Limestone Everywhere...

It's getting to the point where I can close my eyes and see grottos and caves, all festooned with Orthodox god-lamps by the score. It's also gotten to the point where I suddenly understand why it was that Gideon was threshing grain "under ground" -- he was really in a grotto -- and that makes sense. Not only are there caves EVERYWHERE here, but they are good sized ones. And if you want to hide your crops, you do it in a cave.

For that matter, there are GRAVES everywhere here, too. A moment ago we were descending from the Mount of Olives, and had gotten aboard the bus -- driving back to St Georges for lunch. Off to the right in one of the older districts of town was a front-end loader busy clearing a lot -- and the driver had just uncovered a pair of kokhim graves, chisled in stone -- and nobody cared. There are so MANY of this first- and second-century graves, that nobody any longer gives a rip about a new one!