Since 2007 I have been involved in archaeological excavations at Tell Halif in Israel. This is the site of a small town, probably Biblical Rimmon (Joshua 15:32; Joshua 19:7, 1 Chronicles 4:32; Nehemiah 11:29). I have also restored much of the pottery found there, practically many 3D puzzles mixed together, some with hundreds of pieces, and the great unknown of how many pieces are actually present.

Excavations finished in 2016, but we had still several pottery restoration and study seasons. After 2022 we decided that we would draw a line under our activity and work towards publication of the results. I therefore used my study leave in 2025 to prepare a chapter of the final excavation reports focusing on the areas that I supervised.

I decided to do that in Switzerland at the University of Bern, where I completed my PhD in Theology / Archaeology. I knew that I would have a good library available there at a place away from daily concerns.

The library turned out to be ideal. The Old Testament / Near Eastern archaeology section is in a separate room, which I normally had to myself. I could borrow books at the library and access fragile documents, as well as scan and read ebooks. But I was otherwise not able to use the internet, removing a major source of distraction. If I had to access the internet, I could do so at our apartment in Bern. I did finish a first draft of the chapter, including tables, illustrations and maps by the end of our stay there. It is now with the Director of Excavations, a professor emeritus of Hebrew and Biblical Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, USA. No doubt, quite a few edits will have to be made in due time.

While our apartment was close to both a Reformed and a Catholic Church, we didn’t feel welcome at the Sunday morning services there. In contrast, the weekly Friday evening prayer turned out to be very welcoming and nourishing. We also went several times to small churches in the country, which were considerably more welcoming. The English-speaking “non-denominational” church in Bern was also quite welcoming and the children really enjoyed Sunday school there. We also met the minister of the local French-speaking congregation several times, but did not attend church services there, because none of us can speak French well. Still, experiencing different churches did give me a few insights and ideas.

Our time in Switzerland was also a valuable family time. We lived in a nice apartment in Bern, close to the city centre and several playgrounds. While home schooling was a challenge, we enjoyed exploring the country. It is so easy to get around Switzerland by train and public transport. The last month was very hot, so that we regularly went swimming in the public outdoors pool, which were free to use, or in lakes and rivers.

We also took some holidays in Switzerland, particularly to see my brother in Germany and to show Switzerland to friends who visited us from Spain.

I think we will always remember this time. We are also very grateful to Geoff and Gayle Lamason and the many parishioners who worked hard here in St Paul’s during my absence.