Nazareth Day 2

We joined a tour of Nazareth that our hostel coordinates first thing every morning.  It’s not a typical tour. Mona, our guide, took us to various shops in the Old City to talk with the owners about their stories. Many are new stores that have just opened in the last few years to bring life back to this section of town. But we also met a third generation owner of a spice mill and a second generation carpenter.  Unfortunately, many people now buy their furniture at big stores (sounds familiar) so he now makes the one thing you can’t buy at IKEA...coffins for the Christian funerals. We also stopped at the oldest coffee shop in Israel! Jerry and Jackson had Arabic coffee and I had an amazing cinnamon and walnut drink. Will definitely try to repeat it at home :)

Later, we went to Nazareth Village...a recreated first century village from the time of Christ. The land that they built on had not been farmed for 140 years and whenn they dug, they uncovered an original wine press and watchtowers. Our guide was able to bring scripture to life as he described life then and how Jesus used what people knew to give parables of faith. It was fascinating and I had a few tears.

Lastly, a woman from the Jesus Trail tour came to talk to us about our hike. She was with us for an hour going over the route, where to refill water, etc. It was exciting! Not sure how I’ll be able to sleep tonight!! We leave in the morning.

The town of Nazareth is 65% Muslim and 35% Christian. We had everything from welcoming, friendly greetings to cold, stone face stares. You can ask us about our overall experience and feelings when we have more time. Such complicated history...a significant quote from our guide today was “Nazareth is still not responding to Christ”.

Sorry this is so long! But it’s also serving as a reminder of how we filled our days when we return home. Hope everyone is good...especially Sugar Dog (who we mention daily).