FROM NAZARETH TO THE DEAD SEA AND ST. GEORGE'S MONASTERY

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Day 4: NAZARETH - SAN JORGE MONASTERY - MAR MUERTO - EIN GEDI

Monday, December 24, 2012

Today we have a very long day, so we start the day at 7 in the morning, with the idea of breakfast and go immediately to know all the essential visits in Nazareth. After this visit to the city, we will go by car from Nazareth to the Dead Sea, stopping before at the Monastery of St. George.
We have breakfast as kings in the breakfast room of the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel and after consulting a couple of things about our planning today, we will check out, say goodbye to our hosts Maoz Inon and Suraida, and continue our trip to Israel and Palestine.

Having breakfast at the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel in Nazareth

Farewell to the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel. We are clear that one day we will return !!

We go back to those streets of the souk that we traveled yesterday and doing so in the light of day, everything looks quite different.
It seems incredible that a city changes so much with the passing of the hours ...

After putting our bags in the car, we go in search of the parking meter to stay calm the hours we have left for our visit to Nazareth.
We go around the street several times, before asking a couple of times where the machine is to pay. We are fortunate to meet a man who helps us in the arduous task of wanting to pay for our parking and finally we find the happy little machine.

We have finally found the parking meter! Nazareth

The price or we found quite cheap compared to other things. We pay 10 shekels for 2 hours of parking.
Following the same street, in the opposite direction to the Fauzi Azar Inn hotel, we find the Tishreen restaurant where we had dinner yesterday.

Tishreen restaurant in Nazareth

Also, like the rest of the city, we see it totally different from how we saw it yesterday.
We check again the map and the guide, which indicate that the Church of San Gabriel, the Well of Mary and the spa are a few meters away.
We are very clear that from this moment of the trip to Israel and Palestine We will begin a non-stop visit to churches, chapels and other religious places and despite not being believers, we are looking forward to learning the history of a country where its name already sounds like that ...

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We arrive at the square that houses the Church of San Gabriel in Nazareth, built at the end of the s. XVII over other previous churches.
According to Greco-Orthodox beliefs, the angel Gabriel did not appear to Mary in her house, but rather she was presented to him in the place where she was going to collect water.
That place is the current Church of San Gabriel, which in these significant days, enjoys a huge Christmas tree that gives the square a note of extraordinary color.

San Gabriel Church Square. Nazareth

Christmas tree in the Church of St. Gabriel in Nazareth

Christmas in the Church of San Gabriel in Nazareth

Before entering the church we stopped to see the graphites that are outside, next to the entrance door.

Entrance of the Church of St. Gabriel in Nazareth

Graphites at the entrance of the Church of San Gabriel

Once inside we find something we did not expect, a warm and friendly atmosphere, which envelops us and takes us directly to what is the current restored crypt, where we find the spring that feeds the well that is outside.

Interior of the Church of San Gabriel

Crypt of the Church of San Gabriel in Nazareth

Detail of the crypt, which hosts the spring ... Church of San Gabriel

We are here for a long time, perhaps because it is the first church we visited, perhaps because the atmosphere is special. Maybe just because we feel like it ...
What we can say is that the feeling of peace that surrounds us is something special.
We left the Crypt of the Church of San Gabriel almost forced by the time it is and why now we have to set course for another of the essential visits in Nazareth, the Basilica of the Nativity.
But before we stop for a while, to stop before the well of Mary, which is located in the square, in front of the Church of San Gabriel. This is where it is believed that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and that its waters are healing.

Mary's well. Nazareth

Touring the center of Nazareth does not take more than 20 minutes and the travel time between the point where we are and the Basilica of the Nativity is not more than 10 minutes ...
We return to the street, this time in the direction of the Fauzi Azar Inn hotel, to find one of the most desired visits of the day, the Basilica of the Nativity.

Basilica of the Annunciation. Nazareth

The vision we have today of the largest Roman Catholic church in the Middle East has nothing to do with what we could see last night.
Today it appears before us with color, surrounded by a sky as beautiful as the one we had yesterday in Acre.
Now we are facing one of the most sacred sanctuaries in the Christian world. This is where it is said that the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she was pregnant.
The architecture that we find catches our attention for the modern and we read that the Franciscan order was commissioned in 1969 by the architect Muzio and that precisely that was what they asked for: something “modern, multinational and mysterious”.
The truth is that we can say that they got it, at least in the first two points.

One of the many images that adorn the exterior of the Basilica of the Annunciation

Touring the outside of the basilica, we find the first organized groups, which we expected to cross and with them the first signs of absolute fervor.
We find it a bit strange to see these demonstrations of faith, but at the same time, we get carried away by the site and end up seeing them as something completely normal.

Exterior of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth

One of the doors of the Basilica of the Annunciation

Image that adorns the exterior of the Basilica of the Annunciation

After turning completely to the outside, we go back a bit to see the front, which seems impressive from this distance.

Front of the Basilica of the Annunciation

And we have nothing left to re-enter, for the 2nd time since we are in Nazareth, inside the Basilica of the Annunciation, although this time we will do it with the disposition that the moment requires.
In the light of day it is all different, not only the city, but also the basilica and as it happened before in the Church of San Gabriel, we can do nothing but let ourselves be carried away by the site and try to feel what the story says ...

Interior of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth

Black and White in the Basilica of the Annunciation

We are in front of the "church below", where there is an enclosure centered on the apse of a Byzantine church of the fifth century, which was built around the cave of the annunciation.
We don't know why, but in these places you breathe "something" special. And when we meet in front of the cave, we really wonder how much is true and how much is not…

Grotto the Annunciation

From this point you have a perfect view of the impressive dome 60 meters high, in the form of white lily.

Dome of the Basilica of the Annunciation

Once we have digested everything we are seeing, we go up to the top of the basilica, to the “upper church” and we find a church, with another environment that we would not know how to define.

Going up to the “upper church” of the Basilica of the Annunciation

From this point you have a perfect view of the impressive dome 60 meters high, in the form of white lily.

Virgin in the Basilica of the Annunciation

From this point you have a perfect view of the impressive dome 60 meters high, in the form of white lily.

"Superior Church" of the Basilica of the Annunciation.

In this part of the Basilica of the Annunciation we are less time than in the "church below" and it really does not convey the same as in the previous one.
Again on the outside, we see the signs that indicate the location of the Church of San José, where we want to visit after taking some pictures.

Basilica of the Annunciation

Views of Nazareth from the Basilica of the Annunciation

Basilica of the Annunciation. Nazareth

The Church of San José is located north of the Basilica of the Annunciation and was built in 1914, where it is believed that Joseph's carpentry was located.
The current church is built on the foundations of a crusader church with Roman influences.
In the crypt there is an underground cave that was used in pre-Byzantine times to store grain.

Crypt of the Church of St. Joseph in Nazareth

Here we meet a priest who gives all kinds of explanations to 2 visitors.
We are not on organized trips, or guided tours, but at this time, and perhaps, why not, on this trip to Israel and Palestine the company of a priest would have filled us with the “historical gaps” we have.
It's after 10 in the morning and we still have a lot of day to go, so we say goodbye to the Church of San José and the Basilica of the Annunciation with some sorrow for not being able to spend more time "rummaging" in its history in its multiple meanings and mysteries ...
Before we leave Nazareth we can not stop walking the streets of his souk and we do that, we enter the street closest to the entrance of the Basilica of the Annunciation.

One of the entrances to the souk of Nazareth

We find some streets as convoluted as in any souk and trying not to get too confused, we go through it little by little soaking up the tranquility of its streets.

Nazareth Souk

Colorful in the souk of Nazareth

Streets of the souk of Nazareth

We look at the clock and it is after 10 in the morning, so it is time to get started and go find our car to put on our Israel GPS which will be our next destination: the St. George's Monastery!!
We say goodbye to Nazareth with a very clear thing, we will return ...

Photo we publish on the web while in Nazareth ...

At this moment we arrive at the “expected” moment that involves fighting with the GPS of Israel so that we can trace a route that includes the famous highway 90 and not that makes us make a detour not to go through it.
To achieve this, we have to put an intermediate point, rather a point sufficiently close to Nazareth so as not to force us to make detours, but at the same time it takes us on the road to highway 90.
So after dizzy the map several times, in the end we chose to put Beit Shan as an intermediate point, which took us just over half an hour to arrive.
Once here, we do the same process again with another point, but this time it will take us on Highway 90.
Upon entering, we see the first police checks, which we had not seen so far.
Right now we are 70 km from the city of Jericho, one of the cities that we had in the initial planning of this trip to Israel and Palestine and that after looking at and reaming the itinerary, we opted to leave it as “optional” in case it happened what we anticipated ... not having time !!
And so it has been, we have had to leave this experience for a future trip to Israel and Palestine that assured there will be and may not have to spend much time to return.
On this journey we begin to cross cars with Palestinian license plates, that white license plate that begins to show us that we are approaching the Palestinian Territory or that perhaps we are already ...
One of the first things we think after seeing that license plate is one of the premises we set when we started to make this trip to Israel and Palestine. We weren't going to get carried away by the political situation in the country.
It is difficult, perhaps too much, but if we intend to enjoy what we are living, however hard it may seem, we have to forget certain things, however complicated it may be and however much it may cost us.
And so we go through some lands with spectacular landscapes, with a mixture of almost impossible colors, ranging from the darkest brown to the brightest gold.

