CNY day 2

Ancient olive trees in
Gethsemani

 2nd day of the New Year. The sun was bright and the weather was very good ... a cool 17 degrees. In the morning a group of profs and myself went down to the Garden of Gethsemani to view the new excavations, led by our head archeologist. It was a nice walk ... the Kidron Valley was full of wild flowers ... purple rosemary, red anemones, yellow daisies. The excavations were impressive. There was a surprise find of a jewish ritual bath, and 2 chapels, besides buildings, broken columns and marble cornices. It's obvious that that area was considered sacred from the Byzantine times through the Crusader period.

At the Kidron Valley

The ancient olive trees in the garden are flourishing well in the lockdown. It was good to see them in the sunshine. The basilica was quiet and sombre .. majestic in emptiness. Quite an experience without the noisy tourists.

I organised an afternoon tea with the anglophone students today. The last time we gathered was a month ago. It was an opportunity to chill out, relax, chat and unload all the frustrations. And of course, today, to celebrate the Chinese New Year. I warmed up some vegetarian buns which the chinese sisters made and we ate them with tea. After that to was back to studies for everyone. All these students study till early in the morning ... 3am or 4am. They want to finish their studies and go back to their countries as soon as possible. The pandemic has added pressure on them. Good luck to them in their studies ...  may the Year of the Ox be an inspiration for them to work hard, be resilient and stay calm.