Exploring the Streets of Nazareth

Greetings from Nazareth!  Today was a work day for Marty, which meant that I'd be exploring the city  on my own.

With map in hand,  I headed out the door, onto what I thought was Annunciation Avenue, only to find myself lost in one of the many alleyways of the city.

Does that surprise you?  Of course it doesn't.  You'd probably be surprised if I said that I managed to get around without any issues.

I would begin to worry about my orienteering skills, except that one of the tour books distinctly states that street signs are few and far between in Nazareth, and that it is quite easy to get lost amidst the maze of narrow streets and alleys.

So, why should I be someone special?

I could take the advice from the book, and use the Basilica steeple as a ground point, but it isn't always easy to see with the high walls on some of the narrow streets.

I was no worse for the wear, although I could have saved myself some step climbing had I stayed on track.  It really amazes me that people have little shops set up on random corners of narrow little streets. I can't imagine they get much business, except, perhaps, from the random lost tourist.  Not to worry,  I wasn't the least bit interested in dealing with shop owners like these.  Bargaining is not my forte.

I had planned my day to begin at the Mary of Nazareth International Center, once I found it.

This is an ecumenical project designed to raise awareness of Christianity while teaching about the Virgin Mary and her role in Salvation History.  When I arrived at the doors, I could hear the voices of exuberant children from somewhere within.  There were apparently over 200 children attending the program today, much to the excitement of the religious order who runs the place.

You would think with that many kids running around, I would have bumped into them at some point, but I only spotted two boys, near the bathrooms.  They were trying to figure out which symbol stood for the women's room and which for the males.  I will admit, the symbols were not all that clear.  But the English words on the doors were certainly helpful!

This Mary of Nazareth center is certainly unique and fascinating.  Upon entering the doors, I was viewing the preserved ruins from the year 1 A.D.

Jesus would have been walking these streets as he grew up in the city of Nazareth.  The guide informed me that the area of the city would have covered about 300 square meters, this spot included.  

Among the findings below the floor of this building was a wall which archeologists have dated back to the Iron Age.

I don't know why, but I would never have expected that type of rock wall from the Iron Age time period.  

How fascinating was all of this?

And it would only get better as I decided to follow in the footsteps of Mary as part of a unique audio-visual program that the center offered. 

I was asked to wait outside the doors as there was a group right before me, and the show had not yet completed.  

I certainly did not mind, as the day was clearing up and I could admire the Basilica easily in the distance. 

Plus, there was always Queen Saba

and her husband, King Solomon, to entertain me while I waited.

These statues are duplicates of originals that are held in a church somewhere in France.

Soon, it was time for the show to begin.  

Suddenly, the two doors between Saba and Solomen slowly opened and a shiny blue light beckoned me to enter. 

I liken the affect to the stories that you hear of people who have crossed over and have seen the light, only to come back to tell of it.

I felt drawn into the room,  mesmerized by the melodic sound of a female voice singing some sort of Arabic chant in the background. 

I found myself in a room that looked like the duplicate of a roman amphitheater. I was alone, and settled   onto a front row stone to view the program. 

The lights dimmed into darkness, and the 3D screen began to come to life.  The story began with a little girl (Mary) standing next to her mother's lap, as her mother told her the story of Creation.

I was taken back in time, to Creation through the birth of Mary.  The sight and sound effects were amazing.

Within 15 minutes, this part of the demonstration was complete, and I found myself, once again, following the beam of light that led through 2 doors to yet another room.

This time, I was sitting on a stone rock, in what appeared to be an ancient city.  The story line began with Mary's engagement to Joseph, with flashbacks to the angel's appearance and the events that transpired soon after.  I was taken through the birth of Jesus and the flight into Egypt.

Here you can see the opening of the film with the city of Nazareth in the background.

A hologram of the angel appearing to Mary with an Old Testament quote 

and the story of Jesus' birth as foretold

Along with the impending Nativity.

Once again, a set of doors opened, and I found myself walking into yet another hall, similar to the first two, but slightly different as this time I was in the village where Jesus would have grown up, and there was the house of a carpenter on one side of the room.

