Tiberias and Nazareth

I'm on the plane going home. There is nothing bittersweet about it for me. I have been away for three weeks. I have seen much and worked hard, or at least a lot (my work isn't very difficult, I have to admit). I have about 50 minutes until I land, and I am ready to see my family. Including my mom!

Thursday and Friday were half days for me. On Thursday my awesome friend Jen (same one as before) drove us to Tiberias and Nazareth. We didn't have much time, but we got to see the Sea of Galilee, and that was pretty awesome in and of itself. It is the lowest freshwater lake in the world, and the second lowest lake overall. So I got to see the two lowest lakes in the world on this trip. Isn't that awesome?! Thank you, Jen, what a great idea!

Unfortunately, Tiberias is much less than it could be. Litter-strewn, not preserved well, and an ugly attempt at capitalism, in my opinion. We walked along the Old City, and that was pretty neat. We saw a gate that had been established by Crusaders. I thought that was interesting, thinking about how long it must have taken them to get there and the reasons they were going. After walking around a short time, we went to Nazareth.

Mind you, the traffic to Tiberias had been pretty miserable. But driving in Tiberias, and from there to Nazareth...Well. Let's just say that if I had been driving, I'm pretty sure we would have been taking the train home and having one of the seasoned exercise people rescuing my car later. No. Thank. You.  Jen was fabulous, though.

One of my favorite quotes in the Bible is in the book of John from a man named Nathanael just before he is introduced to Jesus. He says when he hears where Jesus is from, "Nazareth?! Can anything good come from there?"* I mentioned that to Jen, and we speculated about what would have been so bad about Nazareth at that time.

Let me tell you this: When we got there, we didn't even get out of the car. I didn't take a single picture in Nazareth. I admit that we didn't get there until about five, and we were tired, and the streets were very narrow and very hilly, so maybe that was why. We literally (and by we, I mean Jen) drove around narrow hilly streets for an hour before deciding to give up and head home. I saw that there is an old Catholic church there, but considering its history, shouldn't there have been more? Maybe my friend Wendy can tell me what we missed and if I need to go back. (I guess I should have consulted you in the first place!)

{{Oh man. I just realized I screwed up the time difference and I still have an hour and a half! I'm too ready to be home already!}}

Traffic was pretty bad on the way back. We found a nice Italian restaurant. Surprise! It didn't have English menus! So I ordered what the lady beside us was eating (pesto noodles--delicious!) without trying the bite of hers that she offered me beforehand. ;-) We didn't get home until 10:00, and I had to wake up at 4:50 to get ready and be at work at 7:00. So I went right to sleep. I had big plans for my next half-day. I'll tell you about those tomorrow because my battery is dying and I need to save some to call my taxi.

But I'll give you a hint: It is something every person should think on, but no person wants to.

* When Jesus met Nathanael, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." That's quite a compliment, I think! But notice how blunt Nathanael was about Jesus' hometown? Sometimes I think that kind of bluntness is a good thing. (Okay, I pretty much think that all the time.)

Tiberius looking away from the Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee