Living places! What a diversity! As I write this I'm not sure how all these photos will show up on the blog! Let's give it a go though and explain some of the different dwelling places we saw.

The first one I shall speak about is the the one through the arch which shows all the little arches opposite. This is from the town of Acre, a Crusader port and town that welcomed pilgrims in the Middle Ages. This is what remains of the hostelry - i.e the hotel! Instead of balconies with sea views the desirable view was on of the 'action' in the quadrangle! I just love the beauty of the symmetry!

The second photo I will talk about is the one from the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These are the living quarters of the Ethiopian brothers. I rather like their shape and style but I'm not sure I could live in one of these "cells"!

The two top photos are such a contrast. The one set in the desert is a Bedouin settlement - sparse and quite remote. The other photo is of a new settlement on the hills that surround Jerusalem and/or Bethlehem. One is rudimentary and basic, the other is something that we can recognise, building block stuff/ legoland...

I love architecture! I love buildings! (That's entirely due to my father!) Looking at all these styles makes me understand more about the land we were visiting. Its past, its present and its future...

I am challenged by all that I saw in terms of how people lived, now and in the ages before. We tend to think that people lived in primitive conditions in the ages that preceded us... but the reality is that people still live like that, not just in the Holy Land but in a number of other countries throughout the world... It's a challenge!!