All Around the North with Mom

Besides going to Nazareth, Mom and I drove all around the North and the Golan Heights. We looked up places in the book as we went and stopped there if they sounded interesting. Sometimes it's nice how small Israel is. Just north of Nazareth is Tzippori, the site of an ancient city said to be the home of Anna and Joachim, the Virgin Mary's parents. It was also the birth place of the Mishnah, Jewish oral law, developed in the 2nd century C.E. We walked around the crusader fortress that is still there and saw the amazing mosaics from the Byzantines.

We also drove all around the Kinneret, Sea of Galilee. We stayed for two nights on a kibbutz right on the north-western shore that Mom had stayed at on her trip. One of the nights, we went in search of a place to eat where we could watch the sunset over the water. After an awesome windy drive, Mom let me drive, and a couple wrong turns that simply resulted in additional stunning views, we found the restaurant Mom was sure existed. It was definitely worth the drive and the food was delicious.

Pictures:

1st: The view from the top of the crusader fortress in Tzippori

2nd: A mosque in the Golan, no longer in use, note the bullet holes

3rd: Mom enjoying the sunset over the Kinneret

4th: Beautiful

5th: It's important to stick to the trails when trekking around the Golan

Bethlehem

I had been wanting to see Bethlehem (literally House of Bread) for a long time but it is not so easy to get to. It is in a part of the West Bank that is entirely Palestinian controlled. Israeli citizens are not allowed to go there because they are not protected by the government or the IDF. None of my pals who have made Aaliyah would be able to get in with their Israeli IDs, nor would my Israeli friends who have cars. Mom and I had no trouble with our American passports and our rental car.

We headed straight to the Church of the Nativity where we quickly, and reluctantly, acquired a guide. We soon realized that it was great to have him showing us around. The Church is divided between Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian. It is the oldest continuously operating church, from the mid 300's C.E. Our guide helped us bypass the crowds on large tours and took us straight down to the Grotto of the Nativity. It consists of the supposed place where Mary gave birth to Jesus, as well as the manger she then placed him in, and the spot the three wise men put their gifts. We stood down there alone for quite a while before the groups joined us. It was absolutely amazing. It is so powerful to visit such holy sites, regardless of the religion they belong to. There is an energy that people pour into them that I can't help being moved by, even if it is not my religion.

I am really happy that Mom was up for going on this adventure. I know I say it a lot, but it was one of the most interesting experiences I've had. We drove 10 minutes south of Jerusalem and it was like we were in a totally different country. As soon as you make it through the check point, which feels like entering a high security prison, all the signs switch from being in Hebrew, Arabic and English, to just being in Arabic and English. The inside of the wall itself was awesome. It is covered in really beautiful graffiti. It was pretty foreign to have Arab police everywhere. The only ones we interacted with were very welcoming and friendly. Getting back into Jerusalem took longer than entering the West Bank. Everyone has to get out of the car and approach a soldier at a booth who checks their documents. You then drive your car up to another soldier who checks it if he feels the need. We got through this easily too. Two cars in front of us was an Arab family who were not permitted and had to turn around.

Pictures:

1st: Warning on the Jerusalem side

2nd: The wall from the Jerusalem side

3rd: Manger square, Mosque of Omar in the center

4th: The star that marks the birth site of Jesus

5th: Some of the art on the West Bank side

Nazareth

During our time in the North, Mom and I stopped by Nazareth. I really appreciate all the interesting juxtapositions that can be found, with no effort at all, while exploring Israel. Being the largest Arab city in Israel and one of the holiest Christian cities in the world, I was very interested to see it for myself. Driving into the town was the worst traffic I have experienced in Israel. There was such a high volume of cars and buses on streets that were clearly not made to accommodate the horde of people.

The main draw in Nazareth as a tourist, is the Church of Annunciation. It is built on top of the cave Mary supposedly lived in when Gabriel came to her and announced she was pregnant with the son of God. It was pretty powerful to stand in such a holy church. It was beautifully decorated with stained glass and gifts of artwork from all over the world. Underneath the church are remnants of the ancient city of Nazareth, including a mikvah (ritual Jewish bath). On our way out we stopped at a bakery for some delicious Arab pastries.

Pictures:

1st: A subtle message, Church of Annunciation on the right.

2nd: Outside of the church

3rd: Mary's cave

4th: Shout out for Celeste

5th: Mmmmmmmm. That's a whole lot of goodness I'll be missing in a couple weeks.