Sunday, Dec 9 - On the road to Tiberias

Another amazing day. We left the hotel this morning about 8:30 and headed toward Tel Aviv on Route 6 and north to Nazareth, Cana, and Tiberias. The landscape changes as we go, and we see what must be the most fertile valleys in Israel. (I haven't adjusted the picture size, so be sure to click the picture to see all of it, up close and personal.)

It seems that wherever there is a hill, a city grows. Houses seem to be stacked on top of one another, ready to slide down the hillside like a stack of dominoes. When I post to Flickr, I will post more of the things we saw.

We visited the Church of the Annunciation, with its beautiful stained glass windows through which the sun splashed color all through the sanctuary where Mary's house was enshrined, the Wedding Feast of Cana, the Church of St. Joseph, the Jordan River, and many other places on our way to our hotel in Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The picture is of Lauren wading in the River Jordan.

We have a balcony in our room, overlooking the Sea, and we can watch the sun rise in the morning as we awake. How sweet it is.

Tiberias is a resort area, and it's alive with people of all ages, music, lights, shops, restaurants, and excitement. Lauren and I went for a walk this evening, after supper and Compline (a vespers service we have celebrated only once on this trip).

To close this blog, I'll post a few pictures of the area near our hotel in Tiberias.