Israel Day Trip: Galilee, Golan Heights, Nazareth

Last Friday I recapped our first day trip up the coast to Caesarea, Haifa, Acre — and today we’re on the road again, this time headed inland.

Around 9pm we arrive in Tiberias, located on the Sea of Galilee. We’ve booked a night at the Pilgrim’s Residence and wander along the main boardwalk for awhile trying to find it. What a strange area — it looks like a deserted carnival! And our hotel is one of the oddest places I’ve stayed in… apparently it hosts Russian Orthodox nuns? We’re among the only guests here, and the woman who greets us provides fodder for conversation and giggles over the next few days. But it’s a fine place to stay for one evening.

We dine at the restaurant on site and marvel over how weird this town is.

And here’s Pilgrim’s Residence by the light of day:

View from the rooftop:

Here’s the impressive cave-like dining room, made of stone. Breakfast is at 8am! (We are told this multiple times.)

A whole spread just for us:

We stroll down the empty boardwalk looking for coffee. It’s slim pickings. But views of the sea are pretty:

And we’re off to Golan Heights.

We spot a slew of tourist buses stopped outside a church. Curious as to what we’re missing, we pull over. Turns out it’s the Church of the Multiplication, where Jesus fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread. Lucky we stumbled upon it!

That rock under the altar is said to be the exact spot where Jesus multiplied the fish and bread.

This man restores an old mosaic, perhaps a remnant of the two previous churches built on this site.

After our unexpected stop, we press on to Golan Heights.

This area used to belong to Syria but became occupied by Israel during the Six Day War of 1967 and was officially annexed in 1981. It continues to be a contentiously monitored border between the two countries with occasional flare-ups. A demilitarized zone under the control of UN peacekeeping forces provides a buffer.

Specifically, we visit Mount Bental in Golan Heights — there’s an IDF stronghold which was built on top of an old Syrian lookout with strategic views of the Israel-Syrian border. It’s currently a tourist attraction where visitors can walk through tunnels, photograph the views, and enjoy lunch in the on-site cafe.

We’re greeted by cheeky, rusty statues lining the entrance, like this one:

It’s a little eerie to see these black cut-outs of soldiers poised to shoot guns.

Distances to nearby cities:

Here’s a wide shot of the border between these two countries. We could just make out the demilitarized zone where vehicles had to stop for inspection. Throughout our time here, we notice a few white SUV’s with United Nations decals.

Syria in the distance:

My sister, uncle, and I head below into the underground tunnels.

Beth takes this shot of me in action:

… while I’m taking this photo:

We eat a surprisingly delicious lunch at the cafe on Mount Bental. I can personally vouch for their coffee.

Next we drive to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she was the chosen one.

Mosaics depicting Mary, the angel Gabriel, and Jesus at various stages of his life line the walls of the courtyard and interior of the church. Each one is from a different country and you can observe various cultural touches in the biblical scenes.

After wandering around above, I get separated from my uncle and sister. Turns out there’s an underground cave marking the “exact” spot (as we learn a few days later in Jerusalem, take that word with a grain of salt) where Gabriel told Mary she would carry Jesus. The modern church was built over the cave.