Peripatetic in Palestine

I left you with a puzzle two posts ago -  where was my assessment assignment to be?

Well, here is my Royal Court Hotel in Ramallah, administrative capital of Palestine. They catered for visitors well : after arriving I  had a nice supper of beef-burger, great chips, accompanied by  a fresh salad. The meat was a little over-spiced, however - I’d forgotten how ubiquitous and insistent cumin and black pepper seasoning can be in the Middle East! And, to my surprise, they served a locally produced wine, Star of Bethlehem, no less, produced in the Salesian Convent, Bethlehem!  By the way, did you know the city name comes from the Arabic beit lah’m : the house of bread?

                                      

I loved the traffic lights outside the hotel and couldn’t resist taking a couple of shots, though they’re not so clear. The red, upside down mouth was very clear about pedestrians not crossing on his watch! The amber and green smileys were much more encouraging.

                                                         

 

Next morning I went for a stroll and it was evident that local elections were in the offing with political posters everywhere. I could immediately recognize that that particular candidate belonged to a party affiliated to the policies of the late Yassar Arafat. I came across this cheery bunch of children decked out in national costume, performing traditional dance in the city square. People were gathered in the centre but not really to celebrate.  They were there to highlight the plight of young men imprisoned for alleged political crimes, and who were in their second week of hunger-strike, peacefully demonstrating against infringements of the human rights of the prisoners.

 It was very moving to see friends and family members, silently assembled, holding photographs of their loved ones.  May the Palestinians eventually find peace, prosperity and the property they deserve.                 

                                

   And so to work: here I am on the balcony of Birzeit University , Ramallah, where the assessment was to take place. Up on a hill, it afforded a panoramic view and you could see the dust pall, brought in by desert winds, beginning to settle over the city.

      

 

Job over, time for supper. This one I really enjoyed: grilled chicken (ordered with a request to desist on both cumin and pepper), with roast vegetables in a sauce of fresh ginger and soy sauce - very tasty!

Parting shot is of the vast hall in Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv. Not many people around? Certainly not  – it’s 3.30 a.m. – a downside of international travel and early-morning  departures!