I joined my parents and aunt and uncle for vacation to Israel and Jordan on a Holy Land Tour package this past May. It was an uplifting experience, one I could never forget.
Here are clips I took from day 3 and 4 of our vacation.
Day 3:
Still in Nazareth. First thing after breakfast, we went to St. Joseph's Church. It's built over the carpentry workshop of Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary. The cave quarters below the church are were the holy family lived and stayed at. We attended mass in the church above after (it's a Sunday).
Heading down the mountain from Nazareth, our next stop was Beit She'an National Park. This archeological site is home to one of the oldest cities in Israel, dating back to the late Neolithic/early Chalcolithic periods (6,000-5,000 BCE). Occupation and settlements continued through the Bronze Age (Egyptian period), Iron Age (time of the Philistines and King David and Solomon), Hellenistic and Roman periods, Byzantine, Early Muslim, Crusader, Mamluk, Ottoman, British Mandate, and today. The excavation site contained mostly remnants of Roman period architecture, but archeologists also unearthed evidence of Greek architecture replaced or covered up with Roman architecture. A 7-year-old boy once found a 3,400-year-old figurine on a hiking trip after accidentally kicking it on the ground.
After lunch, we stopped by Cana Wedding Church (the site of Jesus' first miracle turning water into wine) and saw the stone wine jars from the excavation site under. My parents, aunt and uncle, and other married couple in our tour group scheduled to renew their wedding vows the next day.
Day 4:
This was the most taxing day of the our trip so far, going through several locations around the Sea of Galilee. We went back to Cana Wedding Church for the vow renewal early morning. Took pictures of my parents and aunt and uncle.
Next stop was the Church of the Multiplication (of loaves and fish) at Tabgha. The church rests on the site of two earlier churches from the Byzantine period. In the church are mosaics (old and new).
Next was Yigal Allon Center (The "Jesus boat" Museum), where most of the tour group went on a boat ride in the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias). I went down the pier and just took pictures and videos. Inside the center is the Museum of Man, which was open to the public. for lunch, we went to St. Peter's Restaurant where they served St. Peter's fish (Tilapia).
After lunch, we went to Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene. The dig site contains an ancient synagogue previously unknown. Towards the back of Magdala is Duc in Altum church, a church dedicated to the women who followed and worshipped Jesus and women around the world from different times.
Next is Capernaum, the town of Jesus. We visited St. Peter's Church and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Following this was our stop at Mount of Beatitudes (Jesus' sermon on the mount).
Finally, we went to Yardenit Baptismal site on the Jordan River. This was our last location for the day. Some on our tour group got baptised by an Acolyte member from our group. I didn't get baptized, but I just waded in the river.
To be continued...
Here are clips I took from day 3 and 4 of our vacation.
Day 3:
Still in Nazareth. First thing after breakfast, we went to St. Joseph's Church. It's built over the carpentry workshop of Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary. The cave quarters below the church are were the holy family lived and stayed at. We attended mass in the church above after (it's a Sunday).
Heading down the mountain from Nazareth, our next stop was Beit She'an National Park. This archeological site is home to one of the oldest cities in Israel, dating back to the late Neolithic/early Chalcolithic periods (6,000-5,000 BCE). Occupation and settlements continued through the Bronze Age (Egyptian period), Iron Age (time of the Philistines and King David and Solomon), Hellenistic and Roman periods, Byzantine, Early Muslim, Crusader, Mamluk, Ottoman, British Mandate, and today. The excavation site contained mostly remnants of Roman period architecture, but archeologists also unearthed evidence of Greek architecture replaced or covered up with Roman architecture. A 7-year-old boy once found a 3,400-year-old figurine on a hiking trip after accidentally kicking it on the ground.
After lunch, we stopped by Cana Wedding Church (the site of Jesus' first miracle turning water into wine) and saw the stone wine jars from the excavation site under. My parents, aunt and uncle, and other married couple in our tour group scheduled to renew their wedding vows the next day.
Day 4:
This was the most taxing day of the our trip so far, going through several locations around the Sea of Galilee. We went back to Cana Wedding Church for the vow renewal early morning. Took pictures of my parents and aunt and uncle.
Next stop was the Church of the Multiplication (of loaves and fish) at Tabgha. The church rests on the site of two earlier churches from the Byzantine period. In the church are mosaics (old and new).
Next was Yigal Allon Center (The "Jesus boat" Museum), where most of the tour group went on a boat ride in the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias). I went down the pier and just took pictures and videos. Inside the center is the Museum of Man, which was open to the public. for lunch, we went to St. Peter's Restaurant where they served St. Peter's fish (Tilapia).
After lunch, we went to Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene. The dig site contains an ancient synagogue previously unknown. Towards the back of Magdala is Duc in Altum church, a church dedicated to the women who followed and worshipped Jesus and women around the world from different times.
Next is Capernaum, the town of Jesus. We visited St. Peter's Church and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Following this was our stop at Mount of Beatitudes (Jesus' sermon on the mount).
Finally, we went to Yardenit Baptismal site on the Jordan River. This was our last location for the day. Some on our tour group got baptised by an Acolyte member from our group. I didn't get baptized, but I just waded in the river.
To be continued...
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