Israel Day 9 - The Sea of Galilee

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Today is our last Jesus-themed day with a drive along the west shore of The Sea of Galilee, which is in fact a lake. The place names are familiar from stories told at Sunday School, but I don’t recall anybody mentioning how utterly beautiful the scenery was. No wonder Jesus wandered around preaching love, harmony and sharing your picnic.



Our first stop, is indeed the site of the Feeding of the 5000; Tabgha and the German Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fish. Here as if the labour the point, the church is fronted with a pond full of fish.



Next, the Mount of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. Here there is the octagonal church, each side containing a stained glass panel indicating whom Jesus said should be Blessed. The old man talks a lot about cheesemakers. He thinks he’s funny. We wander along the shore, enjoying the view and considering the conflicting signage.



Final stop, Capernaum, which contains the remains of a house which may (or may not) have been the home of St Peter.



We head towards tonight’s hotel in the resort town of Tiberias. The hotel, Aviv Holiday Flat, and the town have seen better days. We take a walk along the prom, it’s strewn with litter and smells of sewage.



We head for the Tiberias Open Air Museum. It doesn’t really live up to its name; it’s actually a small sculpture garden. There’s also a twin domed mosque, which makes us laugh; from the side it looks like a giant set of boobs.

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