Traveling along Highway 90 towards the Monastery of San Jorge. From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

This sometimes arid landscape is splashed with green colors, of the farmland that makes its way into a land so many times hostile.

Landscapes of Highway 90 towards the Monastery of San Jorge.From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

We are crossing the Judean desert, when we look at the clock and see that it is almost 1 noon and if we want to go quietly St. George's Monastery, it is best to fill the belly before.
So we sharpen the sense of sight, looking for somewhere to be able to make a technical stop to eat.
And in these we are when we deviate by the also famous highway 1 that joins Jerusalem with the Dead Sea and we find a gas station and a Café-Restaurant.

On Highway 1 in search of a place to eat ...From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

Gas station and camel?From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

Technical stop to eat at Café Café on Highway 1.From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

When entering we do not know exactly what we can eat in a roadside cafe, but once we see the menu, we are calmer ...
We ordered a pasta dish and a mozzarella and pesto sandwich, plus two sodas, a dessert, a coffee and a cappuccino for 171 shekels.

Sandwich with mozzarella and pesto at Café Café on Highway 1.From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

Mmm ... And now the dessert !!! Café Café on Highway 1

When we finish the truth is that it costs us to get up from the chair, but we take momentum, eager to reach our next destination and with a full belly we are on our way again.

This is the dessert plate! Café Café on Highway 1

Touring the impressive Highway 1.From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

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Without knowing very well where we are going, but guided by the indications that we have pointed out, we arrive at Mitze Yericho, one of the many Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Almost without realizing where we are, we find a control, in which as soon as we approach the car to the barrier, after a few seconds it opens and we continue through the streets of this settlement looking for some indication that shows us the way to the St. George's Monastery.
We make several detours through the streets and seeing that we do not find any indication, we continue up the road, where we were quite standing when we were facing a checkpoint.

Lost in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank ...

Views of the Judean Desert. West bank

Without words ... West Bank

After several laps around the settlement, we have finished convincing ourselves that we have made a mistake on the way and we are going out again for the control that we have passed before.

Settlement from the distance. West bank

At the moment we realize that we have been wrong and we have entered the settlement when we had to take the road next to us and starting again our GPS of Israel, without marking any point, but following the road marked on our plane and comparing it, we continue advancing until after a few curves and no more than 10 minutes, we see in the distance a small elevation with a cross at the top.
We do not know very well why, but we stopped at that point and at the moment 2 boys appear, who name us the St. George's Monastery and they tell us that at the top of the "mountain" we can see it ...
We are not very convinced, but we grant the benefit of the doubt to one of them who tells us that he is Palestinian and offers to accompany us on a path that is not at all difficult or strenuous.
And when we get up ... we can't believe it. There it is, we are finally facing the St. George's Monastery, that we had seen so many times in photos.

The Monastery of St. George in the distance ... West Bank

Once here time ceases to matter to us and we do not look at the clock again until we have "docked" from the incredible views we have.

The Monastery of St. George. West bank

Impressive views of the Monastery of St. George. West bank

We had no idea of visiting the monastery, not for anything special, it just didn't fit into our plans due to lack of time and being closed at the time we planned to visit.
This will be another of the things we will do the day we return on a trip to Israel and Palestine.

Admiring the Monastery of St. George. West bank

Monastery of St. George. West bank

It is almost 3 in the afternoon and counting that it begins to get dark at 4 and a little, we believe that the most sensible thing we can do at this time, when we still have one more stop today, is to take the car, turn back and get on our way to the Dead Sea.
If you do not have a car, a good option is to book this excursion to the Dead Sea from Tel Aviv or this excursion from Jerusalem, both with a guide in Spanish.

But before, how could it be otherwise, the Palestinian boy who has accompanied us part of the time we have been, tries to sell us a necklace that he has been wearing in his makeshift shop window ...
We tell him that we don't want any necklace, but when he tries to tip him, he flatly refuses, telling us that he has not given us help for money and that he will only accept it if we keep a necklace.
That reminds us of the many times we have unreasonably distrusted someone on one of our trips and then we were surprised.
This time will swell the list ...

Doing business around the Monastery of St. George. West bank

And before we leave, we cannot do anything but get back on our feet, to look again, for the last time, at least on this trip, that wonder we have been able to contemplate for a few minutes.

