Tel Aviv, Nazareth, and Capernaum, Israel!

We were in Tel Aviv for less than 24 hours, which I now wish we had done differently. The tour guide who organized the second part of our trip dismissed Tel Aviv as just another big city. While many people might think that, I would have liked to spend at least one full day there. Upon arrival, we immediately proceeded to the beach to walk to the old city, Jaffa. We eagerly rented a bike and a scooter and had a great time cruising along the bike path! 

We left our rides along the waterfront in Jaffa, where we had a selection of restaurants to choose from for lunch. After our meal, we climbed up the winding streets and wished we had more time in Jaffa! If I returned, we’d have more than half a day in Tel Aviv for the museums and the beach and at least half a day in Jaffa.

Our tour started with a bus ride to Nazareth, which is now a large and crowded city. The temperatures were expected to be high that afternoon, so I brought a sari to wrap over my skirt and shirt when we visited a church. I respect that knees and shoulders must be covered, but the guard would not let me into the church even with yards of material covering me from my ankles to my neck! He told the tour guide he was worried that I would trip on the stairs. Um, what??? My feet are not covered at all. The tour guide had to vouch for me that I wouldn’t remove the sari and that I would be very careful on the stairs in order not to trip. So, if you go to Nazareth, don’t bring a sari to wrap around your knee length skirt and sleeveless blouse. Other ladies had simple scarves that they wrapped around their tank tops, and they were admitted without a problem.

We then drove to the Sea of Galilee through beautiful scenery. There are a number of sites to see around Capernaum, and several massive tour bus restaurants that we don’t particularly recommend. The location of the Sermon on the Mount was crowded but had beautiful gardens, and the Chapels and ruins in and near Capernaum were amazing! Tiberias is also a bustling city now, and it was neat to walk along the lakeshore. I wish our hotel room had screens on the windows instead of a sticker instructing us to not open the windows (there were small gnats and mosquitos flying around). The boat ride on the Sea of Galilee was meaningful to our group of Pilgrims.

Visiting the Jordan River was amazing. Several in our group were baptized, and we prayed and sang. Other groups did, too!