Thank You, Ra'ed and Pauline

I will be saying good-bye to Jerusalem tonight and returning to Nicosia a few days early.

As always, my stay at the Jerusalem Hotel was a delight. Ra'ed and his fiancee, Pauline, are Orthodox Christians and the charming hosts of this family-owned hotel, with its family atmosphere. And the staff are always ready to make one feel at home. Today is my 56th birthday, and Pauline gave me a lovely collection of pen-and-ink drawings of the Old City

The hotel is located only a five-minute walk from the Damascus Gate into the Old City and just across the street from the Garden Tomb, the Protestant answer to the Catholic and Orthodox Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

For anyone planning a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I cannot recommend it highly enough.