Driving the Jesus Trail

Here in Israel you will find posters that say, "Jesus didn't ride the bus…..why should you?"

It's an advertisement to encourage people to walk the trail that was made for pilgrims who want to experience Christ's journey through Galilee.

Well, that's all fine and dandy, but this Gallivanting gal will be moving from place to place via an automobile that even comes with a driver….my husband.   He does get mis-directed from time to time, but I'm amazed that he doesn't become completely frazzled!  The drivers in Israel are ruthless.  Honking the horn seems to be the National past time.  But I'll elaborate on that another day.

Let's get to the Trail!

Here you see a schematic of the many areas where Jesus was known to have visited during his ministry.

We decided to head out to the west part of the Sea of Galilee to "walk in His sandals"….sort of.

You get the point.

Our original plan was to follow the chronological movement of Jesus.  But that would have involved quite a bit of backtracking, and we already were trying to squeeze in as much as humanly possible in one day.

First stop:  Mt. Tabor, mentioned many times in the Old Testament and, in the New Testament,  believed to be the site of the Transfiguration:

Matthew's Biblical account of this event tells us:

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Mt. Tabor is the highest mountain in southern Galilee.  It was no easy feat to get to the top. 

In fact, I'd rank the ascent as one of the most frightening events that Marty and I have made.  We do owe part of the terror to the Google Maps phone App that Marty insists on using.  Lady GPS decided that we should shorten the driving the time by rerouting us through a city that is located on a hill.

Imagine "S"turn streets, one after the other, with parked cars lining either side of a narrow street.   Add to that combination a group of high energy little kids darting in and out of the street playing a game of soccer.  Or perhaps they were playing 'Scare the Tourists'.  If that was the case, then they won hands down for sure!

And, as if that wasn't bad enough, the road was one of the steepest that I've ever encountered. We've driven steep roads in Pittsburgh and in San Francisco,  but these roads, believe it or not, out-did either of those cities.

Have you ever experienced the wheels of your car spinning, due to lack of traction, while maneuvering up hill in these type of conditions?

Well…….WE HAVE!!!

Just when we got to the point where we could breathe a sigh of relief, we followed Lady GPS's advice, and found ourself on a macadam road that obviously was the preferred route of travel.  

And, I'm willing to bet that we did NOT save any time with Lady GPS's advice! 

And we probably have a few more grey hairs as a result!

So, by now, you probably realize that this hill that Matthew speaks of is pretty darn high.

Nearly touching the heavens, as Marty put it.

After parking in the lot and walking to the entrance we could see the Basilica of the Transfiguration in front of us.

Once inside, the central dome of the cathedral is adorned with a mosaic reflecting the Transfiguration of Christ.

Magnificent!

To the right of the main sanctuary there is a small chapel devoted to St. Francis.

The church and grounds, which include a monastery, are run by the Franciscan community.

In the front of the church, there are small chapels:  one devoted to Elijah

and the other to Moses.

Although the day was beautiful, the dust storms put a haze on what would have been a glorious view of the countryside.

We walked around a bit, exploring the grounds,  which offered a bit of a surprise.

I looked up to see two of these creatures, perched as if ready to pounce, peering down at me.  

Marty thought it would be a great photo opportunity, so I handed the camera to him and walked away.  Just for the record, I don't do lizards who are looking down at me.  Call me feint of heart.  

As it was,  this guy seemed quite happy to pose for Marty, and his friend scurried away in a different direction, which was fine by me!

We decided to make the trip back down the road lined with cedar trees

through the gate

and continue on the main road, ignoring any advice that GPS Lady had to offer otherwise.

The trip down the hill was relatively uneventful, although I will admit, I never expected to spot a camel munching away by the side of the road!

Before we could reach our next destination, we had to drive through Tiberias, which is quite the bustling city on the Sea of Galilee.  Traffic was intense and I was all too happy to find us driving north along the sea on our way to the Mountain of the Beatitudes.

By the time we reached that holy spot, it was closed for lunch, so we headed back down the mountain to Tabgha, to the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.  

This is a restored Benedictine Monastery which was unearthed by German archeologists in 1932.  At one time, the church was decorated with floor mosaics that are considered to be the most beautiful in the Holy Land.

The mosaic at the base of the altar represents the loaves and fishes.

