Believe it or not, the shop owners usually have what you are looking for! Thankfully, they know where to look.
This picture was taken in a shop in the Old City. Not all shops in Israel are as cluttered as the ones you find in the Old City. But, in general, I do miss the orderly shopping experience so readily available in the USA!
Outside of Lancaster County (or regions in Europe, as I have discovered), good pretzels are difficult to find. In certain regions (for example, Israel), good pretzels are impossible to find! I have shared my frustration about this in a previous post, so you might wonder why I am bringing up this subject yet again.
You see, an innocent comment by my husband has led me to take on a personal mission and challenge. As I was oohing and ahhing over the bag of Lancaster County pretzels he recently carried back as hand luggage when returning from a US work trip, he asked me if I had ever tried making pretzels. What?!? Make pretzels?!? I know people make homemade soft pretzels…but homemade hard pretzels?!? I could hardly believe that the idea had never crossed my mind. I suppose if you grew up in an area where delicious pretzels are plentiful and easily found, you just never think about the possibility of making them yourself.
So within a few days, I had narrowed down my internet search to a recipe that seemed worthy of trying. Firmly pushing aside my fear of working with yeast, I recently went about making my first batch of homemade pretzels.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dough really did rise! I hadn’t killed the yeast, as I had feared!
The rolled pretzels were given a bath in boiling water…
…which served to help the salt stick to the pretzel. Hey, if I’m making the pretzels…a definite perk is that I get to add as much salt as I would like!!
Baking…baking…baking. Waiting…waiting…waiting.
The finished product!
I bit into the pretzel, anticipating the taste of a slightly doughy Martin’s pretzel fresh out of the bakery. Let’s just say…Martin’s pretzels doesn’t have to worry about a competitor just yet! It will take some time to perfect the art of making pretzels. They were doughy…but too doughy and a bit difficult to chew! I had hoped that they would harden over night and be crunchier the next day. Unfortunately, they doughiness remained, and the crunchy parts became almost too crunchy!
I am already scheming about how to alter the recipe the next time. Definitely need to roll them thinner to make them less doughy. They should probably be baked longer and allowed to brown even more in the oven. Out of respect for my heart, I should probably be a little less excited about adding so much salt! But I definitely will be trying again…and again…and again. I will try as many times as it takes to make the perfect pretzel. What bliss it would be to be able to eat my favorite snack food in every corner of this great big world! In the meantime, pretzel care packages will always be received with much excitement, joy and the deepest of gratitude :)
I stumbled upon a new food blog this afternoon, Tea and Cookies. The most recent post about tea parties and friendship resonated with me. I have 
“I have a few friends in Seattle (insert Jerusalem), and I know I'll make more. I also know the amazing friends I already have will still be in my life, but that in-between part is hard. I miss the tea parties, I miss the long walks and talks, I miss the soft cushion that a good friend provides in which to relax, giggle, or cry if need be. In this life we need people, sometimes more than food or water.”
Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of a tea party with every one of my friends who I miss. But you know who you are!
Our back porch, where enjoyed eating breakfast and/or lunch.
We ate very well! As is usual, the Israeli breakfasts brought to our doorstep each morning were large enough to provide us with lunch too.
We enjoyed riding horse through the countryside. It was just us and our guide!
The region was still very lush and wildflowers were everywhere! Since Jerusalem is already dry, hot and brown, we enjoyed the green, the colorful flowers, and the cool air.
The Golan is a bit like the “Wild West” in the US. Wide open plains, cattle wandering to and fro, and plenty of horse wranglers. The only difference is the presence of the Israeli military, since the Golan region is located on the border with Syria.
White storks are just one type of many migratory birds which pass through Israel in the spring and fall. These birds are of special significance to J since they spend their summers in Alsace, France, the region where J was born. We have seen these storks on numerous trips to the north. It takes many, many tries to take an excellent photograph of a flying bird! I commend my husband for his patience in order to do just that!
Qasr Al-Yahud, on the banks of the Jordan River, is believed to be the traditional sight of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. Because this spot is located directly on the border between Israel and Jordan, this site has been closed to the public since 1967, except for special occasions that must be coordinated with the state of Israel and the IDF.
One such special occasion is the visit of a pope. Although Pope Benedict visited the Jordanian side of the Jordan River, Israel opened the site to visitors for a 2-week period. J and I drove to the Judean Desert after church today to take advantage of the opportunity to see the site. Getting there required driving through the military border zone. Once at the site, we were the only people there, except for the Israeli army guys stationed there to keep watch.
The Jordanian side of the river. So near, yet so far away! No crossing is allowed….
The site was opened to the public on the Jordanian side after the peace agreement with Israel was signed in the 1990’s. Archeological work on the Jordan side is ongoing.
Prior to this location becoming an international border, it was a very popular tourist attraction for Christian pilgrims to Israel. We spotted remains of old churches in the area.
According to Israeli news sources, the Israeli government is planning to rebuild this site and make it more readily available for tourists to visit. But we will see if that becomes reality. There was evidence of work being done at the site, especially by the river’s edge. However, we are a bit skeptical that it was all done merely to give a good impression to the Pope viewing the Israeli side from across the river.
J and I are about to head off for an extended weekend in the north. That time has arrived…our 1 year wedding anniversary! We will enjoy a few days of relaxation and fun, away from the routine of home life in Jerusalem.
