No Idle hands here

I always find it fascinating to visit cemeteries, they tell you so much about the living. They also tell you so much about the past. Along a very busy trendy street in Jerusalem there is a high stone wall. In an area of prime real estate, this is quite an anomaly. Two signs let you know that cemeteries lie on the other side.  These used to be closed to the public, now they are open on Fridays.

A German cemetery, started in 1878, not surprising since this area is known as the German Colony. A small sect of Messianic protestant Germans created three settlements in Israel (the other two were in Haifa and Jaffa). It is their beautiful old stone homes that adorn the two streets of Emek Refaim and Derech Beit Lechem.  Of course one of the first things you do is create a cemetery. Some have the old German script. Another has the lovely saying, Auf  Weidersehen, good bye.An interesting use of old rough stone and a marble plaque.  This is one of the newer graves, during WWII the British, who controlled this area expelled all the people of German descent, most went to Australia.  I wonder if any of the descendants can request to be buried here, there still is room.Next door is another cemetery, very different from the German one.  This appears to be a Jewish grave. Also, the abbreviation of the state of Washington and the spelling of Jerusalem is strange, especially seeing that this grave is only 24 years old.Nearby is a grave with a cross, strange, Jews tend to segregate in death as well. I think this person may have been from the old Soviet block, that cross looks Russian Orthodox.Clearly Christian. There are plenty of Christian cemeteries in Israel, so this one is still a mystery.Of course most of the Christian population is Arab, hence the Arabic.

By now I had figured out that this isn’t your average cemetery, also there was a rather gaudy ugly mural along the walls, sorry I didn’t take pictures. Turns out this is the messianic cemetery. People who call themselves messianic Jews who are simply another small Christian sect, which explains why they have this place to themselves.Oh I love this stone, I have no idea if he is part of the sect, or simply someone who died in Jerusalem and the family bought the plot here.Only the Hebrew on the plaque outside really tells the truth – The International Cemetery of the League of the  Messianic Mission.

I’m not sure when they acquired this plot of land, but it certainly makes for interesting viewing, seeing the diaspora of people that have come to Jerusalem and died here.

Amid the restaurants, boutiques and colorful people on the sidewalks, a visit with the dead  is an experience unto itself.

The more involved I get with photography, the more interested I become in finding the unique. Or at least trying to tell a story of something that most people never bother to see. I had lunch with friends and as we walked around afterwards, they were amazed at how perceptive I was to my surroundings.  Open your eyes folks!Lions are a big deal in Jerusalem,  Lion of Judea, it is now the symbol of the city.   This kind of lion is common on the entrances of a number of homes.This fellow is amazing!  He is over the doorway of an old house. I’ve never seen one like him, a sleeping lion!This manhole cover has the emblem of the city shield.  I thought this was a water main cover, but no, the word on the right is Stop lights – so the control panel for the lights are under here.Same lion appears on many of the city benches, either in parks or along the streets.Yehuda Fences, I’m guessing he chose the lion as his logo because of his name.The famous lion fountain.  I’ve looked through my old photos and I’ve found pictures I’ve taken through the years, often with the water not running.I love these lions, so whimsical, so fun.This lion has been here forever. I think it was over 20 years ago Jerusalem had a project of artist painted lions. Where the geranium now blooms there used to be tulips.  Geraniums are much more effective in the hot dry climate of Jerusalem.These feral descendants of some big cat are all over the city.  Not a lion, but still related.

I made a quick trip to Israel for family matters. Yes it is a long way to go for such a short time, sometimes a quick trip is a good thing.

I did spend the weekend by the Sea of Galilee and am sharing some images.Early morning (jet lag will do that), fog on the lake (despite being called a sea, it is a rather small lake). I love it when I take a picture and it comes out this incredible.The only way you can see that the other shore isn’t that far away is the waves breaking.A few hours later, the fog has burned off and the sun is hot. That is the Golan Heights on the other side.A small tributary. In Israel, any body of water is precious.The Eucalyptus tree is native to Australia but was brought to Israel in the 1950s. I wish they had bought a Koala along, since that is the main use of the tree.They  eat the leaves. Unfortunately the wood and the fruit of this tree is useless.We hiked up Mt. Meron, one of the highest peaks in the Upper Galilee.Looking down on the agricultural communities below.May is late in the season for wildflowers, this is the only area that they are still blooming.We shared the path with some local cows.The milk and cheese products from the area are wonderful, now I know why, free range cows.

More pictures to come.