The exposed rock under the altar, is believed to mark the spot where Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fish, after his Sermon on the Mount.

The rock is a natural dolman, and is believed by historians to have been a sacred place since before the time of Jesus.  It was used originally as the altar in a Byzantine Church erected over this spot in 350 A.D.

Around that time the pilgrim, Lady Egeria,  traveled to Tabgha where she found a large Christian community, originally of Jewish descent, who kept alive the memory of Jesus'  presence here.   She recorded her findings that the local community verified that this rock was, indeed, the one used by Jesus when he performed his miracle.  

Pretty amazing, don't you think?

And, I found it rather amusing that the church should feature a fish on the weather vane.

And the plaza in front of the church had a pond filled with all sizes of goldfish.

But there was no bread to be found anywhere!

From here, we walked out of the complex, and down the road just a little way, when we came to the Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter, also known as Mensa Christa. 

The grounds here were quiet and peaceful

walking down the path led us to the church made of black basalt.

It was here that Jesus is believed to have appeared to his disciples after his resurrection.

Peter and several apostles were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, fishing, but having no luck.  Jesus appeared, told them to cast their nets, upon which the nets became so full that they could not bring them in.  Jesus then told them to bring in some of the fish, and then proceeded to share a meal with them. 

It was at this meal when Jesus asserted the Primacy of Saint Peter, thereby giving the church its name. 

The pilgrim, Lady Egeria has recorded that it was at this spot where Jesus appeared and spoke to his apostles.

The interior of the church features a stone that is believed to have been the table where Jesus shared this meal.

Marty was excited to be able to actually put his hands into the sea of Galilee

and while he was doing so, he spotted a fish

which seemed quite appropriate, don't you think?

He took a photo of the two of us with the Sea of Galilee behind us.

From here, we walked back to the car, and made the drive back up the hill to the Church of the Mount of Beatitudes.

It is located on the hill, near the Sea of Galilee, and not far from the spot where he performed the miracle with the loaves and fishes.

Here is where it is believed that Jesus gave his famous Sermon on the Mount

"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Mt 5:1-5)

Above the entrance to the Sanctuary is a lovely depiction of the Jesus delivering his sermon.

The interior is fairly simple, 

but the tiled floors are magnificent.

As you can see, the walk way to the church is beautiful

with stone markers listing the beatitudes along the way

and some interesting mosaics as well.

Truly awe inspiring.

Are you getting tired yet? 

Just one more stop, and then we'll be heading back to our hotel.

Nearby stands the ancient village of Capernaum.  It was home to Peter, Andrew, James and John, and Matthew, and it is known that Jesus spent much time here.   The actual village, once a prosperous fishing town, was abandoned around 700 A.D. and never reconstituted.  

Today it is a set of ruins, holding the foundations of the Synagogue where  Jesus healed the servant of the centurion and gave his sermon on the bread of life.

The foundation of Peter's house is exposed for view.

And an octagonal church is suspended over the spot where Peter's house foundation stands.

The center of the interior has a round glass window that looks directly down into that foundation.

The engineering behind this mastery is amazing in itself.

From the grounds, a beautiful Greek Orthodox church can be seen in the distance.

And with that,  I'm calling it a day.

Hope you enjoyed the accounting of our New Testament Adventure.

You can be guaranteed that there is more to come!

Gallivanting in Galilee

Yesterday morning, while Marty was getting dressed, he said to me "T-G-I-T".  Since I've found myself immersed in Hebrew as of late, I looked at him and said, "Tgit?  What does that mean?"

Can you guess?

Thank Goodness It's Thursday.

And why would he bring that up?  Because, here in Israel, the work week starts on Sunday and ends on Thursday.  Which is why Marty was free today to take a road trip to Galilee.

It was quite a full day, and it's late, so I have decided to post a few photos and leave the details of the day for another time.

First stop:  Mt. Tabor:  Basilica of the Transfiguration

Getting there was quite a story…which I intend to share with  you later.

Next, we visited Tabgha, the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.

Here I managed to talk Marty out of buying one of these super colorful t-shirts

(actually…..they ended up being only kid sizes) and he settled for this instead.

Don't you just love it?  Well….let me just say that Marty does, for sure!

