Friday started early because we were checking out of our Nazareth Hotel to move on to Bethlehem for the rest of our stay.
The first stop in Nazareth was at the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Annunciation. A beautiful structure that is said to be built over the spring that Mary was at when Gabriel announced to her she was going to be the mother of Jesus. The spring is still running today.
Our next spot was the Sanctuary of the Lord’s First Miracle, which was turning water into wine at a wedding in Canaan.
Sea of Galilee was our next destination area. First up was the boat ride on very calm waters. It was awesome to see the same landscape that Jesus and his disciples saw 2000 years ago from the vantage of being on the sea.
The rest of the morning was spent visiting locations around the Sea of Galilee. Tabgha, Primacy of St Peter, Capernaum, and ending with the Mt. of Beatitudes.
We had lunch at St Peters Fish, and most of us had the traditional ‘Gods Fish’ meal. Yummy!
The afternoon took us to the Jordan River where we saw many baptisms in the Jordan happening.
The drive to Bethlehem took a couple of hours, through two checkpoints and finally to the Manger Square Hotel.