Three Days at the Sea of Galilee
Don Hamer is on professional development leave until May 15. He is writing occasional posts to this blog to share some of his experiences. From April 4 to April 20, he is writing daily updates while he and his wife Debbie make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Grace and peace to you from Jerusalem. We have returned from our trip up to the Galilee Region, a place which was central to Jesus ministry, but where we did not have access to the Internet. On Wednesday morning, summoning up all our courage, we rented a car for the trip. Since Jerusalem is about two hours away from the Sea of Galilee region, and there are so many Christian and other holy sites to see in that area, it didn't make sense to commute, so we took the plunge and rented a car. Picking up the car at 10 a.m., it was after 11 before we got out of Jerusalem. While Debbie and I are about to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary at the end of the month, let me just say it was tenuous at times during that hour. Once we found Road 1 (NOT Route 1, mind you) to Jericho, we were on our way. Highway 90 runs north-south from southern Israel past the Sea of Galilee up toward Lebanon and Syria, and takes you from well below sea level in the desert to sell above sea level in the verdant hills and valleys of northern Israel and the Golan Heights, with its abundant agricultural areas.
On our way to the Ein Gev kibbutz and resort area, we stopped in Nazareth. My sins of getting out of Jerusalem were at least partially redeemed by flawlessly making our way up to the site of the Basilica of the Annunciation, built in 1969 over the ruins of a former Byzantine church and a subsequent crusader church. The crypt underneath the basilica includes the Crypt of the Anunciation, where the Angel Gabriel is said to have appeared to the Virgin Mary. Up on top of the hill is the Church of St. Joseph, said to be the site of Joseph's workshop. We had a wonderful lunch at a brand new restaurant, The Red Burger, that despite the name has a wonderful, bountiful salad selection. From there we drove up to the Ein Gev resort, which is right on the east coast of the Sea of Galilee, in time for a walk along the beach and a buffet dinner on site.
Thursday started with breakfast at the resort followed by a bus tour of the kibbutz. The central notion of the kibbutz is shared life in community. In addition to the resort, the kibbutz raises dairy cows, horses, chickens, and ostriches, and grows figs, bananas, and olives among other crops. Following the tour, we then drove around the north end of the Sea of Galilee to visit a number of sites of historical and religious importance to Christians -- all within a few miles of each other. In Capernaum, we saw archaeological sites displaying part of a neighborhood dating to the time of Jesus' ministry, along with a church built over the spot that is said to be Simon Peter's home. There are also vestiges of a synagogue which date to the 4th century CE. Just south of Capernaum is the town of Tabkha, where we visited the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes, the Church of the Primacy of Peter (a site where Jesus is believed to have appeard to the dicsiples after his resurrection) and, on a hill just behind that, the Church of the Beatitudes, where it is believed that Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew. Our last stop of the day was a visit to the town of Tiberias (known to Christians not so much for the town but as an alternate name for the Sea of Galilee. Built originally by King Herod Antipas in honor of the emporor at the time, the town has become of Israel's holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed. In Tiberias we visited the old city wall that dates back to the time of the Crusaders, along with the Tomb of Maimonaides, a famous Jewish philosopher, and the beautiful St. Peter's church, reflecting St. Peter's life as a fisherman, where we also attended the end of Mass. Returning to Ein Gev via the south of the sea, we ate dinner at the famous fish restaurant of the kibbutz, where we both feasted on what is known here as St. Peter's Fish (tilapia, which is native to the Sea of Galilee).
Friday was a travel day back to Jerusalem, but first we drove north to the city of Safed (known locally as Svat), a center of 16th century Jewish mysticism and now virtually entirely Jewish. The former Muslim section of the city has become a lively artists colony, and the city remains a center of Jewish learning. After touring the area, stopping at a local book shop and visiting a local synagogue, we had lunch and headed south through the center of Israel to visit Mount Tabor, about 8 miles west of Nazareth, built in the early 20th century to mark the site of the Transfiguration (Mark 9:9-15), built on the ruins of a 12th century muslim fortress. This is another site operated under the supervision of the Franciscan order and known collectively as the Protectorate of the Terra Sancta (Latin for "Holy Land"). It is an incredible ministry.
The trip to Galilee region ended very differently from its inauspicious beginning -- operating from maps and instinct, we arrived back at St. George's without so much as a wrong turn. Thanks be to God. Our several days in the Galilee region had so many moving moments that cannot be adequately captured here -- I am looking forward to sharing them with photographs and commentary at some future time.