From there we walked around the corner to Mensa Christa

which stands on the shores of the  Sea of Galilee. (More about that later as well.)

Marty got his chance to put his hands in the water

and he took a photo of the two of us.

From there we headed to the Church of the Beatitudes

which is strikingly beautiful and I'll be sure to elaborate more on another day.

From there we made a quick stop in Capernaum

and then headed into Akko for dinner at the Abu Christo restaurant,  which was right on the waterfront of the Mediterranean.

I know this looks like a lovely, peaceful, romantic place to enjoy a meal.   

Were we ever surprised when one "party"boat after another came buzzing by, one with neon lights flashing pink/green and orange while blasting  hip hop music so loud that we couldn't hear each other talk! 

It didn't exactly fit the aura of an ancient city, that's for sure!

But, then again, there are a lot of things here in Israel that are certainly unique. 

Don't worry…..I plan on filling you on that sometime in the future as well.

But for now, I say Shalom!

Baha' i Gardens in Haifa

From our room at the Dan Panorama in Haifa,  there is a view of some very interesting structures.

These stand as part of the Baha'i Gardens, which are officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I had spotted the entrance to the gardens while hiking by and learned that there was an English tour at noon today.  So, I made that my top priority for the day, despite the obvious haze in the sky.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but when we arrived, we could barely see the skyscrapers in Tel Aviv as we drove by.  We soon learned that the area has been experiencing a lot of dust storms, which are exactly that…..dust. Not so great for an asthmatic, but I was sure to bring my inhaler.

We had couple of clear days, but it was obvious when I awoke this morning, that today was not going to be one of them.  But, that certainly didn't stop me from setting out to see the gardens.

Let me offer a brief explanation about this place.

The Gardens are considered to be a holy place of pilgrimage for followers of the Baha'i Faith.  The premise of their faith is that all religions are united and stem from God equally.  It is believed that all significant religious leaders (Mohammed, Christ, Buddha, Moses, etc. and Baha'i Allah) are messengers from God sent at different times of history.
The gold-domed building is a shrine which holds the remains of the Bab, who was a herald for Baha'i Allah.

I was sure to be at the gate way before noon, as I did not want to miss the opportunity to walk through the gardens.  While waiting, I met a very lovely young lady from Australia, who is a lawyer, but took 10 months off to tour the world.  She certainly had some interesting stories to share while we waited in line.

When the gate opened, I was surprised to see how many people had congregated.  Were there really that many English speaking tourists in the area?  Where had they been hiding?

One woman asked, in Spanish, if she could have a Spanish tour.  The sign outside distinctly spelled out that today's noon tour would be in English.  Come to think of it, the sign was written in Hebrew, Arabic and English…not Spanish…so perhaps she was confused.

But as I stood in line, I heard people speaking in a vast array of languages.  Very few were actually speaking English.  The group was so large that it had to be split into two with different tour guides.

First, we were given the rules:  no food, no gum, no drinks,  cell phones must be turned off.  Since it was  a shrine, modest clothes were a must. And, absolutely everyone must stick with the tour.  There were to be NO wanderers!!

 There were 700 steps and we were free to take photos, but it was suggested that we not attempt to photograph while walking down the stairs.  That seemed reasonable.

The gardens were amazing, laid out on this terraced area of Mt. Carmel.

The curved shrubbery added a distinct charm between gardens.

and the array of colors with cedar really accented the hills.

About half way down,  we stopped to take some photos.  Here you see an administrative building that holds the religious archives for the faith.  That, of course,  impressed me. It was built in the 1950's to model the Parthenon and we were told that every religious document from the foundation are enclosed in the building.

At this point, the guide gave us some interesting details.  There are 2200 lights along the paths in the garden, and they are lit every night as soon as the sun begins to set.  Before the Bab was tortured to death, he had been held in a prison without light for 3 years.  As a result, the garden was planned to always be lit, either by day and the sunshine, or by night with the lights, so that the Bab would never have to experience darkness again.

There was also a lot of water, some cascading down the recessed sides of the steps and some spraying in numerous fountains in the gardens.

The guide told us that water was significant to the faith, because without water - there is no life.

As you look down the hill, you may notice that the gardens are set out symmetrically.  We were informed that symmetry symbolized equality.  And, since the faith believed that all religions are equal under the eyes of God, that was the purpose of the preciseness in this part of the garden.

