Photo time.
Mosaic day. This one of Tiberias. You will see more later.
Cana.
Place of Jesus' first miracle.
At the wedding in Cana, turning water into wine.
You see a line of couples getting married, in Polish.
Stone foundation from 325 AD church are in the level right under the wedding service, open to it. The wooden perimeter bench, serene being surrounded by 4th century church's stone, and then from the 21st century, hearing songs, prayers and readings from the three services going on up the stairs. Thousands of pilgrims have been here. Think of that.
Is this the real Mona Liza????
Thought it was in Paris...
Hillsides of Nazareth. Green and rocky. It's about 25-30 miles walking Nazareth to Capernaum. This is what you walk over. Jesus did this.
Nazareth was a large town, a city. I wasn't expecting that.
Lilies for Mary.
Walking to the Church.
The Church of the Annunciation.
Built over Mary's home
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
And this is a flat floor, with tiles to look like stairs descending.
So you walk in slowly and respectfully.
And a grotto like Mary and Joseph would have gone to in Bethlehem. Grotto, a manger where the animals were kept, below a home or down the hill from the home. Dug out of stone, with the stone used as the walls of the home above.
Walk to lunch.
Spice shop.
Lunch.
Square of one of the springs in Nazareth.
Rocky hill outside Nazareth. What Jesus would have walked over.
Beit Sha'en. Town from millenia ago, where Via Maris (n-s route) and main e-w route intersect. Old Testament battles in this valley.
Small map shows Roman time - Temple on the hill, civic area below with stoas (shops), baths, amplitheatre, stadiums, then homes in blocks.
Towns followed similar formula in Greece as Israel then.
Holy sites on high ground.
Surrounded by civic areas.
Homes then packed together for safety.
Bathhouse has stands for mosaic floor, steam circulated underneath.
Layers of building over the years. Mosaics from Roman times, 150 BC-300 AD. Then on top of that was Byzantine large tiles of white marble.
An earthquake toppled the marble center street columns. See how the column falling disrupted the black basalt street paver.
Pomegranate tree.
And date palm, olive tree and grape vines. All crucial to ancient peoples here.
The Bathroom, Roman times, unisex. No stalls, just seats to sit on, with channels of water flowing below.
And the theatre!
Driving south to Jerusalem. 100 miles total. South along the Jordan River.
Enter the W Bank, Palestine. Getting dryer.
Glimpse of the north tip of the Dead Sea. Getting dryer still.
Camels.
Left the Scots Hotel in Tiberias. Boy that was fantastic. Very Scottish. Neat, tidy, tartans, Bar with 30 whiskeys upstairs.
Mosaic day. This one of Tiberias. You will see more later.
Cana.Place of Jesus' first miracle.
At the wedding in Cana, turning water into wine.
You see a line of couples getting married, in Polish. 
Stone foundation from 325 AD church are in the level right under the wedding service, open to it. The wooden perimeter bench, serene being surrounded by 4th century church's stone, and then from the 21st century, hearing songs, prayers and readings from the three services going on up the stairs. Thousands of pilgrims have been here. Think of that.
Is this the real Mona Liza????
Thought it was in Paris...
Hillsides of Nazareth. Green and rocky. It's about 25-30 miles walking Nazareth to Capernaum. This is what you walk over. Jesus did this.
Nazareth was a large town, a city. I wasn't expecting that.
Lilies for Mary.
Walking to the Church.
The Church of the Annunciation.
Built over Mary's home
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
And this is a flat floor, with tiles to look like stairs descending.So you walk in slowly and respectfully.
Mosaics. All at the Church of the Annunciation.
America's is Mary, strong and empowering, at the Dawn of our sacred and cosmic destiny. Love it.
Church of St Joseph. Baptismal font (full immersion) from Crusader time. So that means its been used for 1000 years. Think of the Thousands of Christians who have been baptized here.
And a grotto like Mary and Joseph would have gone to in Bethlehem. Grotto, a manger where the animals were kept, below a home or down the hill from the home. Dug out of stone, with the stone used as the walls of the home above.
Walk to lunch.
Spice shop.
Rocky hill outside Nazareth. What Jesus would have walked over.
Beit Sha'en. Town from millenia ago, where Via Maris (n-s route) and main e-w route intersect. Old Testament battles in this valley.
Small map shows Roman time - Temple on the hill, civic area below with stoas (shops), baths, amplitheatre, stadiums, then homes in blocks.Towns followed similar formula in Greece as Israel then.
Holy sites on high ground.
Surrounded by civic areas.
Homes then packed together for safety.
Bathhouse has stands for mosaic floor, steam circulated underneath.
An earthquake toppled the marble center street columns. See how the column falling disrupted the black basalt street paver. 
And date palm, olive tree and grape vines. All crucial to ancient peoples here.
The Bathroom, Roman times, unisex. No stalls, just seats to sit on, with channels of water flowing below.
And the theatre!
Driving south to Jerusalem. 100 miles total. South along the Jordan River.
To our left, east, you can see the hills of Jordan. The Jordan River is between us.
Enter the W Bank, Palestine. Getting dryer. 
Glimpse of the north tip of the Dead Sea. Getting dryer still.
Camels.
First sight of Jerusalem.
We are here.
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