Leaving the kibbutz our first stop was at Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation which is positiond over the reputed house of Joseph and Mary. The crypt contains the ground floor of a small dwelling with steps leading upwards, presumeablty to the roof or a second storey. The church itself is a beautiful modern building suspended over the crypt with a clear circle over the site and a huge dome.
On to Beith Shean to walk through the excavated ruins of a large Roman town with a well preserved theatre, shopping arcade, main street with stormwater drainage and much more. The town was destroyed by an earthquake and the digging has revealed several towns, most levelled by quakes. Only about 10% of the site has been excavated but what is visible is impressive.
After lunch we headed to Jerusalem and stopped on the Mount of Olives to look over to the old city, particularly the old temple site crowned with the Dome of the Rock whuch is on this side of the city. At the foot of this hill we visited the Garden of Gethseman which is a small olive grove with ancient trees leading to a small chapel.
After being dropped off at the hotel we were told that there was no reservation for us. After a long wait the tour company sent a driver to take us to the correct hotel on the other side of the city. However they did not tell our guide and he wasted a lot of time trying to find us the next day.
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