It is difficult for me to express on paper how absolutely and utterly life-changing this experience was for me. I hope you enjoy part 1 of this series outlining our pilgrimage to the Holy Land in February 2023. I took over 700 photographs during this pilgrimage and will not add a tenth of those to these blog posts. I hope you get excited about a trip to the Holy Land and to make your own memories.
January 30 - 31, 2023
Our travel “day” started with a 4-hour delay at SeaTac as
our plane to San Francisco required emergency repairs/maintenance. We walked
miles as they changed our departure gate at least 5 times, which is when I
stopped counting. But at 3:00 pm local time, we were on our way to San
Francisco. We left San Francisco at our appointed 7:30 pm departure for a very
long 14-hour flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.
We arrived in Tel Aviv at approximately 7:35pm (local time)
on January 31st (14-hour flight + 10 hours ahead of us) and were
greeted by a gigantic storm containing thunder, lightning, and more rain than Israel
had saw the entire month of January.
This unsettled weather would be the common thread throughout
most of our time in country. The CTC (our travel agency) representative met us
at the gate; walked us through the entire visa/passport process so we could all
enter Israel. There was one minor glitch but it was soon resolved and our group
proceeded to gather our luggage.
We met our tour guide, Hussam, near the ground
transportation and he greeted us with a warm “Welcome Home”. After a hike
through parking lots, down drenched sidewalks, and other paved “roads” we
eventually arrived at our (large and luxurious) tour bus. Our driver, Essam,
helped Hussam load our luggage, and we were off to Netanya where our first
hotel, the Leonardo Plaza Hotel, was located. Ken and I had a beautiful room on
the 7th floor with a gorgeous terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, it stormed throughout the entire night and the next morning so we could not enjoy the terrace, however, we “slept like baby Jesus”.
View from Netanya hotel terrace facing the Mediterranean.
February 1, 2023
We woke to a soaked Israel with continued thunder and lightning storms as well as sporadic torrential downpours. This did not, however, dampen our
spirits.
We ate breakfast which included much local fare at the hotel
“cafeteria”. Fresh food was the norm, not just for the day, but for the entire
trip - cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, bananas, yogurt and so much more!
Beautiful to behold and delicious to taste!
We soon boarded our bus and Essam drove us to Nazareth so we
could have Mass at the Basilica of the Annunciation/Upper Basilica before
lunch. We enjoyed daily Mass every day while we were in Israel with Father Michael. This was quite a treat for me as I usually cannot attend daily Mass because of my job.
Before Mass we visited St. Joseph’s Memorial Church situated
behind the Basilica where it is said Joseph worked as a carpenter. It was a
humble structure (made of stone, of course) and filled with stained glass, artwork,
and reverence.
Returning to the Basilica we climbed the sweeping spiral
stone staircase which led to the Upper Basilica. Seeing Father Michael and
Deacon Ken on the altar in this holy place was surreal, comforting, and sacred. These amazing locations surrounded by our fellow travellers and our parish priest (and deacon) - how could it get better than that!
Mass at Basilica of the Annunciation - Upper Basilica
The Basilica is the site commemorating Mary, mother of God, saying yes to the angel, Gabriel. The current church, the largest Christian church in the Middle East, was built in 1969 over the ruins of two previous churches.
After a lovely lunch with a large number of other pilgrims, we drove to the
site of the Wedding at Cana. Mary advocates for us as she did for the couple in
Cana when she asked her son to help the newlyweds and he turned water into wine.
The married couples of our group stood together on the altar to renew their wedding vows. It
was a beautiful ceremony, chapel, area, and many memories made.
We arrived at our new home in the afternoon – the Mount of Beatitudes
Guest House which provides an extraordinary view of the Sea of Galilee and
surrounding area. We were blessed with this quiet, out of the way, and
thoroughly spiritual venue for our first days in Israel. The rooms were small
but clean; the food was fresh and abundant. Ken & I were exhausted and went
to bed well before 9:00 pm.
February 2, 2023
We left the Mt. of Beatitudes Guest House the next morning to explore many sites near the
Sea of Galilee including Capernaum, a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, a kibbutz where we saw the “Jesus Boat”
(recently discovered fishing boat from around the time of Jesus) among so much more.
Capernaum was full of ancient architecture and ruins, stories of Peter and
Jesus and the disciples including Peter being the rock that would be the
foundation for the Church. We had Mass
with Father Michael and Deacon Ken at St. Peter’s Memorial Church – an octagonal structure
built over the site of Peter’s home. A place where Jesus spent about 3 years in
public ministry.
We visited a kibbutz (a communal settlement, usually a farm) near the Mt. of Beatitudes, where we watched a video of how the “Jesus boat” was found and brought out of the water (sounds easier than it was). The boat is on display although it had to be “fortified” to keep the wood from instantly turning to dust once it dried out. If you are interested in more information about the kibbutz or the "Jesus boat" please click the hyperlink: Jesus Boat.
The highlight of our day was definitely the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Ken (as a former member of the U.S. Navy) hoisted the US flag to the Star-Spangled Banner. We danced and sang and bought a few trinkets to commemorate the time on the Sea of Galilee.
We visited the church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes (we all know those stories, right?) at Tabgha and then Peter’s Primacy where Jesus told Peter to “feed my sheep” & made him the first Pope; before resting for a bit back in our rooms on Mt. of Beatitudes. We travelled to nearby Magdala and dined at the beautiful Magdalena Restaurant. Amazing local cuisine and such a great atmosphere. The chef there wrote a book (that many took home with them) which included recipes of the foods we ate that night. Ken especially enjoyed the roasted cauliflower appetizer – I have aspirations of recreating it one day. I ate the seafood pasta (fresh and seasoned perfectly); Ken had the ribeye steak (also perfectly cooked), and Theresa had the fish (whole and beautiful fish caught daily). The best part about this meal, aside from the fabulous food, was the experience itself. We talked, laughed, drank some wine or beer, listened to stories, and learned so much about the people at our table. It was truly an experience. This is the biggest difference between Israel and America - meals are not rushed, they are eaten slowly, thoughtfully; and people truly enjoy the company of those dining with them. No TVs in the restaurant, no devices (except for the occasional picture for those back home), and lots of love and laughter.
The weather today was better than we expected. We did not
have any rain until the afternoon and then it was just a few sprinkles. There
was some wind especially on the Sea but all in all, it was a perfect day for taking photos and exploring this fabulous region of Israel. Fr. Michael read scriptures at each location and truly brought the Bible to life – at least for me.
We learned to call Fr. Michael 'Aboonah' (Abuna) which means father.
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We were in Israel until February 9th and I will be adding another post to include a few more days of travel and photos. Until next time....may God bless you abundantly.
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