Monday, September 29, 2014

Caesarea

My first trip to Israel was in 1993.  We flew El Al to Ben Gurion Airport.  The first place on our tour on that first day was Caesarea.  Caesarea is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, about halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa.  It is the site of an ancient Roman town that was built by Herod the Great around 22 BCE.  It served as the administrative center of the Judaean Province of the Roman Empire.


Roman ruins at Caesarea.



Roman aqueduct in Caesarea.



Roman theater at Caesarea.


This is our group walking along the beach between the Mediterranean Sea and the aqueduct.  That's myself and Olga in the foreground.  I can't remember who took the photo of us.  As you can see, it is was a beautiful site to see on our first day in Israel.


The modern town of Caesarea has a population of about 4,500.  Many of the residents commute to work in Tel Aviv.  There is also a Caesarea Business Park that houses 170 companies.


This is a modern day school and park in Caesarea.


Caesarea is home to two of five Ralli Museums in the world.  These museums were founded by the Henry Recanati Foundation to highlight Latin American art.  The first Ralli Museum was opened in Punta de Este, Uruguay in 1988; the second in Santiago, Chile in 1992; the third in Marbella, Spain in 2000.  There are two of the museums in Caesarea; one opened in 1993 and a second in 2007.  These two museums are located in a 40,000 square meter park.  One features contemporary Latin American art; the second features art memorializing Jews who were victims of the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal.

Some photos around the Ralli Museum in Caesarea:





Israel… one fascinating thing after another.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Jericho

More photos from Israel, this time in 1993.  These photos are from Jericho, which is the lowest city in the world, 800 feet below sea level.  It was VERY hot that day.  Someone took a photo of me while I was seeking some shade.



Ruins fron Herod's palace.


The cliffs above Jericho.


A Roman aqueduct near Jericho.


Saturday, September 27, 2014

Old Photos

My recent high school reunion has me looking back.  Life is not so exciting at the moment, so I am looking back at some good times.  This is my husband and myself in Haifa, Israel back in 1995.  That was a great trip… I will probably post some more.


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Rosh Hashanah, Part Two

In case the "jazzy" one was not traditional enough, here is some beautiful music from Jewish liturgy.  It's my favorite part of High Holy Day services.

Rosh Hashanah

I was looking for something to acknowledge the Jewish New Year 5775.  I found this and I couldn't resist it!

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Moving Forward


If only it were that easy!

We are still working on moving.  We have a house in Kentucky and a new condo in the Philly area.  We have been going back and forth, delivering supplies to the new condo, but we are still living in our Kentucky house.  It will have to be sold eventually, but I'm finding it difficult to let it go.  I always manage to put down roots.

We have a social network in Philly, where we lived for sixteen years.  We have friends there with whom we have travelled, to France, to Italy, to Israel, and to many Caribbean Islands.  We go back for birthdays and weddings. Our family is here, however.  I wish we could live close to both family and friends.

It's a process, an ongoing process.  We are taking our time, living in two places at once.  I feel like we have one foot in Kentucky and the other foot in Philly.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Deja vu

I just got home from my high school class reunion.  It was fun and it was interesting.  It made me want to go back and start all over again.  The people I knew as kids are now adults.  Some are the same as always and others seem like totally different people.  It made me wish I had paid more attention in school; they were talking about things I didn't remember.

I took very few pictures.  I guess I was too busy talking and having fun.  We had a "meet and mingle" at a pizza restaurant Friday night (very casual) then dinner and dancing Saturday night.  One of the guys who kept asking me out but didn't appeal to me at the time was much more interesting with age.  The "cool" kids were actually very nice and friendly.  I had a chance to talk with two women who were friends all the way from childhood.  Their lives have been very different from mine.  They married early and stayed in town, while I went to college and moved around quite a bit.

People came from all over; one couple drove all the way from San Diego and several from Colorado and Florida.  One of the guys is in a rock band in France and couldn't come but he sent messages and emails and videos.  When I was a senior we had a foreign exchange student from Columbia, a very handsome and smart guy.  He married a girl from our school, and they came to the reunion from Arizona.  I was a little surprised by some who actually married each other from the class.  Most of them didn't date in high school but connected later in life.

Interesting.  I'm glad I went.  I wish it had lasted longer than just a weekend, so we had more time to catch up with everyone.


Friday, September 5, 2014

TERRIFIED!


Why am I so nervous this morning?  Because tonight I am meeting a whole bunch of people I haven't seen in many, many years.  My high school class reunion starts tonight and continues through Saturday night.

We are staying overnight in the hotel where the event is taking place.  There is a casual pizza restaurant gathering tonight, then the dinner and dancing Saturday night.  I have  packed my clothes and decided what to wear to both events.  I have given myself a manicure and pedicure.  I want to look good.  Everyone wants to look good when they meet so many people who knew them when.

Why am I terrified?  I have no idea.  I didn't expect to react this way.  I think the insecurities of high school are coming back to me.  Who will talk to me?  What will I say?  Will the popular kids still be impossibly cool?  Will I fit in?  Fortunately, I will have my husband with me.  He is outgoing and sociable, and he always fits in when he meets new people.  I'm so happy he's going with me.  I will take lots of photos and post some here.  It will probably end up being fun.