I was immersed in the beauty of the music in the background as I watched Mary affectionately hugging her child as an infant, playing with him as a toddler, and laughing with her husband Joseph.

I watched as Jesus grew up under the direction of his mother, and the helping hand of Joseph, teaching the young boy his trade. 

There was the frantic search of two parents who had seemingly lost their child, only to learn that he was preaching in the temple in Jerusalem.

Then, Joseph died and Jesus' ministry began, with his mother at his side at the wedding in Cana.

The scene ended with Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem.

I was denied the opportunity to view the final segment as the room was being used by the 200 children as part of their program.

But, I wasn't disappointed.  I knew the outcome.  And, to be perfectly honest, I am not sure that I would have wanted to walk in Mary's shoes any further.

Watching her relationship with her son from birth to adulthood only intensified my thoughts on what agony it must have been to watch her son tortured until his death on the cross. The program had been quite an emotional experience for me, and I was perfectly happy not to view the final part of the story. 

Besides, I was short on tissues.

I assured the apologetic young man that I had seen sufficient and complimented him on the outstanding nature of the project.  He was thrilled.

Moving on, I was able to tour the chapel, 

with the lovely flowers in bloom

 and the beautiful icons inside.

 All of the mysteries of the rosary adorn the interior of the chapel, in iconic form.

and I enjoyed the rooftop panoramas.

Amazing, for sure.  This had definitely been a terrific way to begin my tour of Nazareth.

Heading across the street, I entered the grounds for the Basilica of the Annunciation of Mary.

The building is huge, and the cupola can be seen from nearly anywhere in the city.

This is a Roman Catholic Basilica that contains the "house"where the Angel appeared to Mary. 

You can see the "house"in the background of the photo, and there is actually an altar in that spot, where a priest was saying Mass, today, at noon.

Now, I cannot say that this is the official "Spot" where the angel appeared.  Particularly since there is a Greek Orthodox Church that has a similar shrine down the street, as well as a Coptic Church.  And, there is also Mary's well, where folklore makes claim that the angel appeared to Mary in that spot.

Within one block, there are four buildings that make claim to housing the spot of this announcement.  I haven't checked out the other two churches yet, but I did pass the well.

Personally, the "exact" spot isn't that important in my eyes.  But it certainly is heartwarming to realize that so many different faiths find this event important enough to commemorate personally.

The Basilica itself is more ornate than most of the churches that I've seen here in Israel.  The interior, as well as the grounds, feature mosaics devoted to the Virgin Mary, from many different countries.

Each one was unique and different and offered an insight to the country that donated their particular icon.

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Queen of Guides and Scouts

Scotland

Slovakia

Thailand

the United States

and the Vatican.  Each one beautiful in its own right.

 Just adjacent to the Basilica is the Church of St. Joseph.  Walking through the doors offered this view:

Here's a closeup of the Sanctuary

and a beautiful side altar.

A painting on the walls along the way to the basement shows a lovely depiction of the Holy Family.

The church is supposedly built over the spot where Joseph's carpentry shop would have stood back in the time of Jesus.  There are some stone stairs and flooring that dates back to the time period.

In addition, there are some beautiful windows, like this one depicting the death of Joseph.

Outside, in the wall, there is a lovely statue of the Holy Family

And in a grotto connecting both of the churches, a statue of Joseph the Carpenter stands in the middle of a circular garden.

If I hadn't walked around the back of the statue, I would never have seen the angel crouching behind him.

As you can see, the grounds are stunning, adding to the peaceful aura that this place has to offer. 

There were plenty of tours, but they didn't seem to be in the way today.

No Arabs attempting to draw me into their store.

And, no hookah smokers to invade my space.

All in all, I'd say that it was pretty much a perfect day.

What do you think?

St. Patrick's Day in Israel

Blog Diversion!  I had intended to give you a detailed description of the magnificent shrines that Marty and I had visited yesterday.

But then……..we went out to dinner.  We were kind of beat, and just looking for something small.  We had even looked to see if the hotel had a lounge of some sort where we could pick up a bite to eat.

When it was apparent that they did not,  we decided to walk to some of the restaurants that we had passed earlier in the day.

