Galilee

Meals in the hotels in Israel have been buffet style with a large range of foods.  What has surprised us is the breakfast selection which includes quantities of pasta and salads.. Interestingly some of the hotels do not offer coffee at dinner, but the dessert selection is wide and good.

This morning (Tuesday 15 June) we headed down to the Sea of Galilee, the lowest frsh water lake in the world at 215m below seea level.  Currently the lake level has dropped drastically and Israel is proposing to pump desalinated water is to revive the environment.  Already they have separated mineral spring water which is pumped out into the desert to avoid increasing the sale level in the lake. At one time the lake was used as a water source, but the climate changes have reduced the inflow.

We passed though the town of Tiberias which we were assured that Jesus never set foot here as, being a good Jew, he would have avoided an impure city as the town had a cemetary within the city walls - a mistake made by the romans.

Our first stop was to view a boat that had been excavated from the lake bed around 2004.  Although no hard dates were given it is an example of the type of boat likely to have been in use around 200 years ago.  At 10m long it is substantial and the hull planking is cleanly cut, but the structural timber is rough and still in branch form.  The boat was discovered during low water level and lifted our of the mud by encasing it in polystyrene.  It is now weel preserved in wax and is in remarkedly good condition, though most of 1 side is missing.

We then walked out to a large boat and sailed a little way north on the lake looking up at ing up at the Mount of Beatitudes. The shoreline here is reputed to be where Jesus walked on the water - a feat we did not attempt to replicate.  The boat was a broad and clad in wood to give an aged appearance.  The 15 of us (the tour group)was lost as the deck could have taken 200+.  We had an impromtu sermon from a pastor in the group and then he demonstrated hIs fishing skill by hauling in a net devoid of fish.  The way the net was constructed gave me the impression that it looked good when thrown, but was not capable of holding anything.

Leaving the lake we drove up to the Mount of Beatitudes where reputedly the Sermon on the Mount was preached. The church here is set in pleasant gdens overlooking the lake.

Directly below on the lake shore at Tabgha is the Church of the Multiplication, the reputed site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes.. Obviously there is no residue from the feast, but the church

Next stop was Capurnaum where the ruins include houses, possibly of fishermen, and a synagogue.  As this was the closest "pure" large town to Nazareth it is presumed the Jesus would have visited here with his father when young and used it as the centre of hs ministry.

Next was the source of the river Jordan at Banias Spring where a clear stream runs from a cliff that contains several caves, some of which are reputed to have been used for human sacrifices.

Up to the Golan Heights to view the border territory with Syria At a parking spot shared with the Israeli army.  As we arrived the smoke of an explosion in a town not far over the border rose and slowly drifted away.  Hard to believe you are standing watching over an active battlefield.  On the way up the road we were stopped by police for some unknown reason, but U-turned and used a. back road through a volcanic crater to get to our viewing point.

Several of the tour group wanted to experience full immersion baptism in the Jordan so we headed to the south of the Sea of Galilee to an area set up for the purpose.  The sight of dozens of people wading chest deep in the tepid green water with fish swimming around their legs is memorable.  Some of the groups went for a quick dip, while others formed rings and sang movingly.

Back to the kibbutz for the night.