Breakfast

Dinner

It was a stormy morning. Usually we start this day by hiking up Mt. Arbel, which you see shrouded in clouds in the distance.

Driving past Arbel, we saw the area where it was recently announced that archaeologists have found the second synagogue at Magdala. Later in the day we would visit Magdala.

Instead of hiking to the top of Mt. Arbel we took the bus, and then walked from the parking lot, through the rain cloud that we had seen below. Usually the view from the top of Mt. Arbel, to the Plain of Genneserat and the Sea of Galilee, is stunning. Today, not so much.

The wet weather did not dampen spirits when we arrived at Yardenit, on the Jordan River, for a baptism.

Nearby is Kinneret Cemetery, where our guide Shlomo told us the story of Rachel the Poet, a distinguished Israeli literary figure. She is buried there.

The flowers in the cemetery were beautiful.

Then, at Magdala, we saw the synagogue discovered in 2009, one of just a few first century synagogues that have been discovered in Israel. And it’s the one considered most likely to have been visited by Jesus during his ministry.

The synagogue at Magdala was discovered during work to prepare for construction of a Catholic retreat center, which is now in place.

And still the rain kept falling.

We know for certain that Jesus was at Capernaum, along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was his home away from Nazareth.

The “White Synagogue” at Capernaum is several centuries after Jesus, but built on the same location as the synagogue from Jesus’ time.

Just a stones throw from the synagogue is the modern Church of St. Peter, built over what are believed to be the remains of the house of St. Peter.

Across the Sea of Galilee, the City of Tiberias. No mention in the Gospels that Jesus ever visited Tiberias during his ministry.

For the first time in many years, we visited the church that commemorates the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes. The church was designed by the famous Italian architect Barlucci.

Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount (art).

As we left the church parking lot we saw a rainbow. Perhaps the storms were coming to an end.

As we returned to home base at kibbutz Ginosar, we saw the remains of the 2000-year old Galilee boat in the Yigal Allon Museum. The boat was discovered in 1986.

And we hopped on a boat for a ride on the Sea of Galilee. This was one of the main highlights for many people.

We weren’t the only boat on the water.

At the end of the day, another view of Mt. Arbel, stunning in the later afternoon sun.