A Wonderful Experience & a Nightmare all in one - Israel and Palestine OCT 2017

I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT'S TAKEN MORE THAN A YEAR TO POST THIS BLOG. And as such, it will be more of just a sketchy overview...

For years I’ve wanted to visit the Holy Land but knowing it was also my mother’s dream, I determined I wouldn’t go without her. My sister decided she wanted to come too and a church she knew of were organising a tour which they did annually. My first mistake. Large group tour holidays are not for me. I’m a seasoned traveller and don’t need to be babied when travelling. I’m also a punctual person so waiting half an hour for the rest of the group to straggle back to the meeting point or blatantly disobey orders by stopping to shop when we were told not to really annoyed me. There was a constant, daily struggle between those who were keen to follow the itinerary, timings etc. and those who were set on doing their own thing despite the affect on the group. 

As it’s been almost a year this will be a quick summary.

We stayed predominately in Jerusalem on Mount Olive with the most spectacular views of the Old Town, which was a blessing as it was the only positive thing about this hotel. As well as Mount Olive, Old Town and Church of Accession I also visited church of holy sepulchre, Jewish cemetery, Garden Tomb, Sea of galore cruise, station on the cross , dome of the rock, zaccheus tree.

Here are the highlights

Masada - this was amazing! I really wanted o ascend by foot but our tour leader said there wouldn’t be enough time so we took a cable car up. However the queues were extremely long on the way down so while some of our group took their time walking around myself and 2 other ladies were granted permission to defend by foot. The sun was steaming hot and I felt it even through my umbrella. What started as a good idea became an issue very quickly. I had earlier taken off my trainers when we were told we had to use cable car and opted for my cushioned sandals which while supportive weren’t the best choice of footwear. But the real problem lay in the fact that I was descend a ginormous mountain by foot, when I’m scared of heights. A few metres in I knew I’d struggle on the twists an turns and so had to slow down. But when the ground evened out, I made up for it. Once I had made it down I looked back up the mountain behind me and the sheer realisation of my achievement hit me. I had done it! And boy did my legs know it the next day but the swollen ankles were a small price to pay.

Western Wall -It was great seeing these places that I’ve heard / read about. There are 2 separate sides - one for men and one for women. Many people were touching the wall and praying and I could see the bits of papers that people had written their prayers / requests on and stuck in-between the brickwork. There were also some plastic chairs around for those who didn’t wish to stand ad I was intrigued by the women walking backwards so as not to turn their back to the wall. 

He Is Risen! Really enjoyed it here. Our group almost didn’t get to visit as you have to make reservations and only a limited amount of groups are permitted at anytime. According to our tour guide there were record numbers of people in Israel this year. When we got the call to say we had a time slot we had to leave the place we were visiting in Palestine and rush straight back but it was worth the rush. At the tomb we had a British guide who worked at the site. He was very funny, informative and engaging. We had a small service and some in our group took communion. We were shown an old wine press and allowed to visit the empty tomb. It was done in a very orderly manner, 6 or 7 people allowed in at a time for a few seconds. With this kind of organisation - I could tell it was Brits running the place :) Our tour guide had told us a few days prior when we had visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher  that many believed that was were Jesus was buried but the Garden Tomb was the more likely place. After seeing both I do agree. There was a gift shop on the way out which was reasonably priced with all funds going back into the upkeep of the place. If this place is not on your list for a visit to Israel - it should be!

We also spent 2 nights in Jericho and the highlight here for me was the cruise on the Sea of Galilee. The cruise was amazing. I gave the captain my iPod, and thought the group dance steps like the electric slide to Kirk Franklin's I've Been Looking. And later on a couple members of our group (which was predominately Indian) showed us some Bollywood moves.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Our guide gave us the information about the church on the outside and then showed us inside. Once inside though the crowd was crazy. There were people pushing and shoving, hardly any room to move. Clearly no health and safety measures. The queue for what was meant to be the grave of Jesus was way too long to even consider joining. On my way out the were people pushing to light candles over something that seemed like a large container of wax. It looked very unsteady to me. I could see smoke from all the candles they were lighting and I walked as quickly past as possible as I thought any minute now a disaster could occur. I really think this place would benefit from some people trying to control / direct the crowds.