Before we had left our room, I had spotted this green glowing light, emanating from one of the shrines, and we found it interesting that this city would be recognizing St. Patrick's Day.

Last year, when we just so happened to be in Scotland on St. Patrick's Day, we found it hard pressed to find any signs of celebrating the day.  But, here, there were several restaurants featuring Guinness, balloons, and obvious festivities designed to celebrate the day.

We decided on a place that offered a lovely view of the Greek Catholic Church of the Annunciation in the square, and as soon as we got near the door, a young lady, wearing a leprechaun hat and a green floral lei around her neck, was jumping around asking if we were interested in coming in.

I asked to see a menu and was brought one written entirely in Arabic.

So, I asked if there was an American Menu:    Just one minute.  

Well, that minute came and went, and we decided to just give it a shot, because it was obvious that these people were eager for business.

We were just relaxing in our seats when an enthusiastic waiter popped a fluorescent green tie on Marty and a green lei around my neck.

Do we look Irish?   Actually…Marty does have Irish roots.  I do not.  But, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day….right?

Well, that is apparently the case here in Nazareth, because this Arabic restaurant was quite enthusiastic about celebrating the day.

There was one waitress who spoke English and she became the official waitress for our table.    She was VERY excited to practice her skills.  She was a dark haired, slightly plump, short, beautiful girl, who just kept smiling and fidgeting in between words.  I've never seen someone so happy at waitressing.  Her exuberance was quite catchy.

It took quite awhile for anyone to produce an English menu for us to read. It must have been buried somewhere.  In the meantime, our friendly waitress asked us what we wanted to drink.

But not before giving the specials.  

"We have a Guinness Special tonight! ……..It is St. PATRICK's Day today!!!!!…..Did you know that?……..We have a special, from between 7:00 to 8:00, if buy 2 Guinness glasses of beer, you get the third one free!!  Are you interested? "

Marty looked at the time.  It was 7:40.  He laughed and said, "So, that means that I would have to drink 2 beers in 20  minutes to get my free beer?  I don't think that I will be able to do that. "

"Oh……OK….but do not worry….when one special finishes, we have another one begin."

So, he ordered his ONE beer, and we waited to see what was in store for us. 

While waiting for our dinner to be served, the music suddenly became very Irish, and the owner was attempting to get his staff into the spirit by making them wear crazy hats, leis around their necks, and, of all things…..hula skirts……because they were green.

By this point, I was trying very hard not to break out laughing.

Dinner was fabulous and certainly one of the most entertaining meals of our trip.

Marty and I were certainly enjoying the festivities.  And then……I spotted something very unfamiliar to me.

The owner of the place, who was ordering all of the girls to dress in grass skirts, was sitting by a window…..smoking a hookah.  

I'll be honest with you…..I don't even know if that is spelled correctly.

I know absolutely NOTHING about hookahs.

Except, when I began to look around, all of the  people who had finished dinner were smoking them.

Two women, just behind Marty, were puffing away, as well as people at other tables in the restaurant.

Some new patrons came in, sat at the table next to us, and the staff brought one to the table, along with a pot of coals.

We would soon be surrounded by people smoking these things.

Perhaps many of you blog readers will not be as surprised by this as I was.

Now we're wondering if this will be the norm at every restaurant here when we go out to dinner.

Do you suppose that there is a Nazareth for Dummies book out there?   Or, perhaps, Hookahs for Dummies?

I had better get busy looking!

In the meantime, if you have any advice……I'm all up for any suggestions!

Perhaps I'll write about those shrines later…….

The Advantage of Tour Groups

Did I say that I had a problem with tour groups?

Well……let's just say that I've had a complete change of heart, and my conclusion is that they can come in quite handy….when the time is right.

I'm not saying that I want to be part of a tour group when traveling.  But, I can attest to the fact that they  can be a blessing at times here in Jerusalem.

How can that be?   Well. at nearly every shrine entrance, you can be guaranteed the presence of at lead one Arab, more than likely several.  All want to be your tour guide, or try to get you to pay an admission fee which is not listed anywhere as being required to gain entry.

