My Pilgrimage: June 4

Today was an interesting and long day.  It started with Pentecost Mass, in Arabic, at the Basilica of the Annunciation.  After breakfast, we marched down to our van to depart Nazareth.

Our first stop was Caesarea Maritima, a port used by the Romans and built up by Herod the Great.  This was definitely the highlight of the tour today.  After long last, I was able to walk in the Mediterranean Sea!  Just thinking about all of the history surrounding that water, it was a bucket list item checked off.  I also stood in Herod’s Bath, part of his palace.  There is also an amphitheater and hippodrome (chariot races) there, as well as some ruins from the Byzantines and Crusaders.  We also took a quick trip to look at the aquaduct which brought water to the port city.

Amphitheater

Herod's Palace

Pontius Pilate named

Herod's Bath

Hippodrome

I'm in the Med!

Bathing with Herod!

We then drove over to Megiddo, better known as Armageddon.  It was strategically placed on the highways of commerce, most especially the Jezreel Valley connecting the Med with the Jordan River.  It was neat to see for the views and that they have found ruins reaching back 7000 years.  Lunch there was a decent falafel pita.

The Gates to Armageddon

Looking down on the Jezreel Valley

Next was Sepphoris, or at least it was supposed to be.  We had a bit of a detour since the driver thought we were going to our hotel, only about 30 minutes out of the way.  This was most notable for two things: amazing floor mosaics and a building from a Crusader fortress.  One of the mosaics is known as the “Mona Lisa of Galilee.”  There were also a number of mosaics including the Amazons, which of course made me think of how I am missing the Wonder Woman movie.  Finally, there is a 5^th Century synagogue there with, interestingly, a zodiac in the mosaic floor.

Some amazing mosaics

Crusader building

The Mona Lisa of Galilee

Zodiac

Finally, we were headed to our hotel in Tiberias, right on the Sea of Galilee.  We got to our hotel…and there were no rooms for us!  Apparently the hotel overbooked and “tried to contact us but none of the numbers worked.”  So instead they have put us up in a lower class hotel which included a subpar buffet dinner.  At least there’s A/C and internet in our rooms, so I should not complain too much.  I am hoping that for the second night in a row I can actually sleep until wake up time, and not at the 3:30 call to prayer.

I should add that a number of us, including myself, are dealing with varying degrees of dehydration (one was out all yesterday).  Please keep us in your prayers for our safety and health.