Thursday 25 July 2013

Israel Houseparty part 3

Mount of Beatitudes
The next day was also incredibly busy - there are so many sights to see it is impossible to cover them all!

We began with a visit to the Mount of Beatitudes.  There is a lovely church on the spot with some beautiful gardens and the whole party were given chance to wander and reflect.

Ruins at Capernaum
From there it was a short bus journey to Capernaum, the site of some wonderfully preserved ruins of the village, a synagogue, and what possibly might have been 'Peter's House'.  After this we had lunch of 'St Peter's Fish' which was great fun.

Synagogue at Capernaum
After lunch we went on a boat on lake Galilee.  This was one of the most eagerly anticipated parts of the trip.  While out in the middle of the lake the boatmen demonstrated 1st century fishing techniques.  They also made us all stand and sing 'God save the Queen' while the Union Flag was raised.  Phil and Colin were honourary Brits for a short while - they were probably singing 'Oh Canada' in their hearts at the time!  A highlight of the boat journey was when the engine was turned off and we experienced the lake as the disciples would have - no hint of a storm though!  Annie read the opening of John 21 and we had more time to reflect.

St Peter's Fish
We then began the journey back to Jerusalem, calling in at Megiddo on the way.  This was another very impressive and very hot set of ruins and is where the name 'Armageddon' comes from.

Eventually we reached Christ Church in Jerusalem, had a lovely welcome and evening meal, and went to bed!




Casting the net

Annie reading on the boat


Cornelius on his chariot at Megiddo

Wednesday 24 July 2013

Israel Houseparty part 2

The view from Seasons Hotel
The rest of the party gathered at Birmingham International and flew out to Tel Aviv via Schiphol, successfully making their connection with the help of Geoff and Alan.  After a coach journey and a short stay at the Seasons Hotel in Netanya, the party travelled along the coast to the amazing spot of Caesarea Maritima.

Some of the ruins of Herod's palace
The city and harbour were built by Herod the Great in 25-13BC and his palace was built on a promontory jutting out into the sea.  It felt like an appropriate place to start our tour, particularly as the musical Rock begins 'In Caesarea beside the sea'!  We met our guide Sahar and his wife Kimi, as well as our bus driver Bishawa who would be with us for the whole visit.  Caesarea included an amphitheatre, some amazing mosaics and a hippodrome - certainly a spot for lots of photos!

Sahar talking to the party on Mount Carmel
After Caesarea we had a quick lunch stop (the first falafel for many!) and then moved on to Mount Carmel.  Sadly the day was far too hazy for the view, but it was good to sit and reflect on Elijah's duel with the prophets of Baal.

The church of the Annunciation
From there we visited Nazareth on our way to our overnight accommodation in Galilee.  The church of the annunciation was a lovely space, with some beautiful stained glass windows.  It was also lovely to get out of the heat of the day into a cooler place.  As in almost all of the locations we visited there was a mass taking place, and the singing added to the atmosphere.

Trish, Annie and Bill at Caesarea
Our overnight accommodation was at Nof Ginosar, right on the shores of the lake.  It was a good opportunity for many of the party to meet and chat.  It was also an interesting evening as many of us watched the announcement of the new pope on our televisions.