To our surprise, today we were joined by the same group as yesterday along with the same guide (Erez). We actually got away on time too which was a big improvement from yesterday. We started with a 40-minute drive to Nazareth. Our tour was labelled as Galilee Shore Excursion and apart from a few extra places was a journey around some of the New Testament locations where Jesus performed some of the documented miracles. Our first stop was in Nazareth (Church of the Annunciation) which is where the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she would give birth to Jesus.
We then visited the Mount of Beatitudes where there is a small church built on the area where Jesus is believed to have delivered his Sermon on the Mount. A very busy site and just something to tick boxes for us.
Next, we travelled to the Church of Tabgha which is on the site where Jesus is said to have multiplied the loaves and fish miracle.
We then travelled to Capernaum to see the church of Peter which has been built over the remains of the ancient temple, this area was considered Jesus’s home city.
After a lunch break, we carried on to Jordan River (Yardenit baptism site) which is where Jesus was said to have been baptized by John the Baptist. Today it is still visited by millions of pilgrims wishing to be baptized in the same location.
With this area covered, we set off back to Haifa for one last stop for a Panoramic view over the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, a UNESCO world heritage site.
We have had an amazing 2 days and seen and visited some incredible places Tomorrow is another early start which I will document as and when time permits.
Apart from visiting the Dead Sea, your private tours to Jerusalem and Galilee seemed to cover almost exactly what we saw in 2014 from a Regent ship visiting Ashdod and Haifa – great pictures to compare with ours – some changes, some still timeless. Another time at a cruise visit we managed to fit in a tour to Jaffa
Sounds like another awesome day. You really saw a bunch. Looking forward to tomorrow.