So my day started at 4:50am when the parents switched their lights on.
!?!?!
Fortunately I think I got a little more sleep, but got up at 6am.
Our first stop was actually at the hotel - the "Jesus Boat" museum - which houses a two thousand year old boat they found buried in the mud on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus Boat Museum
The Galilee Boat (The Jesus Boat)
Model of what the Jesus Boat may have looked like
Gate outside the Jesus Boat Museum
Next up we headed north and went to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter. From wikipedia: "According to tradition this is the spot where Jesus is said to have laid out a breakfast of bread and fish for the Apostles, and told Peter to "Feed my sheep" after the miraculous catch, the third time he appeared to them after his resurrection." Whether these were the exact locations or not who knows, but we were defintely close. Pretty awesome.
Beach at Tabgha. Jesus probably walked on this beach at some point!!
Bruce talking about the sea and the feeding of the five thousand just across the water
Church of the Primacy of St Peter
Interior of the Church of the Primacy of St Peter, Tagbha
Then we went a little further north and hopped on a boat for a little cruise on the lake. Was a lovely experience and great to be on the lake and see some of the sights from a different perspective.
Garden and water course at Capernaum National Park
Looking towards Capernaum Synagogue from the Sea of Galilee
Greek Orthodox Monastery at Capernaum
Sea of Galilee
Looking towards Tabgha and the Church of the Primacy of St Peter
Potential location for the Sermon on the Mount
Me and Cutie on the Sea of Galilee
Photo by Mum
Another tour boat on the Sea of Galilee
On our tour boat on the Sea of Galilee
Next it was time to battle hoardes of tourists to see Capernaum. I was totally surprised that Capernaum is a ruin town. I somehow imagined it would be like Nazareth and a big town by now. Turns out it was destroyed by an earthquake in 746 and never rebuilt. But this made it cooler, because you could actually see some of the original streets and buildings. The synagogue there was dated quite a bit later, but even so, there's a good chance it was built on the same location, which meant we walked where Jesus once walked! Unfortunately there were too many crowds to ponder the significance of this, and we didn't spend much time there :(
Site of church built over remains of what tradition holds as Peter's house
Excavations at Capernaum
Excavations at Capernaum
Capernaum Synagogue
Capernaum Synagogue
Lunch was at "St Peter's Restaurant" a short distance away, and we sat on the deck with a great view of the lake. Had some yummy fish and the place had tonnes of salads. I'm still amazed by all the fresh food and salads in this country. It's awesome! I'm probably eating too much, but I'm certainly eating very healthily!
View of the Sea of Galilee from St Peter's Restaurant
Kingfisher fishing in the Sea of Galilee
Next stop was another ruin town - Korazim - with another cool synagogue and buildings. In contrast to everywhere else, we had this place entirely to ourselves which was nice.
View of the northern end of the Sea of Galilee
Korazim
Ruins at Korazim
Excavations at Korazim
Ruins at Korazim
Synagogue at Korazim
Synagogue at Korazim
Synagogue at Korazim
Medusa stonework at Korazim Synagogue
Lizard at Korazim
Then up to the Church of the Beatitudes. This is a possible location of "the sermon on the mount", also a location that Jesus was likely to have been at some point in his life. Very cool. Although us Aussies are taking over - eucalypt trees are everywhere in Israel and this location was no different.
Church of the Beatitudes
Interior of the Church of the Beatitudes
View through the fence to the possible location of the Sermon on the Mount. Complete with eucalyptus tree
Possible location of the Sermon on the Mount
View towards the Sea of Galilee
Ronen and his brother at the Mount of Beatitudes. Our tour was joined by the tour guide's brother and his wife for a couple of days
It was back to the hotel at this point, but we didn't stay long, we headed out again shortly after to walk around the kibbutz this place is part of. Was quite surprised to see a small dairy farm with a bunch of calves. So cute!
Entrance to a bunker in Nof Ginosar
Calves at Nof Ginosar
Cattle shed at Nof Ginosar
Did a bit more washing before using the internet for a while.
Kebab meat for dinner with more salad. I'm going to miss all the wonderful salads here when we leave.
Distance covered on the GPS: 49.9km
Steps walked: 13774
Photos on the Canon: 495
Photos on the Sony: 21
Videos: 20