Another riot

Another week of massive rioting in Jerusalem - this time thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews again violently protesting against the opening of a carpark on the Sabbath. And they vow to continue protesting next week. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443715331&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull and http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097687.html No wonder there were helicopters flying over the City this morning.

Fr Niccacci my research director is quite ill and I accompanied him to our infirmary at St. Saviour's monastery this morning. He forgot to bring along something so I said I'll bring it for him later in the evening. When I got halfway there (at the 8th Station of the Cross), I received a call telling me to go home. Went home and was told Fr Niccacci called asking for me. I tried calling back but no one answered the infirmary phone. So I decided to go back up to St. Saviour's again, which is almost 1km uphill. Reached there, gave him the thing and he said he also wanted his medicine he left behind. So I rushed back home to get his medicine, rushed back up to St. Saviour's to find all the gates closed. Circled the massive monastery's 3 courtyards till I finally found someone to open the kitchen door for me. Went up the 3rd floor to the infirmary and gave him the medicine; and he said he wanted something else from his room. Well I was just too tired to go back and get it, so I said it'll have to wait till tomorrow. The friars at St. Saviour's were very kind and asked me to stay for dinner (it was already 7.30pm) - most of the students have left and only the minimum staff has remained. The Custos was there and we chatted. I had pizza (2 pieces) and drank a whole bottle of grapefruit juice (hahahahaha NOT coke .... I know what you guys are thinking!!!). I sat next to Fr Samir, our egyptian vice-treasurer. He is always very respectful to me. After dinner, I walked home. I covered a total of 6 kms up and down hill in one and a half hours. Now my ankle and knee is swollen. Time to rest!

Oh and coming home at 8pm was a little scary - the crossroads at the 3rd Station of the Cross was blocked off for the Jews to go to the Wailing Wall. Arabs youths were defiant and lingered opposite the 12 soldiers; one even pushed down a metal roadblock and soldiers began shouting. I ran home (despite my painful ankle) because I wasn't waiting for a shootout to take place. Now...time to rest.