Have a blessed day! Your brother in Christ, Don+
Grace and peace to you from Jerusalem. We have returned from our trip up to the Galilee Region, a place which was central to Jesus ministry, but where we did not have access to the Internet. On Wednesday morning, summoning up all our courage, we rented a car for the trip. Since Jerusalem is about two hours away from the Sea of Galilee region, and there are so many Christian and other holy sites to see in that area, it didn't make sense to commute, so we took the plunge and rented a car. Picking up the car at 10 a.m., it was after 11 before we got out of Jerusalem. While Debbie and I are about to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary at the end of the month, let me just say it was tenuous at times during that hour. Once we found Road 1 (NOT Route 1, mind you) to Jericho, we were on our way. Highway 90 runs north-south from southern Israel past the Sea of Galilee up toward Lebanon and Syria, and takes you from well below sea level in the desert to sell above sea level in the verdant hills and valleys of northern Israel and the Golan Heights, with its abundant agricultural areas.
On our way to the Ein Gev kibbutz and resort area, we stopped in Nazareth. My sins of getting out of Jerusalem were at least partially redeemed by flawlessly making our way up to the site of the Basilica of the Annunciation, built in 1969 over the ruins of a former Byzantine church and a subsequent crusader church. The crypt underneath the basilica includes the Crypt of the Anunciation, where the Angel Gabriel is said to have appeared to the Virgin Mary. Up on top of the hill is the Church of St. Joseph, said to be the site of Joseph's workshop. We had a wonderful lunch at a brand new restaurant, The Red Burger, that despite the name has a wonderful, bountiful salad selection. From there we drove up to the Ein Gev resort, which is right on the east coast of the Sea of Galilee, in time for a walk along the beach and a buffet dinner on site.
Thursday started with breakfast at the resort followed by a bus tour of the kibbutz. The central notion of the kibbutz is shared life in community. In addition to the resort, the kibbutz raises dairy cows, horses, chickens, and ostriches, and grows figs, bananas, and olives among other crops. Following the tour, we then drove around the north end of the Sea of Galilee to visit a number of sites of historical and religious importance to Christians -- all within a few miles of each other. In Capernaum, we saw archaeological sites displaying part of a neighborhood dating to the time of Jesus' ministry, along with a church built over the spot that is said to be Simon Peter's home. There are also vestiges of a synagogue which date to the 4th century CE. Just south of Capernaum is the town of Tabkha, where we visited the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes, the Church of the Primacy of Peter (a site where Jesus is believed to have appeard to the dicsiples after his resurrection) and, on a hill just behind that, the Church of the Beatitudes, where it is believed that Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew. Our last stop of the day was a visit to the town of Tiberias (known to Christians not so much for the town but as an alternate name for the Sea of Galilee. Built originally by King Herod Antipas in honor of the emporor at the time, the town has become of Israel's holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed. In Tiberias we visited the old city wall that dates back to the time of the Crusaders, along with the Tomb of Maimonaides, a famous Jewish philosopher, and the beautiful St. Peter's church, reflecting St. Peter's life as a fisherman, where we also attended the end of Mass. Returning to Ein Gev via the south of the sea, we ate dinner at the famous fish restaurant of the kibbutz, where we both feasted on what is known here as St. Peter's Fish (tilapia, which is native to the Sea of Galilee).
Friday was a travel day back to Jerusalem, but first we drove north to the city of Safed (known locally as Svat), a center of 16th century Jewish mysticism and now virtually entirely Jewish. The former Muslim section of the city has become a lively artists colony, and the city remains a center of Jewish learning. After touring the area, stopping at a local book shop and visiting a local synagogue, we had lunch and headed south through the center of Israel to visit Mount Tabor, about 8 miles west of Nazareth, built in the early 20th century to mark the site of the Transfiguration (Mark 9:9-15), built on the ruins of a 12th century muslim fortress. This is another site operated under the supervision of the Franciscan order and known collectively as the Protectorate of the Terra Sancta (Latin for "Holy Land"). It is an incredible ministry.
The trip to Galilee region ended very differently from its inauspicious beginning -- operating from maps and instinct, we arrived back at St. George's without so much as a wrong turn. Thanks be to God. Our several days in the Galilee region had so many moving moments that cannot be adequately captured here -- I am looking forward to sharing them with photographs and commentary at some future time.
Have a blessed day! Your brother in Christ, Don+
posted by Don+ @ 2:41 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home