Girl From The North Country - The Old Vic

How much drama can one guesthouse see? Nick, the owner, has a large debt hanging over him. His wife, Elizabeth, is suffering from early dementia and hence behaves very inappropriately. Sheila Atim shines as their adopted daughter, Marianne, is pregnant but is closely guarding the identify of the baby’s father. Then a bible selling preacher and a boxer on the run show up bringing even more drama with them. Despite the interesting story the directing felt a little lacking to me. Characters just happened to be musicians who who randomly picked up a mic or grouped together to start singing. I wasn’t very familiar with Bob Dylan’s songs so wasn’t sure what to expect form the music but enjoyed the intertwining with the storyline.

Girl From the North County has now finished.

Queen Anne - Theatre Royal Haymarket

This piece takes place in the 1700s over the same period as several historic events including the contentions between the Whites and the Tories, the War of the Spanish Succession and the problems England faced with Europe and Scotland. Romola Garai plays the cunning Sarah Churchill who’s a close friend to Queen Anne, played by Emma Cunniffe. The contrast between the two characters is striking. Sarah is glamorous and sensual yet sly and arrogant. Anne is chubby, riddled with physical ailments and through pregnant seventeen times has no children as almost all have resulted in miscarriage or infant mortality. The play is cleverly written and beautifully performed, except for the musical interludes which in my opinion didn’t fit the rest of the piece. 

Queen Anne can be seen @ Theatre Royal Haymarket until 30th September 

The Wind In The Willows - London Palladium

From a book, to a radio show, television program, film and now a musical, The Wind In The Willows has definitely done the rounds since it was first written in 1908 by Kenneth Grahame. This family styled show has all the old favourites - Toad, Mole, Badger, Ratty, the Weasels as well as other animals. Each true to form from the 1980’s television show I remember. Toad, irresponsible. Mole, naive. Badger, brave and wise. Ratty, laid-back. The Weasels, wicked and scheming. My favourites though, were not the main characters but rather, Horse as she delicately trotted (in the form of tap dance)  and sang The Open Road, which I found myself humming for days after and the hedgehog family who took they lives in their hands each time they wanted to cross the road.

The overall story is simple and doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination. But the performances all round were good, the songs catchy and the staging effective. 

The Wind In The Willows can be seen @ London Palladium until 2nd September 

Alice's Adventures Underground - The Vaults

This was my first visit to The Vaults for what was advertised as an ‘literally one of the best theatre experiences you’ll ever have.’ Shortly after entering down the rabbit hole, the group is split in half to begin separate, immersive journeys into what is meant to be an enchanting land. Encounters range from a visit to the royal kitchen, an acrobatic presentation from Tweedledee and Tweedledum a seat at the long, dinner table.  It was hard to breath in the lagoon where we were serenaded. The piece culminates in the courtroom where everyone is reunited for the finale. Immersive, yes. Theatre, not in my opinion. I couldn’t help but compare it to The London Dungeons, which I found a great deal preferable. The idea is that visitors can come again and again and each time have a completely different experience. Sadly for me, one visit was more than enough.

Alice's Adventures Underground can be seen @ The Vaults until 23rd September 

Beautiful - Aldwych Theatre

I must admit I knew virtually nothing of Carole King prior to seeing this show. It was a surprise for me then to learn that despite not knowing of her, I knew several of her songs. The musical charts her life, beginning with her as a slightly awkward teenager growing up in New York with the one desire of becoming a song writier. The story interchanges between her successes as a song writer and her failing marriage to Gerry Goffin, also a song writer. Katie Brayben plays the lead role well. There are several comic moments in the piece, many centred around Carol and Gerry’s friendly rival with fellow song writing couple Cynthia Weil and Barry Man.

You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, Locomotion, Take Good Care of My Baby and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow were among some of numbers I recognised.

Beautiful can be seen @ Aldwych Theatre until 5th August

Motown The Musical - Shaftesbury Theatre

Written and co-produced by Berry Gordy this musical charts the rise of the Motown empire. The audience are taken on a whirlwind tour through Grody’s life. His attempts at boxing, car sales and his entry into the music business. With hit after hit, we hear an impressive array of old favourites from Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Temptations and the Jackson 5. There is also music from Stevie Wonder. The music and dancing are on top form and though the story line misses the beat in a few places and feels slightly hurried in others, it’s an overall feel good show. As ‘Diana’ approaches the audience for a live singer to join her it can feel a little cringing (I’ve seen the show twice). My advise - go for the music and you won’t be disappointed.

Motown The Musical can be seen @ Shaftesbury Theatre until 24th February