Footsteps of Jesus (supposed) - Galilee region & the Dead Sea, Israel

Greetings from the Holyland! We are moving through the Middle East and its hotter than !@#$%*.  Summer is not exactly the best time to go, but we are here now.

When we last left off, we were traveling to the Sea of Galilee to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We reached Tiberias, a town on the sea and found a wonderland of water parks, chi-chi resorts and a bevy of  pilgrims worshipping the sun. Not exactly the spiritual retreat we had in mind, but people have lives to live. To escape the rampant commercialization, we headed for the northern shores to see the many holy sites. The Sea of Galilee is actually about 35 miles around, so the sights are bit too far to walk and almost impossible by public transport, so we took the next best option and rented mountain bikes with grand plans of biking around the sea.

Heading out in the midst of 100 degree oppressive heat should have been the first omen but we didn't heed it and began our pilgrimage, heading for the first stop, Kibbutz Ginosaur, home of the Jesus boat. About ten years ago, the Sea level had fallen during a drought and a wandering fisherman found the remains of a boat buried in the mud.  They excavated and found a completely preserved fishing boat dated to the time of Jesus, and was used by fisherman such as St. Paul.  It was great because the enclosed museum was air conditioned (this will become a preoccupation with us.) 

Our next stop was Capernaum, the city where Paul lived and the site of the ruins of the synagogue where Jesus preached as a lad. The church of Paul is modern edifice built on stilts over the remains of Paul's house (said so because they found some fishing hooks - can we say dubious?)

On to Tagbha, and home to the Church of the Multiplication of Fish and Loaves.  The church is built around a large boulder that pokes through the floor and is said to be the actual rock upon which the miracle of the ... gasp, multiplication of fish and loaves occurred.  Actually, there is a lot of this in the Holy Land, all these SUPPOSED sites of things. We are discovering how very political it all is. One segment of the church, to break away, will suddenly advance the theory that hey, here is where something happened and build a big church on the spot, but as to how accurate anything is, doubtful.  Wait til we get to Jerusalem.

Next stop, a beautiful little church built off a large rock hanging over the shore. The church, called the Primacy of Peter, is built over a rock known as the Mensa Christi, the site where the resurrected Jesus had lunch with his buds and also where Jesus gave Peter the keys to his church. Now by this time we are wiped, completely exhausted and sweat-drenched. A quick dip in the waters that Jesus walked upon cooled us down and felt refreshing but did nothing to magically restore our strength.

Our next stop was the Mount of the Beautitudes, where Jesus gave his famous oratory Sermon on the Mount. And what a Mount it was. A tall mountain overlooking the sea with a very STEEP path up. Yeah right. We stood at the base and could not muster up enough strength to go to the top. In fact, we could not pedal another step and gave up by the side of the road. Actually, we hailed a bus going by. With the help of a kindly soldier who convinced the bus driver to take our bikes on board, we rode back in air conditioned shame to our hotel in Tiberias. And we told everyone what a great ride we had.

We also visited Nazareth, very close by, which is the childhood home of Jesus, as well as the location of the Annunciation of Mary.  There is a magnificent basilica there built over a humble rock grotto, where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce the birth of the baby Jesus.  While wandering around, we lucked upon an American pilgrimage group having mass in the grotto. Now the modern pilgrimage is an interesting concept. A group of people along with a priest or monk as guide, ride in air conditioned splendor from one holy site to the next taking them all in in a holy-filled week. They say mass everyday in different churches, ponder over various Biblical passages, readings, lessons and even do things like getting baptized again in the River Jordan. Well, we joined a group saying an English mass. It was squeezed in between a Korean and a Spanish pilgrimage group. Pilgrimages to the Holy Land are nothing new.  They have been coming since the 3rd century, and they will keep coming.  The group we met up with came from Northern Indiana/Southside Chicago (small world.) We do believe that the best way to experience holy sites is to somehow take part in them, and that mass felt very special (it's impossible not to get a bit religious here.)  

A very beautiful aspect of the Church of the Annunciation is the artwork. Throughout the church and the grounds are works of art from countries around the world depicting the Mother, Baby Jesus or the Angel Gabriel with the features and clothing endemic to that country and created from local material showcasing that country's artistic talent. 

Mother and Child in Mosaic - Japan

In Nazareth, we also visited the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Gabriel. Seeing it reminds us that Christianity is very fragmented and that here in the Holy Land, no one gets along. If the Christians are not fighting with the Muslims or the Jews, they are fighting themselves. The Church is built over the supposed site of a spring where Mary drew water and Gabriel appeared to Mary (Orthodox version) Inside, you can still hear the water rushing from deep below the alter. It's built over the town's ancient water source. Myth vs. Reality...

From Tiberias, we traveled south to the Dead Sea. The lowest point on earth and about the hottest as well. Nothing grows in the area due to the high salt content in the water.  The large boulders on the shore of the Dead Sea are in fact huge calcified salt crystals. We stopped for a quick dip and found the water to be an oily, thick unrefreshing salt shake. In fact, the salt in the water makes you so buoyant, its impossible to swim or do anything besides float. 

And float we did. What a sight. All these people floating like logs by the shore, many people reading a newspaper for the requisite photo. You could lift your legs and arms out of the water, and any open wounds or recently shaved legs burned like acid was being poured on them. If you didn't know you had any wounds, you did now. The best part was the warning signs by the shore.  

DO NOT DRINK THE WATER. IF YOU ACCIDENTLY DRINK ANY WATER, GO IMMEDIATELY TO THE POISON CENTER. DO NOT GET ANY WATER IN YOUR EYES. IF YOU DO, GO IMMEDIATELY TO THE EYE WASH AT THE FIRST AID CENTER. DO NOT SPLASH WATER. DO NOT SWIM. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DUNK YOUR HEAD BENEATH THE SURFACE. DO NOT ENTER WITH OPEN WOUNDS, SCRATCHES OR CUTS AND DO NOT SHAVE PRIOR TO ENTERING THE WATER.

So much for happy fun ball.

ten four good buddies

ann and doug