These men are relentless, and will continue to pester you, even when you state that you are not interested.  It isn't easy to avoid them, as the entrances are narrow and involve going through some sort of gate or doorway to get inside.

Now, the entire scenario changes when a tour group arrives.  The guide leads the group through the gate, and the Arabs somehow magically leave the group alone.

So, if you just attach yourself to the end of the group, these men think that you are part of the busload entering the shrine, and you are through the door without anyone pestering you!  Remember, there is no fee to enter many of these holy places.  No one is out any money, and we are saved from having to endure the harassment of these pests.

Clever idea, don't you think?

I'm sorry that I ever badmouthed the tour group idea.  Sure, we were squished and suffocated a bit yesterday, as we found ourselves in the middle of a crush in the Holy Sepulcher Church, but I was beginning to find the positive side of these otherwise annoying groups.  Plus, as I shared yesterday, some of them can be downright entertaining!

So, it was with this newfound knowledge that we headed out, after breakfast, to the Mount of Olives, which is located in the Arab part of Jerusalem.  We were ready for the challenge.

After breakfast, we headed out on foot, this time walking around the edge of the walled city towards the Mount of Olives.

It is located in the distance of this photo.

As we walked at the base of the walls of the city, we passed the ancient tomb of Zechariah

as well as the tomb of Jehoshophat

These tombs stand at the base of the hill which is covered with tombs from centuries past.

Our walk was a long one, but filled with beautiful vistas along the way.

Finally, we were nearing our destination, the Church of Nations, also known a the Basilica of the Agony.

As luck would have it, several tour groups were headed through the door as we made our descent to the gate.

On the other side of this wall stand ancient Olive Trees in a large garden.

It is obvious that many of the trees are centuries old, and some are believed to be seedlings from trees that existed in the time of Jesus.

It is my intention to go into more detail regarding these shrines within the next few days when I have more time to explain the details.  I hope that you won't be too disappointed to have to wait a little while to see all of the special sights that we were blessed to have visited.

Next to the garden is the Church of Nations which has some beautiful mosaics inside and a rock at the foot of the altar that is believed to be the rock where Jesus prayed.  I'll elaborate more on this sometime in the future. 

Upon leaving the church, we scurried out and began to climb the mountain with the intent of seeing the Chapel of the Ascension as our final destination. 

Along this steep hill, we soon found ourselves just behind a group of Eastern European Pilgrims.  The women were in simple dress, each with their heads shrouded, many in what looked to me like babushkas.  They were standing outside the Russian Orthodox Shrine to Mary Magdalene.

You may have noticed it in some other photos, peering from behind the cedars.

We had read that this church could only be viewed on Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours each day, so we had ruled it out as a possible visit.

Suddenly, I noticed the green door pop open, and there stood an Arab with a collection basket in his hand, seeking donations from this group as they passed through the gate.  He looked quite nervous, peering left and right, and he swung his arms, ushering us to get through quickly.

I realized at this point that he thought that we were part of the group.  I pulled my scarf up over my head, and motioned for Marty not to speak a word.  (Didn't I tell you that tour groups could be an advantage?)

This man reminded me of a time in Italy when I had given a donation to a man dressed very nicely outside a church.  I had presumed that he was collecting offerings for admission.  It was later, at dinner, when someone in our group mentioned that he had almost been tricked by a beggar standing outside the church, for a donation.  I don't know what bothered me most…..realizing that I had been tricked, or knowing that I never would have known I was tricked had the subject not come up!

In any event, we all know that the man at this gate was not collecting funds for the church.  Better to add to the collection box inside, which was locked for practical purposes.

We bypassed the group,  and headed up the walkway, knowing how fortunate we were to be able to access the beautiful grounds.

It was the Church of Mary Magdalene, a Russian Orthodox church as you can see by the beautiful Golden Spires on the roof.

Pictures were not permitted inside the building, but I can tell you that there was a stunning mural of Jesus before Pontius Pilate, and two paintings of Jesus with Mary Magdalene on the walls.  The interior of the church was rather small in comparison with the outside of the building.

After spending some time inside, the tour group was making their way into the church, so we headed out to the courtyard to grab a few photos.  Here is one of the gardens.

