Day 6

On a beautiful warm sunny day we started today's travels by heading to Cana the sight of Jesus's first miracle of turning the water into wine. Today there is a Catholic Church run by Franciscans sitting on this site. Ron Mainse led us on a devotional on the wedding where this took place.  His sister married an Arabic Christian man in Cana and he explained that in this tradition a lot of emphasis is placed on the bridegroom rather than the bride.  That helps us to better understand the emphasis on the bridegroom (Christ) in the final wedding when Christ will come for his bride (the Church).

Our bus driver just did an amazing u-turn on a narrow Cana street with all kinds of traffic.

Next stop was a re-creation of a Nazareth village in the time of Jesus. Really helps one understand what life was like in those days. There was a shepherd with his sheep (and 3 goats), an old wine press discovered right there on the rocks, terraced farm lands, lots of olive trees, a carpenter making a winnowing fork, a weaver spinning wool, an olive oil pressing demonstration using a real donkey as it was done at that time and a synagogue. Then we had a delicious lunch of lentil soup, flat bread with humus, goat cheese, olive oil with sesame seeds, cabbage salad and apples with fig paste for dessert.

After lunch we went on a walking tour of Nazareth visiting Mary's well, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation where they believe that Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she would become the mother of Jesus. Then we walked to the Roman Catholic Church of the Annunciation. They believe that Gabriel appeared to Mary beside her house.  This church is built over her family's original house. It is the largest church in the Middle Ease. They also believe that Mary and Joseph lived here and raised their family there.  A little ways over is the Church of St Joseph which is build over what is believed to be Joseph's carpenter's shop.  Some also believe that this was the house where Joseph and Mary raised their family.