Our first stop today after packing up and saying good-bye to the kibbutz was a little town at the foot of Mount Tabor. Mt. Tabor was the site of an Old Testament battle and some Christians believe it (not Mt. Hermon) is where Jesus was transfigured. It's also the location of the Tabor Winery. We stopped in for a tasting and to buy a bottle of Merlot in anticipation of our
next stop.
Between Mt. Tabor and Nazareth is the city of Kafer Kana, beter known to many as Cana of Galilee. Jesus' first miracle (turning water into wine) is commemorated by two churches sitting side by side. The Catholics and Orthodox Churches have each built a shrine. We visited both, and the Orthodox church is far more beautiful. The icons and painted walls and ceilings are stunning. A white-bearded priest in black cassock and cap lit candles in the dark and mysterious sanctuary. The gardens outside were beautiful also. Lining the narrow alleys leading to the "wedding churches" are many souvenir shops, most of which offer "Cana Wedding Wine." We agreed to sample some available for $30 a bottle, and it was truly awful.
The last time I visited Cana, I took a photo of a sign outside one of the churches that said "No drinking wine on the premises!!" I thought that was ironic and terribly funny, even though I was a complete tee-totaler at the time. A lifetime of Methodism had impressed on me the evils of alcohol in pretty much any form or amount. In my early-40s, I began to see that abstaining from alcohol had become like an idol for me and a source of pride (the bad kind) and judgment of others. Anyway, I've loosened up since then and really enjoy learning about and sampling wines. One of Leroy's and my favorite activites is wine-touring, which we have been able to indulge in a bit in Israel (more to come in Greece and Italy, for sure.) We will open up the Merlot tonight in our very cool room in Nazareth (more on that later) and celebrate the miracle of water becoming wine!
Nazareth is the largest Palestinian city in Israel. In the center of town is a Catholic Church known as the Church of the Annunciation. It is designated as a basilica and is the largest Christian worship space in the Middle East. Despite the predominance of Muslim citizens, the city's focus and economy seem centered on the birth and childhood of Jesus. Mary gets a lot of attention here, and there is a huge sign suspended over the road in the middle of town that says (I'm not making this up): "Merry Xmas". The Church of the Annunciation itself is spectacular. It's a modern church with a massive dome. Under the main level of the church is a dark, lower space (a "grotto") that contains remnants of what has been identified since the 4th century as the home of Mary. Catholics assume the angel spoke to Mary about Jesus' birth while she was at home. Orthodox folks believe it happened while Mary was drawing water from a well (probably because the Catholics got the prime spot first), so they've built their church by a well.
We are staying in a fantastic hostel/hotel called the Fauzi Azar Inn. It's an old Arab palace from the 18th century located in the center of the Old City. We parked our car far away and walked through a maze of narrow pedestrian streets to reach the inn. We had to bend over to enter through a Hobbit door, which didn't make a great first impression. Once inside, though, we were surrounded by a breathtaking three-story-tall courtyard filled with a splashing fountain, gorgeous flowers, fluttering doves, and stone stairways leading in all directions. The building has only been partially restored after being abandoned for many years. Tall ceilings are hand-painted with rich, flaking detail. Arched stained-glass windows are beautiful though kind of rough around the edges. Our room has stone walls, a vaulted barrel-like stone ceiling, and the tiniest window imaginable. Needless to say, the WiFi network doesn't work in our room, so I'm in the palace's old parlor looking out over the top of Nazareth. A cat just ran across the roof next door, and the largest full moon I've ever seen is peering back at me.
Tomorrow we're up early and off to Tel Aviv for a few days of relaxing to complete a very full first month of sabbatical!
The last time I visited Cana, I took a photo of a sign outside one of the churches that said "No drinking wine on the premises!!" I thought that was ironic and terribly funny, even though I was a complete tee-totaler at the time. A lifetime of Methodism had impressed on me the evils of alcohol in pretty much any form or amount. In my early-40s, I began to see that abstaining from alcohol had become like an idol for me and a source of pride (the bad kind) and judgment of others. Anyway, I've loosened up since then and really enjoy learning about and sampling wines. One of Leroy's and my favorite activites is wine-touring, which we have been able to indulge in a bit in Israel (more to come in Greece and Italy, for sure.) We will open up the Merlot tonight in our very cool room in Nazareth (more on that later) and celebrate the miracle of water becoming wine!
Nazareth is the largest Palestinian city in Israel. In the center of town is a Catholic Church known as the Church of the Annunciation. It is designated as a basilica and is the largest Christian worship space in the Middle East. Despite the predominance of Muslim citizens, the city's focus and economy seem centered on the birth and childhood of Jesus. Mary gets a lot of attention here, and there is a huge sign suspended over the road in the middle of town that says (I'm not making this up): "Merry Xmas". The Church of the Annunciation itself is spectacular. It's a modern church with a massive dome. Under the main level of the church is a dark, lower space (a "grotto") that contains remnants of what has been identified since the 4th century as the home of Mary. Catholics assume the angel spoke to Mary about Jesus' birth while she was at home. Orthodox folks believe it happened while Mary was drawing water from a well (probably because the Catholics got the prime spot first), so they've built their church by a well.
We are staying in a fantastic hostel/hotel called the Fauzi Azar Inn. It's an old Arab palace from the 18th century located in the center of the Old City. We parked our car far away and walked through a maze of narrow pedestrian streets to reach the inn. We had to bend over to enter through a Hobbit door, which didn't make a great first impression. Once inside, though, we were surrounded by a breathtaking three-story-tall courtyard filled with a splashing fountain, gorgeous flowers, fluttering doves, and stone stairways leading in all directions. The building has only been partially restored after being abandoned for many years. Tall ceilings are hand-painted with rich, flaking detail. Arched stained-glass windows are beautiful though kind of rough around the edges. Our room has stone walls, a vaulted barrel-like stone ceiling, and the tiniest window imaginable. Needless to say, the WiFi network doesn't work in our room, so I'm in the palace's old parlor looking out over the top of Nazareth. A cat just ran across the roof next door, and the largest full moon I've ever seen is peering back at me. 
Tomorrow we're up early and off to Tel Aviv for a few days of relaxing to complete a very full first month of sabbatical!