And the views from here were amazing.

We exited through the gate where we had entered, which was now closed to the public.  I was originally concerned that it would not open, but with a tug, we were out again on the street,  once again climbing a hill to our next stop:  The Church of Tears.

It is here where it is said that Jesus wept over the future of Jerusalem.  

The church is maintained by Franciscans, and upon passing through the doors, we were greeted by a Friar who welcomed us into the church, just as Mass was ending.

Walking into the small church, my eyes were immediately drawn to the window behind the altar.

It looked directly out over the city walls of Old Jerusalem.  I learned that this church is the only one of its kind set up so that the congregation is facing east, looking towards Jerusalem.  What a spectacular view!

A mosaic on the front of the altar features a hen with her chicks

this mosaic represents the Biblical passage from Luke 13: 34

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."

We exited the church out to a brick overlook that once again, offered amazing views.

A cute little puppy was romping around, delighting all who were outside

and he stopped for about 5 seconds so that Marty could give him a quick pet.

Once again, we headed out the gate, but this time we had to wait for an attendant to open it electronically before we could leave.  Things seemed to be getting more complicated regarding these visitations.

We were hiking to Pater Nostra, which we found closed, due to it being Sunday.  So, we continued up the extremely steep hill towards the shrine of the Ascension.  It shouldn't be too surprising for you to learn that the church was on the pinnacle of this mountain.

However, the shrine in question was under Muslim control.  And, once at the top of this mountain, we suddenly felt quite uncomfortable with our surroundings.

There were no tour busses, or even any tourists, for that matter.  It suddenly seemed like Arabs were coming out of the woodwork. A cab driver kept asking us if he could take us to Bethlehem, others asked if we needed directions.  One man wanted to know if I needed to use the toilet or take a shower.  

Really?  Would anyone in their right mind have said yes?

At that point, we decided that it would be in our best interest to high tail it out of there, and I'll admit that running down a hill is far easier than climbing up one.

Along the way, this poor little thing was tied up, seeming all alone.

I half expected an Arab to pop out of the wall and demand payment for my shooting this photo, but it appeared that we were on the free and clear.

By this point of the day, we both decided that we had seen enough for one day, particularly in this part of Jerusalem, so we began the walk back to the guest house.

Along the way, we stopped for a quick peek to see what was in the City of David.

There were some beautiful floral gardens

but this was mostly an archeological park, with excavations in tunnels, unearthing the remnants of the city of David, from the Old Testament of the Bible.

We opted not to pay for the tour, and to head back to the Guest House for some R&R, but not before taking this lovely photo with the gates to David's City below the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Later in the day we walked into West Jerusalem, passing through a lovely park just across the street from our guest house.

Children were having a blast playing on this fountain, which I found to be very entertaining.

The neighborhood was built in the 1860's and it features the first homes built by the Jewish community outside the Old City Walls.

The views were stunning.

 The houses were beautiful

 and there was even a preserved windmill that had once served to grind grain for this small Jewish community.

Walking through the neighborhood led us to the heart of West Jerusalem and into a festive mall which was obviously relatively new.

It was buzzing with the excitement of Purim, and I couldn't help but get wrapped up in the festivities, as I watched little ones and adults, dressed up and enjoying the evening.

Once I passed a man wearing elephant ears, I figured that we'd be seeing a lot more costuming, and I was right!

The walk through the mall was very entertaining. Here you see Marty getting into the festivities.

There were kiddie cars for transit

And if you think the attendant in the background is dressed like an American Indian, then you guessed right!

There was a Global Warming exhibition on display outside. Here you see Marty checking out one of the entries.

And, of course, his favorite featured fish:  lots of them.

I enjoyed myself checking out the unusual art work

This one is called No Body

I found it to be quite amusing.

But this was my favorite by far.

Unfortunately, it would never fit in my suitcase, and I'm fairly certain that there is no room for it in my house!  But it certainly is entertaining, don't you think?

It's our last night in Jerusalem, one filled with lots of commotion as the local Jewish community is celebrating their Purim holiday.  Who ever would have figured that so many festivities would be part of our stay here?

Until tomorrow……Shalom!