ben tree

ben tree
Originally uploaded by nostalgist

We went to a field trip today in the valley of the cross with Ben's class. We had a picnic and picked olives and then pressed them to make a very minute amount of oil. The land there has been left wild and looks much as it did hundreds of years ago; the teacher talked about the environment and also about Hanuka but didn't mention how the valley of the cross got its name. There is an eleventh century monastery right down the hill, and it may as well have been invisible. And yes, they are only six and it was a Hanuka field trip - but it amazes me how people here seem to filter out all of the evidence of other settlements, other religions, other encounters and monuments of holiness. I am willing to bet that fewer than five of the 35 or so parents have ever gone inside the monastery - none of the ones I talked to have. Oh, and this picture is Benjamin up a tree.