Monastery of St. George. West bank

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Views of the Monastery of San Jorge. Travel to Israel and Palestine

Monastery of St. George. West bank

As we have said before, the idea is to go to the Dead Sea, but trying to find another "lookout" we continue a few meters along the road that continues to Jericho.
And we find the entrance to St. George's Monastery, where they explain to us a couple of guys that there is closed, but if we want to save the road, which is about 20 minutes on foot, they can take us on a donkey.

Donkeys making the way to the Monastery of San Jorge. West bank

As expected we declined the offer and after taking some photos, we reconnected our Israel GPS, this time with no end point ...
We are on our way to the Dead Sea and hope to find a good place to stop.
We go back the path we have made on Highway 1 to rejoin Highway 90 along the Dead Sea and from which we will look for that place where we can touch that impressive “salty sea” again.

Road from our corner in the Dead Sea ...From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

At this point we cannot help remembering a few years ago, when we were on the other side of the Dead Sea, in Jordan.
This trip to Israel and Palestine has nothing to do with it, but it is like the finishing touch to a trip that we divide by necessity and that without hesitation for a second, would have been a perfect complement to each other.

And we arrived!!! Dead Sea…From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

The idea is not to go to any resort where we can bathe with all the comforts. We already did this on the trip to Jordan, so this time what we have been looking for is “sneaking in” somewhere in one of the public areas.
But we did not expect what we are finding. We drive along the road that borders the Dead Sea, but at all times we find ourselves with a distance large enough not to be able to reach from the side of the road.
And after a good while driving, we arrive at the Mineral Beach area, where we see that we can park and although we have to do some juggling to go down the rocks, it seems that it is accessible.
And there we go, camera in hand to live "our particular salty bath".

Juggling to touch the Dead Sea ... From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

After some trips and not less stops to rest, we arrive at one of the most beautiful and least visited areas of the Dead Sea.
And there is nothing better at the moment than to show some of the images we take ...

Dead Sea.From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

Amazing sunsetFrom Nazareth to the Dead Sea

Dead Sea…From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

The sunset begins and we decide that this time arrives and without being able to do anything else in the remainder of the day, we have just received the best gift, to be able to live a sunset in the Dead Sea.

Sunset.From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

Dance of colors.From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

We try not to take more photos, but it is impossible. It seems to shoot itself.
Although this moment arrived and intuiting that few minutes of light remain, we approach the shore to be able to touch, for the second time, the “saltiest water in the world”.

Dusk in the Dead Sea

Dead Sea

Touching the Dead Sea

Peace, tranquility, relaxation ... all this and more in the Dead Sea

Colors.From Nazareth to the Dead Sea

At this moment we realize that today is a somewhat special day, especially at home, today is December 24, today is Christmas Eve and tonight, perhaps at this time, our families are about to meet to celebrate ...
We are here, we are celebrating our particular Christmas Eve, in a trip to Israel and Palestine and that is exceeding all our expectations.

Our particular Christmas Eve at the Dead Sea

And almost without light, we take the last pictures, before saying goodbye, who knows if for the last time of our “little piece” of Dead Sea.

Dead Sea

It's after 5 p.m. when we put the last address on our Israel GPS, this time it's the turn of Kibutz Ein Gedi, a kibbutz in the area, which is also a highly recommended Botanical Garden in the area, where We were lucky to book cheap accommodation with Wimdu.
The entrance to the kibbutz is very well indicated and it is also visible in the distance to be the only buildings in the area.
We park in one of the car parks of the enclosure and as soon as we get off we realize how big everything is here.
We have to ask a man who passes by where to get to the reception, because we are unable to find it for ourselves.
After checking, we go to the room with the idea of resting a few minutes before going to dinner at one of the restaurants in the kibbutz.

Kibbutz room Ein Gedi in the Dead Sea

Views of the Dead Sea from our room in the Ein Gedi kibbutz

It's 8 in the afternoon and they tell us that we have two options for dinner, go to the restaurant at the top, where they serve a buffet or stay at the restaurant-bar near our room, where we can eat a la carte.
We do not think about it and we stay in the latter.
We ordered a pizza and an omelet with a side dish, plus 2 sodas for 94 shekels.

Our dinner at Kibbutz Ein Gedi

An unexpected visit during dinner at Kibbutz Ein Gedi

Here we begin what will be commonplace on this trip to Israel and Palestine, the cats.
Of all sizes, of all colors, of all shapes, but we will not stop seeing cats, very careful throughout the country.
And with these thoughts and a very complete day behind us we retired to rest for a while in our room at the Kibutz Ein Gedi.
Tomorrow we expect a "special" day ...