As we got to the bottom though, I did wonder about those cedar trees in front of the shrine

It doesn't seem symmetric to me.

It was at this point that the tour guide informed us that we would be continuing down to the bottom and that we needed to exit at the gate.

Let me just say that this was NOT in my plans!  Someone then asked about walking around the paths, and it was then made clear that the only way to see the gardens was by tour.  This could explain why the guide became annoyed when a couple went walking down one of the pathways while she was talking.  The rule about sticking with the group was now making sense.

 I honestly had not realized this, and had originally planned to go back another day and just walk around without the tour.

And now it became clear to me just why there were so many Non-English speaking people on the tour!
They just wanted to see the gardens!  I would consider this for another day, but my luck would have it that the guide would ask me something in Arabic, and I'd have to fake being mute.  Probably NOT a good idea.

So, I was a bit disappointed that I had not taken more photos while on the tour, but that paled in comparison to my sudden realization that I would have to once again make  my way up that hill to the hotel.

But we weren't being rushed out, so I spent some time admiring the gardens at the base of the shrine.

The desert garden was definitely interesting.

and I loved the combination of colors

and these rows were certainly unique.

At the very bottom, I could get a closeup shot of the shrine.

As I headed towards the exit, I watched these two very entertaining women attempting to photograph each other at the same spot in the gardens.  They were a bit rolly polly, and kind of waddled when they ran, and they were certainly having a grand time.

I asked them if they would like me to take a picture of the two of them together.  (remember…this was the English speaking tour.)  Neither understood me.

So, I motioned with my camera.  Well…….you should have seen their faces light up!

 The one woman handed me her point and shoot, and began running around the flower garden.  Her friend was about half way around, when she came running back, and hurriedly handed me her fancy camera, pointed to the button, and quickly ran to join her friend.

I photographed them with each camera, and, if you ask me, the photos came out great!

The next thing I knew, one of the women spotted my camera and wanted to take my photo.  Well, how could I refuse that offer?

So, she took this:

I thanked her and went to take my camera, but this woman was clearly ready for a photo shoot.

She placed me next to this plant, pointed the camera at me and said "Cheers!" OK, so I went along with it.

Then, she grabbed my arm and stuck me in a different place so that the shrine would be behind my head.  (I've cropped the photo so that you can actually see the shrine.)

This time she said "Cheese". 

And she would not take the photo until I actually said Cheese, which explains my facial expression.

This lady was a real hoot, and would probably have gone on for quite some time as she seemed to really be enjoying this opportunity to show off her photography skills.

I sensed an Eastern European sound to their speech, and, on a whim, asked "Kde ste?" Which means "where are you from" in Slovak.  Well, she understood me and said "Rusyn", which I knew to be Russia.

Unfortunately, that was about the limit of my communication abilities with her.  We smiled at each other and waved good-bye and I went off on my journey to climb the mountain.

And, obviously, I made it to the top.  But, I've got to say……it wasn't easy!

Haifa and THE Mount Carmel

I don't know if I mentioned it, but we are staying in a hotel in Haifa, high on a hill, on Mt. Carmel.  Since we live near a town named Mt. Carmel at home, I never gave much thought to the religious significance behind the name. Today would show things in a whole new light.

Today is Ash Wednesday,  when I would generally go to Mass and receive the blessing with ashes on my forehead.  But I wasn't having much luck finding a Catholic Church in the area that had any web information regarding Lenten schedules.

So I decided to walk the 2 + miles to the Carmelite Monastery named Stella Maris, located a bit downhill from out hotel.

At first, I was a bit confused as I continued to walk downhill in search of this shrine.  The literature stated that this shrine featured spectacular views over Haifa.  Shouldn't I be climbing up in elevation instead of going down?

 Suddenly, I realized that with our hotel on the top of the peak of the mountain, the chance of finding better views was going to be pretty slim.

It took me quite awhile to find the church, as the only entrance was near the peak of the cliff overlooking the city of Haifa.  When I spotted the Stella Maris lighthouse, I knew that I had to be close.

Just across the street stood my intended destination.

The front doors were open, so I entered the vestibule and was immediately greeted by a monk.  I said hello and asked him if the church would be distributing ashes during the day.  He motioned to me to wait while he went to ask.  In the meantime,  I stood in the vestibule and admired the beautiful interior of the church.

