My last day in Galilee started with a sunrise boat ride on the sea of Galilee (Tiberius/Genessaret) where we eventually said Mass on the water in the peacefulness. What can I say? Brilliant!
Next we travelled to Mt Tabor where the Transfiguration took place. The Sea of Galilee is 212 metres below sea level and Mt Tabor is 450 meters above the Sea of Galilee...and Jesus walked a lot on both! Honestly, one has to be here to experience the dimensions of these holy places as well as their human history.
At Mt Tabor we spent 3 hours, including a wonderful private luncheon. Yes, we had a glass of red, but I hope that did not effect my photography. The two angels above are from the church, and I was trying once again to be creative with the Blog page. Hope you enjoy.The pic on the left is the Basilica on top of Mt Tabor and it is truly magnificent. It has three chapels in it: one remembering Moses, one remembering Elijah, and of course the main chapel for Jesus which commemorates constantly the Transfiguration. The pic on the right is trying to give you a view from the inside with the main chapel. I celebrated Mass there in February this year and had to come back. I hope you can see why.
We finished the day at Jericho, the oldest inhabited city in the world...10,000 years. As you can see by my pic, I decided to leave my mark. From Galilee to Jericho is nearly three hours by bus. It is basically a treeless, rocky desert, except for the newer date palm trees. It must have been so hostile for Jesus to cross with donkey or sandals. It is truly a barren, stony deserted place. This is also where the Temptations of Christ took place...so Jesus went out into a real desert.Today, sadly, it is also the place of much tension between Israel and Palestine as the new border crosses through here.
I think I will dedicate this page to peace in the Holy Land. I have experienced peace. May they too.
Double click the pic to bigger view it.
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