After our three lovely days in Jerusalem, we traveled by taxi to Nazareth, about two hours’ drive to the north. Nazareth is a busy city, populated by Christians and Muslims. The old city is even more complicated than Jerusalem’s old city. The roads are narrow and winding. You can easily get lost here. The taxi couldn’t get us all the way to our hotel, because the road was not wide enough to accommodate a car.
We loved our hotel in the old city. It was part of a property that had once belonged to the mayor of the city. It was very old and historic, but beautifully restored inside. The property had been in the family of the current owner for many generations, and he was a most gracious host. We even had a washing machine in the room.
While in Nazareth, we visited the churches built upon the sites of the Annunciation
and Joseph’s workshop.
Both were interesting and beautiful. It is always beyond me to exactly describe the feeling that goes with visiting the places where important events in the life of Jesus took place.
My favorite site in Nazareth was the synagogue. Luke 4 tells us that Jesus read from Isaiah in the synagogue, identified himself with its promise, and was chased out of the building for making such an offensive statement. This is the synagogue, now functioning as a church. I was surprised by how small it is. It would make a very comfortable place for St. Stephen’s to worship in, but would not allow for much growth!
More gorgeous photos. It must feel amazing to be where Jesus was. We talked about how different your hotel looked compared to the hotels we’ve stayed in. Eleven of us decided we would love to stay in that hotel with you.