Hi, all
Here I am, safely back from the Holy Land, still trying to process all I saw and did and heard. Amazing!
Food-wise: Well, since I got hideous food-poisoning from my very first trip there 26 years ago, I have to be careful when eating foreign food/drinking foreign water (annoying, I Love new food!), so I was. Unfortunately, something bit my insides on only the 2nd day there, and I missed the whole of that day's touring. Actually, the outcome was good, as I got to keep an appointment I wouldn't otherwise have made, and have some alone time in the old city, which was amazing.
Anyway, for the rest of the week I was uber-cautious about what I ate, and how much. This wasn't always easy, as every meal was an enormous buffet but the prospect of continuing to feel as dreadful as I did that day - "the runs", spinning floors, the lot - was too daunting to risk. I ate the wonderful bread, and small amounts of dry meat and cheese and egg; oh and hummus seemed to go down well. Only towards the end of the week did I dare try a little of the wonderful salads and fruit. Heyho.
Upshot is, I'm sure I've lost weight. I won't be weighing until Monday, to allow for flight-water-weight to drain away. The friend I went with - amazingly kind, amazingly self-centred - kept banging on about how delicious all this food was (thanks, friend); about how much weight she was piling on; was I putting on weight? When I told her no, she got really cross and said it wasn't fair. I asked her why she ate so much if she didn't want to gain weight but that didn't go down well. Indeed, she got her own back at the airport as we left. Security weren't convinced by my passport photo and asked additional questions. All was fine.
Friend said, 'Well, you looked like that 5 years ago when we went on holiday'.
Me: 'True. I'm a good 15lbs lighter now, and my hair is longer'.
Friend: 'Really? You looked much thinner THEN'.
Oh, all week I'd had 'Did you know you said that out loud?' poised on my lips for just such a moment but when it came to it, I was too gob-smacked. Isn't it weird how threatened our friends get the nearer we get down to their weight? It's so not necessary, she's still about 20lbs lighter than me. It's not necessary any way, why would it matter?
Thanks for letting me have the little rant. Clearly she annoyed me a bit but there ain't too many people who'd understand!! Bottom line, I walked miles every day, up and down hills, up and down steps; I wore clothes I liked; I ate enough food to fuel me, and enjoyed it; on the plane, oh on the plane - the drop down meal tray came nowhere near my spare tyres! Now That's a result!
My time was amazing, I can't wait to go back. I'm not sure how much I'll post about it because there are so many ways to offend people: so many people's rights are somebody else's oppressions. This is part of the fascination of Jerusalem - but I doubt I'd be able to do justice in words without giving grave offense to someone, so I'll button it!
Glad to be back.