Israel; revisionist writing

Friday, August 10th; 
If you should ever travel to Jerusalem, it's probably best that you avoid telling the Arab traders who throng the narrow, fabled and historic streets of the old city that you know me. You may not yet be aware of the fact but I have acquired a fearsome reputation in those parts as a very tough haggler and several traders there are still recovering from the skills, strength of purpose and sheer audacity I displayed in our one-sided negotiations. Despite this however, I remain on good terms with them and several have told me, warmly and repeatedly, how much they like me and for this reason would make me offers that would not be made available to others. There are at least two young men who, as a result of my hard-won purchases, I am now helping to put through college.

Nevertheless - as I wrote earlier, it is probably a good idea to avoid making mention of me - just in case.

Btw - if anyone wants to buy some olive wood madonnas and authentic hand-forged mamluk swords - I still have a few (dozen) more than I need.

But Jerusalem - what a place! There is so much to say - and others are no doubt better placed to describe its incredible mix of culture, religion, ethnicity together with its multi-layered history of empire, politics, warfare and trade.

All I can say is that I have had few experiences such as that afforded by the view of the roofscape, flat and pitched, minareted, towered and domed (including the golden, sun-half-risen, dome of the rock) from the terrace of our convent hotel on the Via Dolorosa.

Or perhaps that should be the, alleged, Via Dolorosa.

Archaeology and historical research are continuously revising, qualifying and questioning the certainties that are the well-spring of tourism and commerce. But, in the end, perhaps it doesn't matter all that much - this is a city where people want and need to believe. People of faith are borrowing something from each other and in alliance against those who harbour religious doubt -  but they are also engaged in an ancient struggle to hold what they have; Jew, Moslem, Christian, (Armenian, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic) etc etc and perhaps make gains at the expense of others.

It was hard to walk the city streets with their polished stone flags and steps in the severe midday heat. I discovered what may be a new side effect of my cocktail of medication - swollen feet. As I type I am suffering in a manner that causes me to kick off my lightly-tied shoes.




Thursday, August 23rd;
And there the contemporaneous despatch from Israel ended........

Events overtook us; a non-stop carousel of travel, food, visits, excursions and times for recovery. What a successful trip! Now we are returned to the UK for more than a week and Israel, the true experience of Israel, fresh and unalloyed - is disappearing through the rear-view mirror of memory. Friends and family have pounced - demanding tales and recounting of moments - and we have been ready to satisfy them. Inevitably, these memories are repeated, supplemented, polished, abbreviated until they are ready for slotting into the filing cabinet of recall, labelled; 'interesting lifetime events; 2012'.

So, you'll have to phone and spend half an hour coaxing one of us in to repeating the stories - or, visit and watch the photos each with its own accompanying oral text.

Only fragments of  the unvarnished truth remain - such as that entitled; 'the street traders of Jerusalem meet their match'................