Above the altar sits a lovely Madonna, carved from cedar of Lebanon. 

Below, stands what looks like a cave, and when you walk down into that area, you will see a statue of Elijah adorning a lower altar.  Of course, I was intrigued.

\

In the meantime, the monk returned, this time with a silver dish filled with Ashes..   I suddenly realized that he had brought the ashes in answer to my query, and before I knew it, he was making the sign of the cross on my forehead!  Ok, so this wasn’t what I had expected, but it certainly served the purpose as far as I was concerned.

There would be no Lenten services at the church today, and Mass is limited to one per day, generally spoken in Arabic.

I thanked the man for his help, and sat in prayer for few minutes.  As I was exiting the door, the monk appeared again as he was eager to share the history of the church.  He explained that the cave is believed to have been inhabited by Elias, known as Elijah.  He went on to mention that there was a second cave claimed by the Jews in the city.  But, that involved climbing down a steep hill, and that wasn't on my agenda for the day.  This "cave" was just fine by me!

The monk went on to talk about the Carmelite order, explaining that they were originally monastic hermits and they had come to this area in emulation of Elijah the Prophet. 

And THAT’s when it hit me…..I was standing on THE Mt. Carmel, the one we read of in the Old Testament.  The place where Elijah the Prophet lived and died.  This monk, who is originally from India, began to share his awe at being in this place “where it all started”, as he put it.  And I could feel it myself.

We went on to study an unusual monument in the shape of a pyramid.  

It is devoted to the many French soldiers who had been injured and left here when Napoleon retreated after his unsuccessful siege of Acre in 1799.  Those left behind were mercilessly slaughtered by the Turks.

The inscription, written in Latin, translates, “Mighty are the fallen in Battle”from King David’s lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. 2 Kings 1:  25.  I found it interesting to learn such a correlation. 

By now it was time to say good-bye to my new found mentor, and he bid me farewell with a smile.  I crossed the street, at his suggestion, to take in the views that are mentioned in the tour books regarding this area. 

The view was certainly beautiful, and I decided to reroute my way back to the hotel so that I could enjoy the vistas.

With map in hand, I set out onto Stella Maris Drive which looked like it linked up with a cross road that would take me back up the mountain.

Along the way, I spotted something moving along the bushes on the cliff.  Believe it or not…they were sheep! Look carefully, and you'll spot them near the lower right of the photo.

Considering how metropolitan this area is, that was the last thing I would have expected to spy!  They were scurrying off at pretty fast speed, that's for sure.

As I continued along the drive, a floral scent kept wafting by as I walked,and I soon realized that it was emanating from these yellow flowers.

The scent was quite similar to that of honeysuckle, and it was quite pleasant to smell.  You know the saying…..you've got to stop and smell the flowers.  And, actually, it was nice having the break!

As I continued to look up at cliffs, I began to wonder if I would have to reverse my path in order to reach my hotel.  Things were not looking promising.  2-D maps just don't give a sense of height! 

Eventually I spotted steps leading up a very sharp hill.  I found  myself chanting, "I think I can….I think I can", huffing and puffing on the way up.  I was waiting for that exciting moment to congratulate myself, when I realized that I still had a LONG way to go.

I turned up yet another road and soon found myself in the Garden of Sculptures.  Now, this was quite a surprise!

 There was a donkey

and a horse

and a woman with 4 children hanging on her (ahhh…..the memories of those days past)

and this lovely figure of a woman delicately holding a bird.

But this one took the prize:

That's SOME fish she's holding, don't you think?

Believe me, at this point, I needed the comic relief!  

A right and a left and another left, and some climbing up yet one more hill and finally!  I spotted the Promenade!!

Whew!   Knowing that I was near my destination, I couldn't resist stopping to catch my breath and admire the view.

Didn't I tell you that it would be hard to beat the vistas from the top of Mt. Carmel?  I'm thinking that I should write Mr. Frommer and fill him in on that detail!

But, with such a beautiful day to get out and enjoy, I don't even mind that my intended 4 mile hike ended up being 9  miles!  It beats being in cold, snowy Pennsylvania any day!

I don't think anyone will be arguing with that!