors. We enjoyed sitting in the garden at our Guest House sharing some wine together before taking a “Servisse” (special taxi/bus) back down to the Old City around dusk. We had time to wander leisurely through part of the Old City before our reservation at Nafoura’s, an Armenian restaurant, near the Jaffa Gate where we enjoyed a delicious meal together.
All too soon, we had to say goodbye as they had to pack for their return flight to Canada the next morning. Khalid, our taxi driver returned them to their hotel and drove us back “home”. Their visit had been the highlight of our week! We extend the invitation to family and friends to come and see us while we’re here. Remember, the clock is ticking, only seven months left for an unforgettable experience. We’d love to show you around!
Originally we’d planned to see each other first on the Mount of Olives in the Augusta Victoria Hospital compound. Their itinerary had them scheduled to visit the church and tower of the Ascension Church which offers a panoramic view of Jerusalem. However, their guide changed the itinerary at the last moment, likely because Israelis are told it is too dangerous to enter East Jerusalem. What a shame as it was a beautiful day and the view would have been amazing.
However, we got together the next evening, meeting them at their hotel, The Renaissance at Rupert Bridge and Heizl St. in West Jerusalem, where we had a lovely visit and dinner together at their hotel. We also relieved them of the containers of maple syrup which they kindly brought for us, having lugged them around with them on their travels!
The next day we met each other around 1:00 p.m. in front of the Damascus Gate to the Old City and spent a delightful afternoon wandering up and down Sultan Suleiman and Salah al Din Streets in East Jerusalem. The weather was perfect, sunny skies, around 20 degrees.
Later, we treated them to the experience of riding a Palestinian bus up to our Guest House on the Mount of Olives. They got to see the Church of the Ascension and the tower from the outside at least—unfortunately it closes at 1:00 p.m. to visitors. We enjoyed sitting in the garden at our Guest House sharing some wine together before taking a “Servisse” (special taxi/bus) back down to the Old City around dusk. We had time to wander leisurely through part of the Old City before our reservation at Nafoura’s, an Armenian restaurant, near the Jaffa Gate where we enjoyed a delicious meal together.
All too soon, we had to say goodbye as they had to pack for their return flight to Canada the next morning. Khalid, our taxi driver returned them to their hotel and drove us back “home”. Their visit had been the highlight of our week! We extend the invitation to family and friends to come and see us while we’re here. Remember, the clock is ticking, only seven months left for an unforgettable experience. We’d love to show you around!
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