Christmas Eve

Choppy sea at Jaffa

It's Christmas Eve ... and it's very cold in Jaffa by the sea. I arrived late because many roads in Tel Aviv were blocked due to works on the new tram line. My driver got dreadfully lost ... but luckily I saw the tall spire of the Russian Church ahead and directed our driver from there. So after setting off from Jerusalem at 4.45am ... I only reached Jaffa at 6.30am and was too late for the morning Mass. And though Jaffa is many degrees warmer than Jerusalem, it actually feels a lot colder. Maybe it's the sea breeze. The sea is very very choppy and everyone is saying it'll rain heavily tomorrow. I doubt it. The sky is just simply deep blue and cloudless. Then again, anything can happen.

Carmel Market this morning

I took a long walk down to Carmel Market in Tel Aviv ... about 2kms away. It's always lively there ... especially now during the Hanukkah feast. Tourists and locals mingle in the tiny streets of the market selling from food to vegetables to clothes to religious souvenirs. A very strange assortment of goods. Most from China ... as the discarded cartons are printed boldly. And I found the Thai cookout ...a really tiny place ... that I once bought Pahd Krapao 2 years ago but since couldn't find it. In the veggie stalls there were lots of chives ... which are not available in Jerusalem for some reason ... so I bought 3 bunches for our chinese sisters. Then it was a long walk back to our Jaffa house for lunch.

Stall selling sufganiot

The walk was very refreshing ... the powerful sea waves bashing the promenade, spraying salty seawater on the walkway. Jogger and strollers in thick hooded jackets skipped out of the way. It felt really good to be out ... away from the cramp, tense, polluted atmosphere of Jerusalem. Spending Christmas Eve here is great.

Anyway I'm actually here to serve the midnight Mass and tomorrow's morning Mass because of a shortage of priests. Our only english-speaking priest has to serve one other parish and 2 other chapels, covering 3 cities, and it's practically to rush from one to another in one night, so I was asked to come and help.

Anyway the tranquil atmosphere is great for my preparation of tonight's and tomorrow's homilies. Back to work.