To the sea of Galilee

Woke up in Nazareth this morning to the sounds of bells ringing every half hour as it was Sunday morning and thus the sabbath for Christians living in one of the larger cities in Israel ( about 100,00 compared to about 500 in Jesus day ). About 25% of the city is Christian and the rest is Muslim. Above the city of Nazareth hemming it in is a Jewish incorporated town of about 35000 called upper Nazareth. This has placed inordinate pressure on Nazareth for land use and resources. Many Jews though have businesses or shop in Nazareth proper. This makes sabbath varied and confusing as the Muslim sabbath starts Thursday night, Jews start Friday night and Christians Sunday. One can never know then what businesses or sites will be open or closed which day. Because of this we visit only one church in the morning ( the grotto/cave site of Mary's family home where Jesus may have grown up) and we will return here again in tomorrow for other activities and. Interactions .

From here we drive towards the sea of Galilee, about a 2 days walk away in the time of Jesus and an hours drive for us, We stop first at the mount of the beatitudes where Jesus is said to have delivered the sermon on the mount. It's the first time of all the places that we have visited that I've felt connected to the land and the location and the vision that Jesus was trying to communicate with those who had come to hear him. The site stands in much different contrast to many others that we have visited. The view toward the sea of Galilee is spectacular.

From there we go to Capernum . This is the city where Jesus spent a fair bit of time at Peter's mother inlaw's place . We tour this archeological site and learn more about the area, it's history and customs. Then we cross the sea by boat to the other side to Tiberius . Where we get off is the site of the 2000 year old fishing boat that they unearthed about 20 years ago and has been preserved in a museum. We head into town , an almost exclusively Jewish center now and one of the 4 most prominent Jewish cities in Israel . It was also once the site of a roman city built by Herod by the hot springs as a place of treatment for his arthritis.

We arrive at the first Jewish hotel we have stayed in and have a leisurely late afternoon in the sun and I get the chance to swim in the sea of Galilee. We spend the evening trying to unpack more about our time in Jenin and the 5 key issues in dispute: access to water; right of return for Palestinians, the capital city of Jerusalem , the Jewish settlements and the "green line" . We debate the various merits of the one state verses two state solutions in light of these 5 key issues. Obviously there are no easy answers.