Day 11 – July 16th

Galilee

I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead. Wait – I digress. Big day planned today. Start off going to the Mount of Precipce which overlooks the entire city of Nazareth. It is also known as The Leaping Mountain because Jesus is said to have jumped from the mountain when he was being chased.

Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is approximately two-thirds Muslim and one-third Christian. Remember that there are Arab Christians. In the New Testament, the city is described as the childhood home of Jesus, and as such is a center of Christian pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical events.

After getting a feel for the overall topography, we head into the town. My friend’s friend and 2 of his children joined us today. It is a hot day and the kids are crankier than me. My friend and I leave the kids and their father behind and head up the hill to the old part of the city.
We pass a mosque with a big sign that says ”And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the Losers” – Holy Quran. Yikes! Seems a bit harsh. I am not feeling all warm and fuzzy at this point. Luckily, I will feel more comfortable further up the hill.

First stop is The Church of the Annunciation. The Church of the Annunciation is the largest Christian church building in the Middle East. In Roman Catholic tradition, it marks the site where the Archangel Gabriel announced the future birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary.

The church is beautiful – warm yet majestic. I believe it is built up over the site of where Mary lived. There are 2 or 3 different churches in the complex. There are works of art on the walls inside and outside the church that were donated from most countries around the world. There were many noteworthy paintings but I find one particularly interesting. The painting from Japan depicts Mary with the Baby Jesus as Japanese. I will have a photo of it on-line.

We also visit the Church of Joseph right next to it. This church is also very nice but not as impressive as its neighbor. Masses are being conducted as we tour the churches. It must be amazingly spiritual for Christians to be able to attend a mass at such a holy place.

One embarrassing moment. There is an alcove in a hallway with a mannequin of a single woman studying at a table. There is a stained glass window in the background and a cross of Jesus over the entrance. I found it to be very picturesque so I take a photo of the scene. Then she moved. I felt like a jackass but she seemed o.k. with it.

Next stop is Tiberias. It is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Lower Galilee, Israel. It was named in honor of the emperor Tiberius and Captain James T. Kirk. Tiberias has been venerated in Judaism as one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed. At times in history, Tiberias was the largest Jewish city in the Galilee and the political and religious hub of the Jews of Palestine. According to Christian tradition, Jesus performed several miracles in the Tiberias district, making it an important pilgrimage site for devout Christians. Interestingly, the city is located below sea level.

It is a very pretty city on the water. There are a lot of hotels and casual restaurants and cafes overlooking the water. It would have nice to spend a night in the town but there is a mountain to hike.

Next stop is Arbel Nature Reserve and National Park. Wait. It is closed because it is Saturday. I am thinking to myself that maybe we can go back to Tiberias and have some cocktails on the beach.

Nope. We exit the car and crawl under the fence. Turns out to be a nice hike. Very picturesque and between a nice breeze and it being late afternoon, it is not too strenuous. The kids come alive and love the hike. They are clearly their father’s children.

I end up lagging behind because I am taking a bunch of photos. I lose sight of my friends but I am not too concerned. They know I am with them right? Well, a few minutes after losing sight of my group, I get to the proverbial fork in the road. Yogi Berra is not going to be any help right now. One trail is labeled intermediate and is longer. The other is a novice trail. I wait a few minutes thinking they may double back. No such luck. It is time to make a decision.

Right out of the box, I have a 50/50 chance of picking the right trail. We were not equipped to take a hike (e.g. no water). The sign earlier said to always bring 3 liters per person. There is not too much daylight left. The 2 children are approximately 6 and 8 years old. It has been a long day. It’s a no brainer. Go with the novice trail. I continue walking for a few minutes when I see some people off the marked trail way in the distance. There are too many people but I think maybe they met some people on the trail. I go off the trail in the direction of the people. They climb over a fence and pull away in a car.

Hmm. It is now obvious that I picked the wrong trail and compounded the problem by going off the marked trail. Did I mention that the park is closed and it is getting dark? Although I am more of an urban guy with no survival skills, I can honestly say that I did not panic but was a bit concerned. I did envision some Israeli park ranger finding me and putting me in jail. I also realize that I have some good material for my blog.

Since it is getting dark, I make another of my well calculated but wrong every time so far decisions. I decide to save time, I was not going back to the marked trail but would cut across a burned out field for a few hundred yards and then try to find the right trail to get back to car. Other than being covered in soot and a few cuts on my arms and legs, I finally make a good decision. Within a few minutes I am back at the car. My friends look annoyed with me. I think I should be the one that is pissed off but I do not make an issue of it.

It was still a really good day.