Nuns on wheels

I arrived in Melbourne on Thursday, where I was invited to stay with A.-J. with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion. The nuns live in a little cluster of houses in Box Hill, each one with her own separate little house. A.-J. and I stayed with Margaret, a very proper 80-year-old Australian nun who always made sure that we had everything we needed, including a constant flow of bikkies and a cuppa (i.e., cookies and a cup of tea or coffee). Margaret and several of the other nuns (most of them near her age) insisted on driving us everywhere we needed to go, and including long scenic tours of Melbourne city along the way. There were many sudden stops and starts, much gripping of the door handle on my part, and absolute refusal to look at a map whenever we got lost (which happened nearly every time we set out). One of the sisters, Celia (who goes by the "street name" Sis), drives like a pro, and fortunately she took us to the airport.

It was so great to be able to stay with the sisters. Margaret took such good care of us, and I enjoyed having a glimpse inside her life as a nun. The Sisters of Our Lady of Sion are devoted to advancing Jewish-Christian relations, and they were so excited to have someone like A.-J. staying in their community and speaking around the city under their sponsorship. When we pulled away on Sunday, the entire community gathered in the street to wave goodbye to A.-J. and thank her again and again. I am so grateful to the sisters for giving me a place to stay and including me in everything. Even though the driving was a little more exciting than I'm used to, it was a fabulous way to see Melbourne!

A.-J., Margaret, and I had lunch on Thursday in a lovely restaurant by the river, the Studley Park Cafe.

A.-J. happily ordered pork belly over polenta with carmelized onions.

We saw this parrot in a tree outside the restaurant. Wild parrots are fairly common in this part of Australia.

A.-J. and Margaret "having a cuppa" in Margaret's kitchen.

A.-J. kicks off her shoes and begins her lecture, "Anti-Judaism in Christian Biblical Scholarship," at the Leo Baeck Center, a Liberal (similar to Reform) synagogue in Melbourne.

With A.-J. after the lecture.

A.-J. with Sister Kathleen having a glass of wine. The sisters love to drink wine, so we had wine and bikkies every night.