Part Three
Full Day 2
Another wonderful breakfast, then it’s to the buses for our brief journey to Nazareth!
Rather than being the trashy and inconsequential village described in the Bible, modern-day Nazareth presents as another small burg that might be overlooked if not for the New Testament history it contains.
We go to the Basilica of the Annunciation, where Scripture tells us Mary was visited by the angel, informing her she would bear the Christ. With the beautiful architecture and artwork from numerous countries, this is yet another place where one could spend hours. The cave where Mary is believed to have lived is preserved and many in our group pause, kneel, and reflect.
Father Dave officiates the Mass for today and we also get a talk from Lino. The rain makes another appearance but that can’t dampen our spirits!
Time for lunch, and who can but not like shawarma and hummus? I purchase a Magnum bar from a nearby vendor and it seems Father Dave was intrigued by my dessert…
After lunch we get back on the bus and head over to Cana. Even non-Catholics (perhaps even non-Christians) have heard of this location and what it represents. The significance of this place is this being the location where Jesus performed His first miracle. We gather in a small chapel and Father Dave leads us in a devotion. All the couples are invited to stand up, face each other, and repeat some standard marriage vows.
Afterward we get to look around just a bit and again there’s an excavation (very, very common in so many of our locations). We also see vases from around that time that look to be very similar to the containers that had water and then became wine, courtesy of a Miracle-Worker from Galilee.
Again, the bus (!) and we drive a little bit through the countryside. I noticed how Galilee is just very, very, big, very beautiful, very verdant. We see in the distance what appears to be an Israeli military installation and they have what looks to be an aerostat. I’m intrigued and do snap a few pictures of it (not that it relates to anything spiritual, I just thought it looked really cool).
Our buses begin to approach a hill. I suppose you could call it a hill however some may call it a small mountain. It definitely stands out from the surrounding landscape. This is Mount Tabor, which is believed to be the side of the transfiguration
Throughout this trip I have to appreciate the sense of humor that Lino and the rest of the crew share. In referring to the transfiguration, they like to use the term “Shiny Jesus!”
I look up at the hill-mountain and think, “well there’s no way our large coaches are going to make it up this hill.”
That is correct. We disembark from the buses and are shuffled into passenger vans that are not much bigger than your average conversion van.
Our van loaded with people, it’s time to go to the top! Granted, the roads are well-engineered with plenty of switchbacks. Why do I mention this? One has to wonder are if these van drivers are getting paid by the number of up-and-down trips they make. First of all, they go fast and second, they take the switchback turns pretty doggoned hard. Every time we hit a turn I feel like the forces of physics are well in play. Fly to the right, then fling to the left! Whump! Whoom!
We arrive at the top within a few minutes, none the worse for wear. There is a basilica on the site where the transfiguration is believed to have taken place. We had the opportunity to walk around quite a bit especially because, given the number of van loads, it takes a little while for the entire group to get to the summit.
I enjoy this quiet time, as it’s wonderful to not feel rushed. Also, I’m enjoying the views from the top of this hill (or mountain). Looking down and getting the privilege of a 360° view is amazing. I get another glimpse of that Israeli aerostat.
Going through the basilica, the architecture (just like everything else we’ve seen so far) is beautiful. Upon entering, we see porticos off to the right and to the left. The artwork in those depict episodes in the lives of Moses and Elijah. Moses is carrying the 10 Commandments and Elijah is calling down the fire on the altar. (Take that, you Baal worshippers!!)
Our group listens to more narration from our hosts and we then get back into the vans. The trip down didn’t seem quite as interesting (or traumatic) as the trip up, probably because we knew what to expect.
Back on the bus, back to Tiberius. We get to rest up for a bit at the hotel and then went out to a local restaurant for a wonderful meal.