THE NEXT TRIP TO NAZARETH

The next trip to the Galilee was under our own steam, so-to-speak. (Last visit we went on a  day tour with a brilliant  guide).   Using the intercity buses, we based ourselves at Tiberius (Tiveria).  We were high on a hill, which, if our hotel window had been less obstructed, we would have been overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  As it was, it still being winter, cold and damp for them, (not so cold for us Northern European visitors), there was also a mist that regularly obscured the outlook too.  If you peer into the left of the picture you will just about see the sea, locally known as Lake Kineret.

Misty view of The Sea of Galilee over rooftops -click to enlarge

It's always easy to walk downhill, so about fifteen minutes after we arrived, we found ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the international hotel area, a market with food stalls that came to life at night, and not far away, the central bus station to everywhere. The tourist information office, also in the centre, had closed for the day.

Fortunately, there was an intercity bus stop in the side street close to the hotel, otherwise it would have been a bit of a trek to connect with transport. The hotel receptionist we met, was an information lifesaver; being a Nazarene, he was really pleased we wanted to visit where he lived, "not far away," he said "Somebody will tell you".  It was soon clear to us that independent international travellers would fare better being in town, that the hotels on the periphery were business orientated and just not geared up to provide for independent  tourists. We received print-outs of bus times, (those we required were underlined with the receptionist's pen) and we were given a double-sided map, both in Ivrit, (Hebrew) and Arabic.  Armed with these papers, and feeling totally disempowered, we went to investigate the bus stop.

I reckoned if I could say the name of the name of  the place as it was known locally, we stood a better chance of getting on the right bus and arriving there. The driver beckoned us in, a fare was paid and we took our seats.  "You want to go to the centre of Nazareth?" asked a woman in English. She had to get off the bus before us, however, she explained to the driver exactly where he should tell us to alight. Wow!  In a street crowded with people and jam-packed with cars, which were virtually at a standstill, the driver signalled to us we were near our stop.  He pointed emphatically at a row of bus stops to indicate where we should return to for the bus back to Tiberius.

In Nazareth, with nobody to guide us, we were a bit disorientated.  On the list of  'must see' places, were the ruins beneath the Basilica; to explore the ancient quarter of Nazareth and also the market.  The first sight to greet us were these billboards, (what else might you call them).  We studied them with interest.

To the right of the picture you can see the thick grey 'spire' of The Basilica

click pictures to enlarge

To be continued/......