Analog Pictures - part 2

 

Update on covid-19: easing of lockdown restrictions starting with this week , encouraging news on vaccines. However, the overall atmosphere is one of great anxiety caused by reopening of schools, economic collapses, and the fact that though doctors know much more now about the virus, they're still in the dark about some main issues.

And now to the topic of this post.

I like to re-read my posts on favorite places I've been to in my younger days; it uplifts my mood.

During the current lockdown, though, my target was to try and improve/restore  pre-digital photos in my possession. Thanks to the right tip from Jeanie (the Marmelade Gypsy blog) on my first part , I've managed to do some of that.

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To this day, one of my favorite places I've been to, is the Vesuvium volcano in Italy. What an excitement  to be on the edge of the crater of an active volcano! It could erupt any day. The smoke coming out of the crater is a fascinating sight! 

 

on the edge of the Vesuvio crater

Speaking of volcanoes, Edinburgh castle in Scotland was formed as a result of a volcano erupting several hundred million years previously. The castle (over 900 years old) had been both a royal residence and a military base.

 

                           At Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

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Greece has many 'dramatic' places such as Delphi (town and archeological site - house of the famous Oracle), and the amphitheater at Epidaurus.

The theater at Epidaurus is still in use today

amphitheater at Epidaurus

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                                     Mt. Parnassus domineering the area of Delphi 

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Jerusalem is known for its two outstanding religious sites: The Wailing Wall and the Al Aqsa Mosque (with the golden dome).

In those days, I didn't have a prayer book with me, but I did place a  note  in the cracks of the wall.

                               At the Wailing Wall; left a note in  cracks of the wall

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On the top of snowy Yungfrau mountain (Swiss Alps) which is considered the highest peak in Europe, one feels on the top of the entire world, not only the top of Europe.

on Yungfrau ('virgin' in german) viewing the snow

Well, that's it for now. Hoping there won't be a  third lockdown.

May Our Wish Come True !

In Israel, when visiting the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem, people insert a wish note addressed to God, in the cracks between the stones of the wall.  (Haven't been there for a long while, and I miss the site and all that goes along with it).

Western Wall - Jerusalem

women's  prayer section at the Wall (older photo)

women's  prayer section (a more recent photo)

Once a year, prior to the High Holidays (which start towards the end of this month), I visit the tombs of two spiritual figures, two righteous rabbis ;  one buried in the cemetery of the mystical city of Zfat (Safed), and the other in a cemetery of a town adjacent to Tel Aviv.

I'm not a religious person, but I do believe in God and in the power of prayer. People pray at the grave of the righteous (tzadik) asking him to intercede in heaven on their behalf. Before leaving the spot I place a slip of paper by the tombstone asking, as is the tradition, for a good, successful upcoming new year.

At Zfat (Safed) cemetery; rabbi's covered tomb in the background

Men and women praying on opposite sides of the rabbi's tomb (Givatayim cemetery)

Slip of paper?! Well, I've seen people at the charming russian church of St. Nicolai in Sofia, placing.....whole letters in a wooden box by the tomb of Bishop  Seraphim Sobolev, believed to be a miracle maker.

 the russian church of St. Nicolai in Sofia

The marble sarcophagus of bishop Seraphim is in a crypt by the side of the church. The crypt is equipped with tables , chairs, pens and paper. People write their wish on paper, place the letter in the box by the tomb, light candles, and pray.  Quite a sight!  (Photography inside - not allowed). If you happen to be in Sofia, don't miss it!

The Wailing Wall & the 'CNN interview'

the 'women's only' section

I haven't been there for quite a while. I keep away from crowds, and there's always a crowd at the Wailing Wall, the remaining wall of the Temple of God, in the old city of Jerusalem. People are coming here from all over the country and from abroad to feel the presence of God, touch and kiss the sacred wall stones, pray for divine mercy, weep, insert a wish note (tzetel) into the cracks of the wall and between the stones.

The types of wishes on those notes are endless: health, success, finding a spouse, procreation, guidance from God in personal problems, long life etc...
Nowadays, people can send their prayers and wishes by e-mail, by fax and even by Tweeter (Some see all this as sacrilegious, I haven't got an opinion yet on this matter).
Anyway , as far as I know, the slips of paper are collected twice a year and burried on Mount Olive ( the place from which, so it is believed, God will begin to redeem the dead at the end of the days).

There's this famous joke (Oh God, please forgive me!), about a CNN journalist who interviewed an old jewish man who had been going to the Wailing Wall to pray every day for a long time:

- Sir, how long have you been coming to the Wall and praying?
- For about 60 years.
-What do you pray for?
- I pray for Peace between Jews and Arabs.
-How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?
- Like I'm talking to a wall.