In the Footsteps of Christ: Nazareth & the Sea of Galilee

Shore of Sea of Galilee

After a long and exhausting day in Jerusalem, I was starting our second day in Israel with a determination to get through it despite being very tired.  These two days were the most challenging of the entire cruise just because of the lengths of the excursions and the fact that the days were back-to-back, offering me no chance for rest in between.

Our tour from Haifa was called Panoramic Nazareth & the Sea of Galilee. Once again it was a tour designed for people with limited mobility.  We had originally hoped to take an overland tour in Israel that would give us a more in-depth chance to visit this country so rich in religious history.  But that dream ended in January, and I am happy just to have been able to see something here!   Once again the bus was filled with people who relied on walkers and canes, and this group seemed to be far more immobile than the group we were with the day before in Jerusalem. 

Panoramic tours such that we did in Jerusalem and this one are meant to be quick overviews.  We found ourselves overloaded with so much information that we were totally unable to remember all the details.  Seeing so many things from bus windows and being unable to spend a lot of time walking, things began to run together. 

Our guide was probably the best guide I’ve had on this entire cruise (though Chuck has told about several good ones on excursions he’s done).  She immediately started by teaching us a few words in Hebrew which she had us use throughout the tour.  We later found out that she had been a history teacher, and we certainly believe it with her presentations!

She explained that throughout its history, Israel has had several different names.  Palestine (originating from the word Philistines), The Holy Land, Zion, and Israel all refer to the same place.  Haifa is in far northern Israel and is the business and cultural center of this area of Israel.  (Ashdod, our previous port, was in southern Israel somewhat north of the controversial Gaza Strip.)  We had a chance to tour a little of the city before setting out on our journey toward Nazareth.  She explained that Friday is a ½ day of work for the Jewish people as the Sabbath begins at sundown and people need to prepare.  People in Haifa, despite being different religions, work to live in harmony.  We were amazed at the number of places that had many pairs of jeans hanging on clotheslines outside the windows.  This is a symbol of religious unity; its statement is meant to show that the people within believe in harmony between religions.  December is a riot of color as the city celebrates both Christmas and Hanukah.  (We even saw several Christmas trees in May!) 

Our first stop was a panoramic view of Haifa from the Baha’i Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Mt. Carmel overlooking Haifa.  The Baha’i Shrine is the second holiest place in the world for the Baha’i religion.  The Baha’i community favors equal rights for women, that all gods are one God, and that there should be education for all people, among other tenets. The Baha’i Gardens are the largest hanging gardens in the world.  Being spring when so many flowers are in bloom, we viewed a rainbow of color from the top of the gardens down toward the ship in the harbor.  Adding to the color was the fact that the jacarandas were in full bloom.  It was absolutely beautiful! 

We left Haifa, heading toward Nazareth.  No longer a sleepy little village, Nazareth is as mostly an Arab town and even has an Arab mayor.  Mary is the most central figure of Nazareth, with the Church of the Annunciation being a prominent landmark.  We weren’t able to stop but did get an excellent view of this church, believed to have been built over the site of Mary’s house, where the Angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her that she would give birth to the Son of God.  Not far away is the Church of St. Joseph which is believed to be the site of Joseph’s carpentry shop. 

Not far from Nazareth, we made a stop at an overlook that gave us a panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee, with the Golan Heights in the background.  In the distance we could see the mountains of Jordan.  So even though we have not visited Jordan, we can say we were within a few miles (later in the afternoon probably no more than two miles) of the country.  Closer to the foot of the overlook were several abandoned kibbutzim. 

Leaving the panoramic overlook, we headed down the slopes to the River Jordan.  We were amazed to discover just how narrow the river is – to us it appeared more like a stream.   At the site where Jesus was baptized there were several people robed in white who wished to be baptized in the River Jordan.  It’s funny what stands out in one’s mind.  I was fascinated by hearing the sound of peacocks in the trees across the river.  Quite a surprise!  We had an opportunity to do a little shopping at a gift shop adjacent to the river. 

After lunch in a restaurant at the edge of the Sea of Galilee, we drove along the eastern bank of the sea, which our guide explained is really not a sea but a lake.  Like the River Jordan, we were quite surprised to discover just how small the Sea of Galilee really is!  At that point we were bordering the Golan Heights in an area where Israel, Jordan, and Syria and all meet.  (The Golan Heights was a source of controversy at the time of the 1967 Six-Day War when Israel seized it from Syria to make Israel less vulnerable from possible Syrian attacks.)

We stopped near Capernaum at the site of an ancient synagogue where Jesus taught and performed miracles.  Not far from there, at the top of the hill overlooking this synagogue is the Mount of the Beatitudes, the site of the Sermon on the Mount.  There is a lovely octagonal church there.  At the top of each wall is one of the Beatitudes.  From the portico of the church one can look down at Capernaum. 

As we headed back toward Haifa, our guide told us a little about her life.  Her husband is in the agriculture industry and has a lot of olive trees.  At one point she indicated that we were passing an area that was very special to her.  Before they were married her husband took her up on the hill overlooking that particular site (olive trees) and asked her an important question.  It was not one that we expected her to say. She said he asked her, “What color are these olives – green or black?”  She answered correctly: “Both.”  It depends upon when the olive is harvested as to whether it will be green or black.  She showed us how they harvest the olives and how they extract the oil from the olives.  She also told us about her preparation for their evening dinner.  Since it was a Friday, it meant that the Sabbath would begin at sundown, so she had prepared the food before she left for the all-day tour.  She invited us to dinner, and although we would have found it fascinating, we knew we couldn’t get back to the ship afterward.  Besides, she probably didn’t want about 40 people descending upon her for dinner!  

As we visited Israel, we were taken by the sheer volume of Israeli flags flying.  They were everywhere!  Our guide explained that there was a reason for it.  In fact, she even bought a flag to place in the “lollipop” (tour number sign) she was carrying for our tour.  This was because May 4^th is their Memorial Day.  Like our own Memorial Day, this day honors soldiers who have died in service to their country.  Independence Day immediately follows Memorial Day. So after the close of the somber Memorial Day, they have the joyous celebration of their independence on May 5^th.  Chuck asked her why he had always thought Israeli independence had been declared on May 14, 1948, but she explained that it was the difference between our calendar and the Hebrew calendar!  She was surprised he knew May 14 until he told her he had taught US History and had talked about US relationship to Israel.  It was then that she said she had taught high school history as well.

As we arrived at the ship, the guide asked us if we had felt safe while in Israel.  Of course all of us said that we had absolutely felt safe there!  She asked us to share this information and reminded us that what is shown on the news is the most violent of events.  (Being from Chicago we know that feeling very well!)  She thanked us for coming to visit her country and hoped that we would return again someday.

We would love to! 

BT