January 14, 2013

Israel Continued



 
It has been over two weeks since my last post, so it is time to do another one.  We left off in Jerusalem about a month ago.  My post was December 12, to be exact.  Our next port of call was Haifa.  After our Jerusalem excursion, we had a tour into Galilea.  

This included a visit to the traditional site of  the baptism of Jesus the Christ by John the Baptizer. 

Here it was very quiet and peaceful; quite a change from our visit to the Jerusalem area.   After enjoying this stop we skirted the Lake of Galilea via Tiberius to the north where we visited the site of the “Sermon on the Mount.” 

This place also was very beautiful with gorgeous gardens and well kept places for mediation.  The edifice on the site was very tastefully done, without the plethora of icons, censers, and lamps.  Some other remembrances are depicted here as well.  Like the miraculous feeding of the 5000 and the restoration of Peter.  

  

We then visited Peter’s house in Capernaum, where we also visited the ruins of the synagogue. 

 


 

 Our lunch stop was in Nazareth, where we also visited the Church of the Annunciation.  This is also a more modern edifice with Marian art from all over the world.  They were preparing for a wedding while we visited there, just another small extra event to enjoy.  
 
We walked through ancient Nazareth digs and had a restful trip back to Haifa, where we saw the Bahai Gardens all lit up.

 








My bride and I are getting ready to go on a short mission trip to Jamaica on January 15.  We will be supporting the “Robin’s Nest orphanage for about a week.  As you may know, we usually go a little bit longer, but this church sponsored trip is designed for people who still work and have limited vacation time.  After our return, l will update my blog 
 again.