Israel 2013: The Jesus Trail, Part One

To conclude Holy Week in Jerusalem, some friends and I attended the Resurrection Day service at the Garden Tomb.

On the way to the Garden Tomb

Part of the line waiting to enter the Garden

After the service, four of us made our way to the central bus station to start our next journey: hiking the Jesus Trail. The Jesus Trail is a 40 mile trek from Nazareth to Capernaum (or vice versa), taking you through areas Jesus walked throughout His life and during His ministry. You can visit Jesustrail.com to read all the nitty gritty if you would like, and here is a map from start to finish:

I need to interject here and say the timing of our trip was phenomenal; Koichi--friend and hiking partner from Tokyo--posted this on Facebook:

This Easter morning, heading to Galilee following his trail.

‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’
Matthew 28:7

How amazing that we ourselves began our journey to Galilee on the same day, 2,000 years later, and it would begin in Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up.

Our bus left Jerusalem around 12:45 and we arrived in Nazareth around 15:00. Well, to be more specific, we rode through Nazareth around 15:00; we unknowingly missed our stop. A lady we had befriended in line while still in Jerusalem informed us of this as she was alighting the bus past Nazareth (that was for you Amanda). So we got off the bus at the next stop and crossed the street to catch another bus in the opposite direction. I could only laugh, hoping this wouldn't be the trend over the next four days of our adventure. (But then what would adventures be, if not consisted of mishaps, mistakes, and misfortunes?) While at the bus stop a taxi and its driver stopped to talk us out of taking the bus, as is usually the case. He offered to take us into Nazareth for 25 shekels, and Koichi talked him down to 24 shekels (he got better as the trip went on). Laughing, the driver shook his hand and we piled in. Amanda, Becca and I were scrunched together in the back seat with Koichi lounging in the front.

Fifteen minutes later, we were standing at the entrance to hostel #1--The Abu Saeed Hostel. It was a cute, quaint little place tucked away in the maze of streets near the heart of Nazareth. The owner was named Ramsay (pronounced "Rahm-zay"), a short, well-rounded Arab man of about 60-65 years of age, whose music tastes included Rhianna and Katy Perry. He also had a collection of pets: one dog, two birds, four turtles, and several fish.

Entryway of the hostel

Our room

The owner's dog--it took my spot on the couch

One of the four turtles

The plan was to spend the night exploring Nazareth, and leave the next morning to start the trail. Once we were settled in our room, which we shared with a girl from Russia, we went for a walk. Nazareth is called the "Arab capital of Israel", with citizens being predominantly either Muslim or Christian.

Interesting billboard

Everyone we met was very hospitable and outgoing. After wandering around, our stomachs reminded us it was time for dinner. There were numerous places to choose from, including cafes, full size restaurants, and little hole-in-the-wall joints. I found this sign advertising lamb chops to be too cute not to share:

We settled on a falafel stand, which I was excited about because they had tall cans of Coke. After dinner, we walked back towards the hostel, and came across the largest church here in the Middle East--the Church of the Annunciation, where it is traditionally thought the angel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus. I found it interesting that though Nazareth is the childhood home of Jesus, everything is focused on Mary; she is lifted up, not Christ.

Main entrance

Very interesting door of the church

Tours of the church ended at 18:00, so we were not able to go inside until the next day, which I will write about later. Once we took some pictures, we walked back to the hostel, where we played several rounds of a card game called Silly Head (which I dominate... :) ) and ate way too many cookies and almonds. I also called my sister Krista to wish her a happy birthday and we had a good, long talk. I really miss my family!