In recent weeks, we have been enjoying reflecting on the many wonderful memories that were created during those days surrounding our wedding on 10 May. Last year at this time, the festivities were only just beginning! We were truly blessed to be surrounded by so much love and friendship on our wedding day. And we are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.
If you are interested, you are welcome to also reflect about the fun memories of our wedding by visiting the following posts from my blog archives. Enjoy!
Day 2 - Meeting the Amish Culture
Day 2 - 29 People - 2 Families - 1 Basement
Day 4 - Pre-wedding Preparations
Day 4 - Photo Shoot and Wendy's too!
Day 4 - The Waiting Ends - The Wedding!!
The link to the slideshow created by our wedding photographer is also still available for view on the internet. I’m still blown away by the amazing pictures he took of our wedding. There is so much emotion in so many of the pictures, looking at them really makes me feel as if I am reliving the experience.
I mentioned in a previous post that J and I would be attending the Samaritan Passover sacrifice. I promised pictures…and here they are! We traveled with a group from Jerusalem to the Samaritan village, Kiryat Luza, located in the West Bank near the town of Nablus (the ancient Israeli town of Shechem). Being deep in the West Bank, it is an area we have not traveled on our own, and we enjoyed the spring drive through the beautiful spring scenery. However, it was disheartening to see so many checkpoints and the very visible presence of the Israeli IDF. It made me reflect on how difficult it is for Palestinians to travel from Point A to Point B, even within the West Bank, due to the many checkpoints. It was also saddening to to see the many, many Jewish settlements scattered throughout the West Bank. Many of the settlements we drove by were obviously those considered to be “illegal” (even by the Israeli government), because of their small size and camp like appearance. To see visually how interspersed the Jewish settlements are in the West Bank makes a two-state solution to the problem seem like an impossible dream.
Samaritans are desce ndents of the Jewish people who were not taken into exile to Babylon. This remnant of Jewish people intermarried with the Babylonians who came to this region during the time of this exile (2 King 17:24). This group of people became known as the Samaritans, and were viewed to be inferior by the Jews because of the intermarriage with non-Jews. This Jewish disdain for the Samaritans is evident in the New Testament. Samaritans are similar to the Jewish people in their faith, but base their religious beliefs and traditions only on the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testement). Samaritans believe that their form of worship (opposed to the mainstream Judaism) is the true religion of the ancient Israelites. During the time of Christ and the early church, the Samaritans were at their largest numbers (1.5 million). Today they number on 750. During the Byzantine Period, the Samaritan faith was outlawed and their numbers dwindled. Intermarriage is allowed, but only for men to marry non-Samaritan women who must convert to the Samaritan faith.
Mount Gerizim, the sight of the ancient Samaritan temples (both of which were destroyed), is believed by them to be God’s holy place (contrary to Jerusalem, as believed by the Jews). We had time to visit the temple ruins on Mount Gerizim, including ruins of the Byzantine Church that was built on top of the destroyed 2nd temple.
The view from the top of Mount Gerizim was spectacular! You could literally see the span of Israel, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordanian Valley, with only a turn of one’s head.
Looking towards Jordan.
Looking towards the Mediterranean Sea. The sky was a bit hazy, so it is hard to see the Sea in this picture.
The Passover sacrifice, the reason for our trip, took place at sunset. Pictures of that will be in the next posting!
Passover has long been ended, but I am still slowly catching up on blogging! It was an interesting experience to be living in the Jewish neighborhoods during Passover. I had mentioned in a previous post the flurry of activity that occurs to remove all leavened products from homes, grocery shops and restaurants. We survived quite well during the week, despite the lack of bread and more limited choices when grocery shopping!
We did try out the special Passover burger at McDonald’s. Even though our local McD’s is not kosher, they are “sensitive” to folks who like to eat kosher-style but aren’t strict about eating at kosher certified restaurants. This means McDonald’s did not serve bread, even though they are willing to put cheese on your burger if you request it. Instead, the hamburgers were served with a special Passover “bread”. It was barely edible, in my opinion. It was dense, very solid, and had an odd flavor. Bread products need yeast!!
I also wanted to share this picture I quickly snapped while I was in our local grocery store during Passover week. I felt a bit paparazzi as I tried to discretely take this photo! Everything behind the plastic is food that cannot be eaten, and therefore not sold, during the Passover. Probably about 1/3 or more of the store was behind plastic for the duration of the week.
I find that following the Jewish law lends itself to making life feel very complicated! I suppose that if you grow up with the traditions, all the rules feel normal and make perfect sense. But for a non-Jew, it seems cumbersome and sometimes nonsensical! For example, during Passover, religious Jews are not allowed to own any leavened products. This means that every household needs to dispose of these products, while the very religious will even go to lengths to ceremonially burn these products. For others, this means selling these products to non-Jewish parties, all of which is facilitated by the rabbis. So religious Jewish shopkeepers will need to "sell” all the products behind that plastic. Yes…it is sold, but it still sits in their stores! At the end of Passover, shopkeepers repurchase the items. And…they are back in business! In addition, Jewish homes are scrubbed and scrubbed again, in preparation of Passover. This cleaning is to be sure to remove every trace of yeast products from the home. What I don’t understand is why it is OK to buy food during Passover in a store where these forbidden foods are just tucked away behind plastic? It simply just does not make sense to me!!
